How Many Cubic Yards Are in a Ton? Weights of Gravel, Sand, Soil and Concrete
For crushed stone and most gravel, one cubic yard weighs about 1.4 to 1.5 US tons (2,800 to 3,000 lb), so one ton is about 0.67 to 0.71 cubic yards.
It depends on the material, because a ton measures weight and a cubic yard measures volume. Sand, soil and crushed concrete differ, so use the table below and confirm the number with your supplier.
Why is there no single answer?
A ton is a unit of weight, and a cubic yard is a unit of volume. A cubic yard of dry sand, a cubic yard of crushed stone and a cubic yard of concrete take up the same space but weigh different amounts, so the number of cubic yards in a ton changes with the material. Weight per cubic yard is called density. Two things make it vary even within one material: the rock type and how fine or coarse it is, and how much water it holds.
In US construction, “ton” means the short ton of 2,000 lb. The figures here are for that ton.
The conversion formulas
tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard
cubic yards = tons ÷ tons per cubic yard
tons per cubic yard = pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2,000You need the density of your material. A supplier can give it, and the table below gives typical ranges for planning. To get volume from a known area and depth first, see how to calculate cubic yards.
Typical weights by material
These are typical values for loose material unless noted. None is a government or manufacturer standard, so treat each as a planning range. The last column shows how confident this guide is in the range.
| Material | Pounds per cubic yard | Tons per cubic yard | Cubic yards per ton | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone (such as #57) | 2,800 to 3,000 | 1.40 to 1.50 | 0.67 to 0.71 | Medium-low |
| Crusher run or road base | 2,900 to 3,100 | 1.45 to 1.55 | 0.65 to 0.69 | Medium-low |
| Pea gravel | 2,500 to 2,700 | 1.25 to 1.35 | 0.74 to 0.80 | Medium-low |
| River rock, 1 to 2 in | 2,600 to 2,900 | 1.30 to 1.45 | 0.69 to 0.77 | Medium-low |
| Crushed granite or limestone | 2,700 to 3,100 | 1.35 to 1.55 | 0.65 to 0.74 | Medium-low |
| Stone dust or screenings | 2,600 to 3,000 | 1.30 to 1.50 | 0.67 to 0.77 | Medium-low |
| Rock, 2 to 6 in | 3,000 to 3,400 | 1.50 to 1.70 | 0.59 to 0.67 | Medium-low |
| Riprap | 3,400 to 4,000 | 1.70 to 2.00 | 0.50 to 0.59 | Low |
| Crushed concrete (demolition) | 3,700 to 4,200 | 1.85 to 2.10 | 0.48 to 0.54 | Low |
| Sand, dry | 2,600 to 3,000 | 1.30 to 1.50 | 0.67 to 0.77 | Medium |
| Sand, wet | 3,000 to 3,400 | 1.50 to 1.70 | 0.59 to 0.67 | Medium |
| Dirt or soil, dry and loose | 2,000 to 2,600 | 1.00 to 1.30 | 0.77 to 1.00 | Medium |
| Dirt or soil, compacted | 2,600 to 3,000 | 1.30 to 1.50 | 0.67 to 0.77 | Medium |
| Dirt or soil, wet | 3,000 to 3,400 | 1.50 to 1.70 | 0.59 to 0.67 | Medium |
| Fill dirt | 2,000 to 2,400 | 1.00 to 1.20 | 0.83 to 1.00 | Medium |
| Concrete, plain (150 lb/ft³) | 4,050 | 2.025 | 0.49 | High (one default value) |
The gravel, stone and fill dirt ranges come from a supplier-style reference page, and the rock, riprap, crushed concrete, sand and soil ranges from a general conversion site. Neither cites a standard. Concrete uses 150 lb per cubic foot, a common default for plain normal-weight concrete, which is 150 × 27 = 4,050 lb per cubic yard. Cubic yards per ton is 1 ÷ tons per cubic yard, rounded to two decimals, so the low end of each range comes from the high density.
Quick conversion for crushed stone
At 1.4 tons per cubic yard, a typical planning figure for crushed stone:
| Amount | Tons to cubic yards (÷ 1.4) | Cubic yards to tons (× 1.4) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.71 | 1.4 |
| 2 | 1.43 | 2.8 |
| 5 | 3.57 | 7.0 |
| 10 | 7.14 | 14.0 |
| 20 | 14.29 | 28.0 |
Read the middle column as “this many tons is this many cubic yards,” and the last column as “this many cubic yards weigh this many tons.”
