Bag yields at a glance
| Bag | Yield | Bags per cubic yard | Bags per cubic foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 lb | 0.30 ft³ | 90 | 3.33 |
| 50 lb | 0.375 ft³ | 72 | 2.67 |
| 60 lb | 0.45 ft³ | 60 | 2.22 |
| 80 lb | 0.60 ft³ | 45 | 1.67 |
| 90 lb | 0.66–0.675 ft³ | 40–41 | 1.48–1.52 |
Yields from Quikrete and Sakrete technical data sheets. The calculator leaves out the 90 lb bag because the two brands disagree on it.
The formula
The calculator never rounds a bag away: 44.0 ft³ ÷ 0.60 is 73.3, so it tells you 74. It does ignore floating point noise — a yard is exactly 45 bags of 80 lb mix, not 46.
Which bag size should you buy?
On price, it often doesn’t matter. At the store we checked in October 2026, an 80 lb bag was $6.47 and a 60 lb bag $4.85 — both $10.78 per cubic foot of concrete. So the choice is about carrying and mixing:
- 80 lb means the fewest bags, trips and mixes. It’s heavy to lift out of a truck bed and awkward in a wheelbarrow.
- 60 lb is easier on your back and mixes more easily in small batches, for a third more bags.
- 40 and 50 lb suit small repairs and single posts, where a big bag would be half wasted once opened.
A pallet of 42 × 80 lb bags holds 25.2 ft³ — a little under a cubic yard. If you’re into pallets, compare a ready-mix quote; see bags vs ready-mix.
Questions people ask
How many 80 lb bags of concrete make a yard?
45. An 80 lb bag yields 0.60 cubic feet and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 27 ÷ 0.60 = 45. It takes 60 bags of 60 lb mix or 90 bags of 40 lb mix.
How many bags for one cubic foot?
1.67 bags of 80 lb (buy 2), 2.22 bags of 60 lb (buy 3) or 3.33 bags of 40 lb (buy 4).
How much area does one 80 lb bag cover?
0.60 ft³ spread 4 in thick covers 1.8 ft². At 3 in it covers 2.4 ft², and at 2 in, 3.6 ft². Check the minimum thickness printed on the bag before spreading it thin.
Do Quikrete and Sakrete yield the same?
For 40, 60 and 80 lb bags of standard concrete mix, yes — 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 ft³. They differ on the 90 lb bag: Quikrete lists 0.675 ft³ and Sakrete 0.66.
Is fast-setting mix different?
Quikrete’s 50 lb Fast-Setting Concrete Mix yields 0.375 ft³, the same as a 50 lb bag of standard mix, so the 50 lb row applies. Specialty and “high-yield” products are different; use the yield printed on the bag.
Sources for the numbers on this page
- Quikrete — Concrete Mix No. 1101 — technical data sheet (bag yields, strength gain, curing) · checked October 1, 2026
- Sakrete — High-Strength Concrete Mix — technical data sheet · checked October 1, 2026
- Sakrete — Estimating bagged concrete jobs · checked October 1, 2026
- Quikrete — Fast-Setting Concrete Mix No. 1004 — technical data sheet · checked October 1, 2026
- The Home Depot — Quikrete Concrete Mix, 80 lb — shelf price at one US store · checked October 1, 2026
Corrections and updates are logged on the sources page.