From cubic yards to tons
A cubic yard is a volume and a ton is a weight, so the one turns into the other by what a yard of the material weighs. Multiply the cubic yards by the tons a yard weighs. A US ton, the short ton suppliers sell by, is 2,000 lb.
Worked example. 3 cubic yards of crushed stone.
- A yard of it weighs about 2,800 lb, or 1.4 tons
- Weight: 3 × 1.4 = 4.20 tons, or 8,400 lb (3.81 tonnes)
- Across the range the suppliers give, 1.25 to 1.5 tons a yard: 3.75 to 4.50 tons
- To order by the ton: 4.2 tons
The weight of a yard is the figure that moves the answer. Stone varies with the rock and its size, soil with how wet it is: from a supplier who gives 1.5 tons a yard, the same 3 yards are 4.50 tons. Under “Options”, type your supplier’s figure over ours.
From tons to cubic yards
Divide the tons by what a yard weighs. 10 tons of topsoil at 1.1 tons a yard is 9.09 cubic yards, 7.69 to 10.00 across its range. It is the sum to make when a quote is by the ton and the job was measured in yards: the cubic yard calculator gives those yards from an area and a depth. By volume, bulk goes by the quarter yard: 9.25 cubic yards.
What a cubic yard weighs
The weights the calculator opens on, with the range our sources give and who gives them. Each material’s page has its own calculator, with its bags and its usual depths: gravel and stone, topsoil and dirt, sand, mulch, asphalt and concrete.
| Material | Tons per cubic yard | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone (#57) | 1.4 (2,800 lb) | 1.25 to 1.5 | Earthstone Rock, Sands & Soils |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.25 to 1.5 | Earthstone Rock, Sands & Soils |
| Crusher run and driveway gravel | 1.4 (2,800 lb) | 1.25 to 1.5 | Earthstone Rock, Sands & Soils |
| Decomposed granite | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.25 to 1.5 | Earthstone Rock, Outdoor Warehouse Supply |
| Stone base, compacted in place | 1.89 (3,780 lb) | 1.82 to 1.89 | Iowa Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands |
| Topsoil | 1.1 (2,200 lb) | 1 to 1.3 | Sands & Soils, Topsoil.com |
| Fill dirt | 1.3 (2,600 lb) | 1 to 1.5 | Sands & Soils, Topsoil.com |
| Compost | 0.58 (1,150 lb) | 0.25 to 0.58 | Washington State University Extension, Sands & Soils |
| Wood mulch | 0.28 (550 lb) | 0.25 to 0.3 | Sands & Soils |
| River rock | 1.3 (2,600 lb) | 1.25 to 1.75 | Sands & Soils, Earthstone Rock, Stone Centers |
| Landscape rock | 1.4 (2,800 lb) | 1.3 to 1.5 | Earthstone Rock |
| Coarse sand (paver and concrete sand) | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.1 to 1.5 | Sands & Soils, Earthstone Rock, Stone Centers |
| Play sand | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.1 to 1.5 | Quikrete, Earthstone Rock, Stone Centers |
| Mason sand | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.3 to 1.5 | Quikrete, Sands & Soils |
| Hot-mix asphalt, compacted in place | 1.96 (3,915 lb) | 1.96 to 2.03 | Iowa Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands |
| Concrete, hardened | 2.03 (4,050 lb) | 1.85 to 2.11 | Inch Calculator, Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands |
Loose, compacted and hardened
Most of these weights are loose, as a material comes off the truck. Two are weighed compacted in place, as highway departments estimate them: stone base at 140 lb a cubic foot, 1.89 tons a yard, and hot-mix asphalt at 145 lb, 1.9575 tons a yard. 3 yards of asphalt in place are 5.87 tons. Loose on the truck the same material takes more room, so a ton of it fills more than its compacted yard: order base by the ton, or work the loose yards out on the gravel calculator, which knows both.
Concrete is weighed hardened, 150 lb a cubic foot or 2.025 tons a yard: 4 yards of slab to break up and haul away are 8.10 tons. Ready-mix itself is ordered by the cubic yard.
Mulch is sold by volume. Its weight, 0.275 tons a yard, tells you what a truck or a trailer can carry: 10 yards of it are 2.75 tons.
Common mistakes
- Using one weight for every material. A yard of mulch weighs a fraction of a yard of stone.
- Mixing metric and short tons. A tonne is 1,000 kg; the US ton is 2,000 lb.
