Yards of Material

Cubic Yards to Tons

Cubic yards to tons depends on the material: multiply the cubic yards by the material's weight per cubic yard in pounds, then divide by 2,000. One cubic yard of #57 stone weighs 1.25–1.29 tons, dry sand 1.12–1.4 tons and hardwood mulch only 0.2–0.4 tons.

Last updated · Umair Amjad · How we calculate

#57 stone: 2,500–2,580 lb per cubic yard (dry, loose). Sources: T.H. Kinsella, Federal Highway Administration, Graniterock.

Example: 1 cubic yard

1.25–1.29 tons

  • #57 stone, dry and loose

How to convert cubic yards to tons

The formula is tons = cubic yards × pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2,000. In the US a ton is the short ton of 2,000 lb, the definition NIST publishes. The only number that changes from one material to another is its weight per cubic yard, which is why a yard of gravel and a yard of mulch come out so far apart.

Take 5 cubic yards of #57 stone, which weighs 2,500–2,580 lb per cubic yard loose and dry. At the light end, 5 × 2,500 = 12,500 lb, and 12,500 ÷ 2,000 = 6.25 tons. At the heavy end it’s 6.45 tons, so 5 yards of #57 stone is 6.25–6.45 tons.

Pick a material in the converter and it does this for any amount. It shows a range because published weights for the same material differ from source to source, and the line under each material names the sources behind that range.

Tons per cubic yard by material

These weights come from state transportation departments, federal agencies, quarries and landscape suppliers, listed at the end of the page. Stone, sand, soil and mulch are loose and dry unless the row says otherwise.

Weight of one cubic yard by material
MaterialPounds per cubic yardTons per cubic yardPounds per cubic foot
#57 stone2,500–2,5801.25–1.2993–96
Crusher run2,430–3,0001.22–1.590–111
Pea gravel2,440–3,0001.22–1.590–111
River rock2,400–2,6001.2–1.389–96
Lava rock1,026–1,2600.51–0.6338–47
Sand, dry2,241–2,8001.12–1.483–104
Sand, wet3,2401.62120
Topsoil or fill dirt, dry1,854–2,6970.93–1.3569–100
Topsoil or fill dirt, moist2,200–2,4001.1–1.281–89
Hardwood mulch400–8000.2–0.415–30
Concrete, cured3,780–4,1851.89–2.09140–155
Hot mix asphalt, compacted3,834–4,0501.92–2.03142–150

Crushed stone, gravel and sand all land between about 1.1 and 1.5 tons a yard, and lava rock weighs roughly half that. The concrete and asphalt rows describe the finished material, hardened or rolled in place, so use them for weighing a slab or a paved area, not a pile.

How many cubic yards are in a ton?

Run the formula backwards: cubic yards = tons × 2,000 ÷ pounds per cubic yard. Ten tons of dry sand is 20,000 lb, and the heavier the sand, the fewer yards that buys. Divided by 2,800 lb, the heavy end of sand’s range, it’s 7.14 cubic yards; divided by 2,241 lb, it’s 8.92. In the converter, press Swap and enter tons.

A supplier may use its own conversion factor. T.H. Kinsella, a quarry in Fayetteville, New York, converts at 1.25 tons per cubic yard for clean drainage stone and 1.5 for materials that pack down, such as crusher run and stone dust. Crusher run’s sourced range is 1.22–1.5 tons per cubic yard, so Kinsella’s factor sits at the top. Twenty tons is 13.33 yards at 1.5 tons a yard, but up to 16.46 yards at the light end of the range. If your supplier gives you its factor, use it.

Why wet material weighs more

Water fills the spaces between grains and stones, adding weight without adding volume, so a wet yard weighs more than a dry one. Most rows in the table are dry. Engineering ToolBox lists wet sand at 3,240 lb per cubic yard, above the top of the dry range. Select Sand & Gravel says water held in and between landscape rock can add 10–15% to its weight, and Ottr Landscape Supply says saturated topsoil and fill dirt can run 20–30% heavier than in summer.

