How to Figure the Basic Area Volume for Road Construction

Finding the Area

• 1

  Measure the average width of the road in inches and divide this number by 36 to convert it to yards. Call this measurement W. For example, if you are building a road that is about 67 inches wide, then W = 1.861 since 67/36 = 1.861.

• 2

  Measure the length of the road in yards and call this number L. If the road has curves, measure the length down the center of the road. If the road is straight, you can measure its length along one side. For instance, if your road is 12 yards long, then L = 12.

• 3

  Multiply L and W to find the area of the road in square yards. In this example, the area is 22.332 square yards since (1.861)(12) = 22.332.

Finding the Volume

• 4

  Measure the average depth of the road in inches and divide by 36 to convert to yards. Call this number D. For example, if you fill your road to a depth of 4.5 inches, then D = 0.125 since 4.5/36 = 0.125

• 5

  Multiply the depth by the area to find the volume. For instance, if the area is 22.332 square yards and the depth is 0.125 yards, then the volume is 2.792 yards since (22.332)(0.125) = 2.792.

• 6

  Add five percent to the volume when buying materials so that you have enough to complete the project. For instance, instead of buying exactly 2.792 cubic yards of road fill material, you should buy 3 cubic yards, since (1.05)(2.792) = 2.932, and 2.932 rounded up is 3.