The cubic yard is a unit of volume derived from the imperial system of units. It uses the symbol yd³.
It equals the volume of a cube with edges that each measure 1 yard. It is equivalent to 27 ft³, 46656 in³ or ≈ 0.764554 m³.
The yard (and derivatives like the cubic yard for example) are the same in both the imperial systems and US customary systems so require less conversion systems to calculate / convert to SI or metric.
The register ton is a unit of volume in the shipping world and uses the symbol GRT.
1 register ton is equal to 100 ft³ or 2.832 m³.
The register ton is used in shipping to measure the amount of cargo on a vessel. The phrase is often mistaken for a unit of mass or weight because of the term 'ton' but should not be confused.