How Much Does a Wheelbarrow Hold?

How much does a wheelbarrow hold

Having a wheelbarrow will help you transport more than a handful of equipment and supplies per trip. The only question is, how much does a wheelbarrow hold?

The holding capacity of a wheelbarrow ranges from 2 cubic feet (56.6337) to 6 cubic feet (169.901 liters). The type of wheelbarrow you use will determine its total volume or how much it can hold.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can take a more in-depth look at wheelbarrow volumes. You can use this brief guide to calculate how many trips it will take you to move something from one location to another.

Wheelbarrow Volumes

In order to calculate how many trips it will take you to move sand, bricks, soil, or bags of cement, we first need to determine the volume of the wheelbarrow.

As previously indicated, wheelbarrows have various holding levels. They range from 2 to 6 cubic feet (56.6337 to 169.901 liters).

Let’s take a look at the 2 main types of wheelbarrows available and their average volumes.

Garden Wheelbarrows

Garden Wheelbarrows

A garden wheelbarrow is a type of wheelbarrow you will most often come across at home improvement retailers. They are mainly used for gardening tasks, but essentially, they’re made for residential purposes. A garden wheelbarrow will typically hold between 2 and 3 cubic feet (56.6337 and 84.9505 liters) of dirt, sand, and mulch.

Builder’s Wheelbarrows

Builder's Wheelbarrow

A builder’s wheelbarrow is a heavy-duty type of wheelbarrow. It will most likely find a home at construction sites or at hardcore DIY-ers’ homes. On average, a small builder’s wheelbarrow will hold between 3 and 6 cubic feet (56.6337 and 169.901 liters) of building materials at a time.

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How Many Trips?

So, after learning how much a wheelbarrow can potentially hold, we can calculate how many trips it will take to move a certain amount of a type of material.

Check this article if you want to learn how many wheelbarrows it will take to move a ton of sand. You can learn the total trips or number of wheelbarrows for other supplies below.

Material Weight Volume Number of Trips or Wheelbarrows
Garden

2 cubic feet

56.6337 liters

Garden

3 cubic feet

84.9505 liters

Builder’s

6 cubic feet

169.901 liters

Mulch 400-800 lbs.

181-363 kg

1 cubic yard

764.555

13.5 9 4.5
Sand 1/2 ton

453.592 kg

10 cubic feet

283.168 liters

5 3.33 1.67
Soil 40 lbs.

18.1437 kg

0.75 cubic feet

21.23763 liters

0.375 0.25 .0125
Cement Bag 94 lbs.

42.6377 kg

4.5 cubic feet

127.426 liters

2.25 1.5 0.75
Gravel 2,900 lbs.

1,315.418 kg

1 cubic yard

764.555 liters

13.5 9 4.5
Brick 2,700 lbs.

1,224.699 kg

11.111 cubic feet

314.628 kg

5.555 3.704 1.852

Note: 1 yard = 27 cubic feet (3 feet × 3 feet × 3 feet)

Something worth mentioning is that the holding capacity of a wheelbarrow does not take into account the amount of materials you pack into the basin that goes beyond the basin’s rim. In other words, the rating of a wheelbarrow refers to how much liquid it can hold. For solid materials, you maybe be able to pack slightly more than their rated volume.

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BaronCooke

Baron Cooke has been writing and editing for 7 years. He grew up with an aptitude for geometry, statistics, and dimensions. He has a BA in construction management and also has studied civil infrastructure, engineering, and measurements. He is the head writer of measuringknowhow.com

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