Pick a material or type your supplier’s tons per cubic yard, and convert cubic yards to tons or tons to cubic yards, in short tons or metric tonnes.
Worked examples
Example 1: tons to cubic yards. You are quoted 10 tons of crushed stone, using the 1.4 to 1.5 range.
- At 1.5 tons per cubic yard: 10 ÷ 1.5 = 6.67 cubic yards
- At 1.4 tons per cubic yard: 10 ÷ 1.4 = 7.14 cubic yards
- Planning answer: about 6.7 to 7.1 cubic yards
Example 2: cubic yards to tons. You need 5 cubic yards of pea gravel, using the 1.25 to 1.35 range.
- Low: 5 × 1.25 = 6.25 tons
- High: 5 × 1.35 = 6.75 tons
- Middle: 5 × 1.3 = 6.50 tons
Example 3: the same sand, dry and wet. You need 3 cubic yards of sand, with dry sand at 1.35 and wet sand at 1.6 tons per cubic yard.
- Dry: 3 × 1.35 = 4.05 tons
- Wet: 3 × 1.6 = 4.80 tons
- The wet load is 18.5% heavier for the same volume.
Example 4: short tons to metric tonnes. 14 short tons × 0.90718474 = 12.70 metric tonnes.
For soil, how much topsoil you need turns an area and a depth into cubic yards, tons and bags.
Moisture and compaction
Water adds weight. Supplier-style references report that wet gravel can weigh 15% to 20% more than dry, and the ranges for sand and soil above show the same effect. Compaction changes the picture too: a cubic yard of compacted material holds more weight than a cubic yard of loose material, so do not apply a loose-material density to something already packed in place. A supplier’s scale ticket is the weight you are charged for, and it includes whatever moisture the pile held that day.
What about mulch and concrete?
Mulch is sold by the cubic yard or by the bag volume, not usually by the ton, and its weight varies widely with the wood, the particle size and how wet it is. This guide has no reliable ton-per-yard figure for mulch, so use your supplier’s number if you need one. For volume, see how many bags of mulch are in a yard.
Ready-mix concrete is sold by the cubic yard. At 150 lb per cubic foot, one cubic yard weighs 4,050 lb, or 2.025 tons, and one ton of plain concrete is about 0.49 cubic yards. Mix designs differ, so the batch ticket is the real number.
Ton, tonne and long ton
- Short ton: 2,000 lb, or 907.18474 kg. This is the US construction ton.
- Metric tonne: 1,000 kg, or about 2,204.62 lb.
- Long ton: 2,240 lb, used in the UK.
These are the NIST Handbook 44 definitions. If a quote says “tonnes” or is from outside the US, check the unit before you convert.
Questions people ask
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.67 to 0.71 cubic yards of crushed stone per ton, because crushed stone weighs about 1.4 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard. Pea gravel is lighter, so a ton of it is about 0.74 to 0.80 cubic yards. Confirm with your supplier.
Is a ton the same as a cubic yard?
No. A ton is weight and a cubic yard is volume. For crushed stone, one cubic yard is about 1.4 to 1.5 tons.
Is 20 tons the same as 20 yards?
No. At 1.4 tons per cubic yard, 20 tons of crushed stone is 20 ÷ 1.4 = 14.29 cubic yards, and 20 cubic yards would weigh 28 tons.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of dirt?
Dry loose dirt at 1.0 to 1.3 tons per cubic yard is about 0.77 to 1.00 cubic yards per ton. Wet or compacted dirt is heavier, so a ton of it takes up less space.
How do I convert cubic yards to tonnes?
Multiply cubic yards by tons per cubic yard to get short tons, then multiply by 0.90718474. One cubic yard of crushed stone at 1.4 short tons is 1.4 × 0.90718474 = 1.27 metric tonnes.
Sources
- Crushed Stone Calculator: How Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh (secondary source). Pounds per cubic yard for crushed stone, crusher run, pea gravel, river rock, granite or limestone, screenings and fill dirt. Supplier-style reference, not a standard. Accessed October 16, 2026.
- Inch Calculator: Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator (secondary source). Ranges for rock, riprap, crushed concrete, sand and dirt, dry, compacted and wet. No primary source is cited on the page. Accessed October 16, 2026.
- Washington State DOT, Bridge Design Memo 05-2010. Unit weight of plain concrete, 150 lb per cubic foot. Accessed October 16, 2026.
- NIST, Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement. Cubic yard, short ton, long ton and metric tonne definitions. Accessed October 16, 2026.