When you buy by weight, wet material gives you fewer yards: ten tons of sand at the wet figure is only 6.17 cubic yards, against 7.14–8.92 yards dry. It also matters for hauling: material loaded after rain is heavier than the dry figure suggests, so plan trips on the heavy end. Mulch’s weight swings the most with moisture. The converter’s results are for dry, loose material and say so.

Cubic feet to tons and back

For smaller amounts measured in cubic feet, tons = cubic feet × pounds per cubic foot ÷ 2,000. The last column of the table has those weights. A play area 10 × 6 ft covered 6 inches deep in pea gravel holds 30 cubic feet: 2,711–3,333 lb, or 1.36–1.67 tons. Going the other way, cubic feet = tons × 2,000 ÷ pounds per cubic foot. One ton of #57 stone fills 20.9–21.6 cubic feet, while a ton of hardwood mulch fills 67.5–135 cubic feet. For cubic feet to yards alone, divide by 27, or use the cubic feet to cubic yards converter.

Buying by the ton or by the yard

Suppliers price stone, sand and soil by the ton, by the cubic yard, or both. To compare two quotes, put them on the same unit: a price per ton × the tons per yard gives a price per yard. Ask each supplier which conversion factor it uses, because that factor sets what a per-ton price works out to per yard.

When you’ve measured your project in cubic yards and the supplier sells by the ton, convert with the heavy end of the range. A 4-yard job in #57 stone is 5–5.16 tons, and an order of 5.16 tons gives at least 4 yards anywhere in that range. To measure the job, start with the gravel calculator or the dirt calculator, and the gravel cost guide has typical prices per ton.

Questions people ask

How many cubic yards are in a ton?

It depends on the material. A ton of #57 stone is 0.78–0.8 cubic yards, a ton of dry sand 0.71–0.89, a ton of dry topsoil 0.74–1.08 and a ton of hardwood mulch 2.5–5. To work it out, divide 2,000 by the material's weight in pounds per cubic yard.

Is 1 ton equal to 1 cubic yard?

Only for a material that weighs exactly 2,000 lb per cubic yard. Crushed stone and sand weigh more, so a yard of #57 stone is 1.25–1.29 tons. Dry soil comes closest at 0.93–1.35 tons a yard, and mulch is far lighter at 0.2–0.4 tons.

Is 3 cubic yards 3 tons?

Usually not. Three yards of #57 stone weighs 3.75–3.87 tons, three yards of dry topsoil 2.78–4.05 tons and three yards of hardwood mulch 0.6–1.2 tons.

How many tons of gravel are in a cubic yard?

Loose and dry, #57 stone weighs 1.25–1.29 tons per cubic yard, river rock 1.2–1.3, and pea gravel and crusher run 1.22–1.5. Wet gravel weighs more: Select Sand & Gravel, a Texas and Oklahoma supplier, puts the extra at 10–15%.

How many tons is a yard of dirt?

A cubic yard of dry fill dirt or topsoil weighs 0.93–1.35 tons, depending on the soil. Ottr Landscape Supply in Boston lists moist screened soil at 1.1–1.2 tons a yard and says saturated soil can weigh 20–30% more than it does in summer.

How do you convert tons to cubic feet?

Multiply the tons by 2,000 to get pounds, then divide by the material's weight per cubic foot. #57 stone weighs 93–96 lb per cubic foot, so one ton fills 20.9–21.6 cubic feet. You can also convert tons to cubic yards and multiply by 27.

How much does a yard of concrete weigh?

Cured normal-weight concrete weighs 3,780–4,185 lb per cubic yard, which is 1.89–2.09 tons. Concrete and compacted hot mix asphalt, at 1.92–2.03 tons a yard, are the two heaviest materials in the converter.

Sources

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