Article — Cubic Yards to Tons Converter
Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator
A cubic yard is a volume; a US short ton is a weight (2,000 lb). To convert cubic yards to tons, multiply the volume by the material density in pounds per cubic yard and divide by 2,000. Most landscape aggregates run about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, but mulch is only 0.3 tons and concrete is 2.0 tons per cubic yard.
The calculator above stores typical densities for 15 common materials so you do not have to look them up. Pick gravel, sand, topsoil, mulch, crushed stone, asphalt, or concrete, enter your yardage, and the tonnage comes back instantly.
What does cubic yards to tons mean?
The cubic yards to tons conversion turns a volume measurement into a weight measurement for bulk materials. Landscape suppliers price by the yard for soil, mulch, and decorative stone, but heavier materials like crushed gravel and asphalt are often quoted by the ton. Reconciling the two units matters for delivery planning, truck capacity, and price comparison.
The conversion always depends on the density of the specific material. A yard of dry mulch and a yard of concrete share the same volume (27 cubic feet), but one weighs 600 lb and the other weighs 4,050 lb. That is why every yards-to-tons calculator needs a material dropdown.
The cubic yards to tons formula
The formula is yards × density ÷ 2,000. Volume in cubic yards, density in pounds per cubic yard, and 2,000 lb in a US short ton. So 10 yd³ of gravel at 2,835 lb/yd³ weighs 10 × 2,835 ÷ 2,000 = 14.18 short tons.
You can also work in cubic feet, since 1 yd³ contains 27 ft³. Multiply yards by 27 to get cubic feet, then by lb/ft³ density, then divide by 2,000. The math is the same; the units chain differently.
1 yd³ × 2,835 lb/yd³ = 1.42 short tons (gravel)1 yd³ × 2,700 lb/yd³ = 1.35 short tons (sand)1 yd³ × 600 lb/yd³ = 0.30 short tons (mulch)1 yd³ × 4,050 lb/yd³ = 2.03 short tons (concrete)Aggregate density table for yards to tons
Densities below are typical bulk values used by landscape and aggregate suppliers. Actual weights vary by 10 to 20 percent based on moisture content, gradation, and how compacted the material is during loading.
- Mulch (dry) = 600 lb/yd³ (0.30 short tons)
- Mulch (wet) = 1,000 lb/yd³ (0.50 short tons)
- Topsoil (dry) = 1,600 lb/yd³ (0.80 short tons)
- Topsoil (wet) = 2,100 lb/yd³ (1.05 short tons)
- Sand (dry) = 2,700 lb/yd³ (1.35 short tons)
- Gravel (dry) = 2,835 lb/yd³ (1.42 short tons)
- Crushed stone / #57 = 2,835 lb/yd³ (1.42 short tons)
- Pea gravel = 2,800 lb/yd³ (1.40 short tons)
- Asphalt = 4,000 lb/yd³ (2.00 short tons)
- Concrete = 4,050 lb/yd³ (2.03 short tons)
Gravel and crushed stone yards to tons
One cubic yard of dry gravel weighs about 1.4 US short tons, or 2,835 lb. Wet gravel weighs around 1.7 short tons per cubic yard because water fills the gaps between stones. Crushed stone in standard road-base sizes (#57, #67, #4) carries similar density.
For a 10-yard delivery, expect roughly 14 to 17 tons depending on moisture. If your truck scale shows 18 tons for 10 yards, the material is either wet or denser than nominal (some quarry-run limestone hits 1.8 t/yd³). Always weigh a sample if precision matters for engineering specifications.
A standard dump truck holds about 10 to 14 cubic yards. A tri-axle truck carries 16 to 18 yards. At 1.4 tons per yard for crushed stone, a 14-yard truck delivers about 20 tons of stone in one trip - the legal weight ceiling on most US highways.
Topsoil and mulch yards to tons
Topsoil weights run 1,300 to 2,200 lb per cubic yard depending on moisture and organic content. A typical dry mix sits around 1,600 lb/yd³, which converts to 0.8 short tons. Wet topsoil after rain can weigh 1,800 to 2,200 lb/yd³, pushing each yard to over a ton.
Mulch is the lightest landscape material. Bark mulch weighs only 400 to 800 lb/yd³ dry. Wet mulch doubles to 1,000 to 1,500 lb/yd³ after a storm. The light weight means a pickup truck can haul a full cubic yard of mulch without overloading the suspension, while the same truck struggles with even half a yard of stone.
How many tons for a driveway or yard project
A residential gravel driveway needs about 1.4 short tons per 100 square feet at 3 inches deep. So a 20-by-50-foot driveway (1,000 sq ft) takes about 14 tons of stone. For mulch beds at 3 inches deep, plan on 0.075 tons per 100 sq ft.
The general rule: compute volume (sq ft × depth in ft), convert to yards (÷ 27), then convert to tons using the density. Or skip the math and use the calculator with your yards already in hand.
Bulk materials settle and compact during delivery and spreading. Order 10 to 15 percent more than the bare calculation says so you do not run short on the last few square feet. Returning a partial truckload usually is not an option.
Common yards to tons mistakes
The first mistake is using a single average density for every material. The range from mulch (0.3 t/yd³) to concrete (2.0 t/yd³) is nearly 7x. Pick the actual material in the dropdown.
The second mistake is forgetting that wet weights are 20 to 50 percent higher than dry. If your supplier delivered after a rainstorm and your tonnage looks high, that is why. Re-run the conversion with the wet density.
The third mistake is confusing short tons with metric tons. US construction quotes default to short tons (2,000 lb), but international suppliers and engineering specifications often use metric tons (2,205 lb). On a 100-ton order, the difference is over 20,000 lb. The calculator toggles between the two.
If you only know your area in square feet and depth in inches, this two-step works: area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324 = cubic yards. Then run yards through this calculator for tons.