Ten cubic yards of #57 crushed stone weigh about 14 tons; ten tons of the same stone fill about 7.1 cubic yards. The conversion is one multiplication, tons = cubic yards × density, but the density changes from one material to the next by a factor of three, and from one quarry to the next by 10 %. The calculator above converts either way for stone, sand, soil, mulch, concrete and water, and tells you how many truck loads the order makes.
How to convert cubic yards to tons
Multiply the volume in cubic yards by the density in tons per cubic yard. To go the other way, divide the weight in tons by the density. These are US short tons of 2,000 lb; in metric, multiply cubic metres by tonnes per cubic metre. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so a density given in pounds per cubic foot becomes tons per cubic yard by multiplying by 27 and dividing by 2,000.
| Material | Typical tons per cubic yard | Cubic yards per ton |
|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone | 1.40 | 0.71 |
| Crusher run | 1.45 | 0.69 |
| Pea gravel, river rock | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Concrete sand | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Masonry sand, damp loose | 1.08 | 0.93 |
| Topsoil | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Fill dirt | 1.10 | 0.91 |
| Bark mulch | 0.40 | 2.50 |
| Concrete (fresh) | 2.03 | 0.49 |
| Water | 0.84 | 1.19 |
Stone, sand and soil values are typical loose delivered densities, not a standard. Bulk density is measured by the ASTM C29 method, and quarries publish their own figures; the ticket that comes with the load states what you paid for. If you have it, choose “My supplier's density” and enter it. Concrete at 150 lb/ft³ and water at 62.4 lb/ft³ are physical values.
Loose or in the ground
Soil has two volumes. In the ground it is dense (bank volume); dug and loaded it swells, typically by about 25 % for common earth and 30 to 40 % for clay. Ten cubic yards excavated from a hole make about 12.5 yards in the truck, and they weigh the same either way. Choose whether your volume is measured in the ground or in the truck: the calculator weighs bank volume at the denser in-place figure and shows how many loose yards you will haul.
Truck loads
A load is limited by whichever runs out first, the volume of the body or the payload. A typical tandem dump truck carries about 14 yd³ or 15 tons. Stone at 1.4 tons per yard fills the payload at about 10.7 yards, so the truck leaves partly empty; mulch at 0.4 tons per yard fills the body long before it reaches the weight limit. Enter your hauler's body size and payload for an exact count.
Common mistakes
- “A yard is a ton.” Only for topsoil, roughly. Stone is 40 % heavier, mulch less than half.
- Mixing metric and short tons. A metric tonne is 2,205 lb, a short ton 2,000 lb: 10 % apart.
- Ignoring moisture. Wet material weighs more per yard; when you buy by the ton, you pay for the water.
To start from an area and depth, use the Gravel Calculator or the Sand Calculator; for concrete, the Concrete Calculator.