Convert Barrel to Cubic Yard (bbl → yd³)

Converting barrels to cubic yards is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in barrels

   Start with the number of barrels (bbl) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 0.207948

   The conversion factor from bbl to yd³ is 0.207948. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in cubic yards

   The result is your value in cubic yards (yd³).

Multiply the value in barrels by 0.207948. For the reverse direction, multiply by 4.808905.

• ✓1 oil barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.987 L exactly.
• ✓Barrel prices quoted in USD — watch currency impact on non-US economies.
• ✓Different industries (beer, dry goods) use different barrel sizes — oil barrel is a specific unit.

• ✗Using beer barrel (163.7 L) or dry barrel (115.6 L) in oil contexts.
• ✗Confusing barrel of oil with barrel of beer — different volumes.
• ✗Assuming barrels are standard worldwide — only oil industry uses the 42 gallon version globally.

What is the Barrel?

The oil barrel equals exactly 42 US gallons (158.987 liters) and is the global benchmark unit for crude oil pricing and trading. The 42-gallon size dates to the 1860s Pennsylvania oil boom, when oil was shipped in repurposed wooden barrels of various sizes; the standard settled at 42 gallons as a practical industry compromise. Today, the oil barrel is virtually synonymous with crude oil — Brent crude and WTI prices are quoted per barrel ($/bbl), OPEC tracks production in barrels per day, and proven reserves are listed in billions of barrels. Despite metrication, the barrel persists in petroleum trading and journalism worldwide. It relates to the US gallon (1 bbl = 42 US gal), the cubic meter (1 bbl ≈ 0.159 m³), and the liter (1 bbl ≈ 159 L). Note that beer and wine barrels have different volumes.

• Crude oil international pricing (Brent, WTI)
• Petroleum product reporting (OPEC, EIA)
• Energy-sector financial reporting

What is the Cubic Yard?

The cubic yard equals exactly 27 cubic feet (or 0.764554857984 m³) and is the standard volume unit for American concrete delivery, mulch, topsoil, gravel, and bulk landscaping materials. Concrete is universally priced and ordered by the cubic yard in the US construction industry — a standard residential foundation might require 20–40 yd³, while a small driveway is around 3 yd³. The cubic yard is convenient for human-scale construction projects: a typical pickup truck bed holds about 2 yd³ of mulch. The cubic yard relates to the cubic foot (27 ft³ = 1 yd³), the cubic meter (1 yd³ ≈ 0.7646 m³), the gallon (1 yd³ ≈ 201.97 US gal), and the cubic inch (1 yd³ = 46,656 in³). Outside the United States and the United Kingdom, the cubic meter is dominant for the same purposes.

• Concrete ordering for US construction
• Gravel, sand and soil delivery in the US
• US freight and waste-disposal volumes