- Ordering compacted yards loose. A yard of base compacted in place took more than a yard of it loose.
Questions about cubic yards and tons
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
About 1.4 tons for crushed stone, 1.25 to 1.5 with the rock and the size. 3 yards are 4.20 tons.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of topsoil?
At 1.1 tons a yard, 10 tons are 9.09 cubic yards.
How much does a cubic yard of concrete weigh?
About 2.025 tons hardened, 150 lb a cubic foot.
Why does my supplier give another weight?
Rock, size and water all change it. Type their figure under “Options” and the calculator uses it.
Is a ton 2,000 lb?
A US ton, the short ton, is 2,000 lb. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg: switch the calculator to metric for cubic metres and tonnes.
Sources
- Earthstone Rock, Cubic Yards vs. Tons for Landscape Rock. Landscape rock about 2,800 lb per cubic yard; river rock about 2,900 lb; sand about 3,000 lb; decomposed granite, landscape gravel and pea gravel about 2,700 lb; most rock between 1.3 and 1.5 tons per cubic yard. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Wash Rock. A cubic yard of #57 wash rock weighs approximately 2,500 lb. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Raleigh Wash Rock. A cubic yard of wash rock, sold as #67 stone and as pea gravel, weighs approximately 2,500 lb. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Crush and Run. A cubic yard of crush and run weighs approximately 2,500 lb. Read on .
- Outdoor Warehouse Supply, Decomposed Granite, 1/4 in minus. A cubic yard of decomposed granite weighs approximately 2,700 to 3,000 lb, depending on moisture. Read on .
- Iowa Department of Transportation, Design Manual 1B-4: Densities for Use in Estimating Quantities. Hot mix asphalt: 145 lb per cubic foot. Class A crushed stone and rolled stone base: 140 lb per cubic foot (revision of 21 May 2026). Read on .
- Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands, Application Rates and Weights for Estimating Purposes. Aggregate base: 139.0 lb per cubic foot. Hot asphalt mix: 145.2 lb per cubic foot. Concrete: 155.0 lb per cubic foot. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Topsoil. A cubic yard of topsoil weighs approximately 2,200 lb. Read on .
- Topsoil.com, Cubic Yard of Topsoil Weight. Dry topsoil 1,500 to 2,200 lb per cubic yard (about 2,000 on average), moist 2,200 to 2,600 lb, saturated 2,600 to 3,000 lb. A half-ton pickup has a payload of roughly 1,500 to 2,200 lb. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Fill Dirt. A cubic yard of fill dirt weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Read on .
- Washington State University Extension, Recommended Compost Best Management Practices Guide (2016). To convert cubic yards of compost to tons, use 1,150 lb per cubic yard, or the bulk density on the compost’s own analysis. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Leaf Compost. A cubic yard of leaf compost weighs approximately 500 to 600 lb. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Triple Shredded Hardwood Mulch. A cubic yard of triple shredded hardwood mulch weighs approximately 500 to 600 lb. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Beige River Rock. A cubic yard of beige river rock weighs approximately 2,500 lb. It is sold small (3/8 in), medium (3/4 in) and large (1 to 3 in); the larger rock wants at least 3 in of depth. Read on .
- Stone Centers, Landscape Rock Calculator. River rock about 1.4 to 1.75 tons per cubic yard; lava rock about 1.2 to 1.4; sand 1.10 to 1.25. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, White Coarse Sand. A cubic yard of coarse sand weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Used for concrete, for playboxes and as a leveling agent for pavers. Read on .
- Quikrete, Sand and Gravel Products, data sheet. All-Purpose Sand (No. 1152), for the underlayment of brick pavers among other uses, in 50, 60 and 70 lb bags; Premium Play Sand (No. 1113), washed and screened for sandboxes, in 50 lb bags. Read on .
- Quikrete, Mason Sand (No. 1952), data sheet. Each 50 lb bag of mason sand holds approximately 0.5 cu ft. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Masonry (Orange) Sand. A cubic yard of masonry sand weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Under an above-ground pool, keep the sand to a layer of 2 to 3 in. Read on .
- Inch Calculator, Concrete Weight Calculator. A typical concrete mix weighs 150 lb per cubic foot, 4,050 lb per cubic yard, or 2,400 kg per cubic metre; the figure changes with the aggregate, the water and the air in the mix. The most commonly used types weigh 3,700 to 4,220 lb a cubic yard. Read on .
Updated . How we calculate. Found a mistake? Tell us.