How to Figure Cubic Yards for a Stock Tank

Stock tanks are used for many different situations, including watering livestock, storing gasoline, and creating backyard gardens. Knowing the correct volume of the tank can help prevent overspending or additional trips to purchase more material. If stock tanks were rectangular, determining the amount of material needed to fill them would be much simpler. Because most stock tanks are oval or circular in shape, there are a few extra steps to calculate the cubic yards needed to fill them.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Calculator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use a measuring tape to measure horizontally across the top of the tank between the two center points on the ends of the tank. Measure on the inside of the tank to correctly determine the inside volume if the stock tank has thick sides. Write the measurement on a piece of paper in inches, marking this as the length of the tank.

    • 2

      Measure the distance between the two center points on the sides of the tank. Note this measurement in inches on the paper containing the width measurement. Mark this new measurement as the width of the tank.

    • 3

      Measure the stock tank vertically from the bottom to the top of the tank. Write this measurement in inches on the piece of paper containing the previous two measurements. Note this measurement as the height of the tank.

    • 4

      Multiply the length of the tank by its width. Divide by four and multiply the answer by 3.14 to determine the area of the tank. The area of the tank is how much ground space the stock tank needs.

    • 5

      Multiply the calculated area of the tank by the measured height of the tank to find the volume of the stock tank in cubic inches. Divide this calculation by 36 to determine the amount of cubic yards in the tank.