Cubic yards to tons calculator

What is a cubic yards to tons calculator?

A cubic yards to tons calculator turns a volume of loose material into a weight. Bulk materials such as gravel, sand and topsoil are dug and priced by volume — a truck delivers so many cubic yards — but they are often weighed at the scale and sold, hauled or dumped by the ton. To move between the two you need the material’s density: how much a given volume of it weighs. This calculator stores approximate densities for the common landscaping and construction materials, so you enter a volume and a material and read the weight straight off.

The conversion is not a fixed number. A cubic yard of dry gravel and a cubic yard of mulch differ in weight by more than three to one, because they pack very different amounts of solid matter into the same space. That is why “cubic yards to tons” always has to go through a density figure rather than a single multiplier.

How does the calculator work?

Enter the volume — the field has its own unit selector, so you can measure in cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, liters or US gallons — then choose the material. The calculator looks up that material’s density (in pounds per cubic yard), multiplies it by the volume, and divides by 2,000 to give US short tons. The weight result is switchable between US tons, metric tonnes, pounds and kilograms, so you can read the answer in whatever unit your supplier or scale uses.

Material densities

Densities are stored in pounds per cubic yard, the unit builders’ merchants and aggregate suppliers usually quote. The figures below are typical in-place (as-delivered) values:

These densities are approximate and moisture-dependent. Wet sand or saturated soil can weigh 10–25% more than the dry figure, compacted material weighs more than loose material of the same type, and the exact aggregate or blend shifts the number as well. Treat the results as an estimate for ordering and haulage, and confirm with your supplier when the tonnage has to be exact.

Formula

With a volume $V$ in cubic yards and a density $D$ in pounds per cubic yard, the weight in US short tons (1 short ton = 2000 lb) is:

The intermediate weight in pounds is simply the volume times the density:

To read the answer in metric tonnes, convert the pounds (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, 1 tonne = 1000 kg):

If your volume is measured in cubic feet or cubic meters, convert it to cubic yards first — the calculator does this automatically ($1 \, \text{yd}^3 = 27 \, \text{ft}^3 = 0.764555 \, \text{m}^3$).

Worked examples

Example 1: gravel

You have 10 cubic yards of gravel to move. Gravel’s density is about 2800 lb/yd³:

So 10 yd³ of gravel weighs 14 US tons — the same as 28,000 lb, or about 12.70 metric tonnes. A truck rated for 15 tons can carry it in one load.

Example 2: topsoil

You are ordering 5 cubic yards of topsoil, density about 2000 lb/yd³:

That is a tidy 5 US tons (about 4.54 tonnes). Because topsoil’s density is close to 2000 lb/yd³, its cubic-yard and ton figures come out roughly equal — a handy rule of thumb for soil.

Example 3: concrete

Two cubic yards of concrete, density about 4050 lb/yd³:

Concrete is the densest material in the table, so even a small volume adds up quickly — 4.05 US tons from just 2 yd³.

Practical notes

• Density is an estimate, not a constant. Moisture is the biggest variable: wet material weighs noticeably more than the dry figures above. If your material is saturated or heavily compacted, add a margin, and ask the supplier for the density of the specific product when the tonnage must be exact.
• US (short) tons vs metric tonnes. The default result is US short tons of 2,000 lb. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg ≈ 2,204.6 lb, so it is about 10% heavier than a short ton — switch the result unit to tonnes if your quote is metric.
• Work out the volume first. For a rectangular area, volume is length × width × depth. If you are estimating aggregate for a driveway or base layer, the gravel calculator and the crushed stone calculator work the volume out for you, and the concrete calculator does the same for slabs and footings.
• Order a little extra. Loose material settles and compacts, and some is always lost in handling. Adding 5–10% to the tonnage keeps a job from stalling one short load from the finish.