Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator

1. Enter the amount to convert.
2. Pick the direction, cubic yards to tons or tons to cubic yards.
3. Choose the material, or enter a density override from a scale ticket.
4. Read the converted result, plus the weight in pounds and metric tonnes.

Here is what each result line means:

Working from an area and depth instead of a known volume? Start with the gravel calculator.

A cubic yards to tons calculator converts between the volume and the weight of a bulk material. Suppliers quote and bill some materials by the cubic yard and others by the ton, so you often need to switch between the two.

The bridge is the material density, in tons per cubic yard. Gravel is about 1.5, topsoil about 1.15, wood mulch only about 0.3, and solid concrete about 2.0. This tool carries a library of common materials and lets you enter your own density.

It is the general converter behind the specific tools, such as the crushed stone and sand calculators.

Density in tons per cubic yard converts both ways: multiply to go from volume to weight, divide to go from weight to volume.

1. Cubic yards to tons: tons = cubic yards times the density.
2. Tons to cubic yards: cubic yards = tons divided by the density.
3. Pounds = tons times 2,000; metric tonnes = tons times 0.907.

These are US short tons of 2,000 pounds. A metric tonne is about 2,205 pounds, so a short ton is about 0.907 tonnes.

10 cubic yards of gravel at a density of 1.5 tons per cubic yard.

Calculation: Tons = 10 x 1.5 = 15 tons, which is 30,000 pounds or about 13.6 metric tonnes.

Going back: 14 tons of gravel at 1.5 is 14 / 1.5 = 9.33 cubic yards. Lighter materials give fewer tons: 10 cubic yards of wood mulch at 0.3 is only 3 tons.

Material Type

Density is the main driver. Airy organics like mulch are light, soils and aggregates sit in the middle, and solid stone, concrete and asphalt are heavy.

Moisture

Moisture is the biggest variable for soils, sand and mulch. Wet material can weigh 10 to 20 percent more than dry, so a rainy-day delivery reads heavier.

Compaction and Gradation

Compacted or well-graded material packs denser than loose. A base aggregate with fines weighs more per yard than a clean open stone.

Loose vs Solid

Crushed and placed stone holds voids, so it weighs far less than the same rock solid. Rip rap placed is about 1.5, but the solid rock is over 2.

Short vs Metric Ton

This tool uses US short tons of 2,000 pounds. A metric tonne is about 2,205 pounds, roughly 10 percent more.

Typical bulk densities in US short tons per cubic yard. These are planning midpoints; moisture and gradation shift them, so enter your own density when you have it.

Mulch is lighter than water, which is physically right for an airy organic, while concrete and asphalt are the heaviest. Confirm the real density with a scale ticket for anything you are billed on.

Ordering by the Ton

Convert a yardage estimate into tons when the supplier bills by weight.

Checking a Delivery

Turn a weigh-ticket in tons back into cubic yards to see it matches the volume you expected.

Comparing Quotes

Put a per-yard price and a per-ton price on the same footing to compare suppliers.

Planning Haulage

Find the weight of a load to check a truck or trailer rating.

Mixed Materials

Convert gravel, soil, sand, concrete or mulch in one place with the right density for each.

1. Using One Density for Everything

Mulch at 0.3 and concrete at 2.0 differ sevenfold. Pick the material or enter its density.

2. Ignoring Moisture

Wet soil, sand and mulch weigh 10 to 20 percent more than dry, so a dry density undercounts a wet delivery.

3. Mixing Short and Metric Tons

A short ton is 2,000 pounds, a metric tonne about 2,205. Confirm which your supplier uses.

4. Using Solid Density for Loose Stone

Crushed and placed stone holds voids, so it weighs less per yard than solid rock. Use the loose or placed density.

5. Converting the Wrong Direction

Multiply yards by density for tons, divide tons by density for yards. Flipping it gives a wildly wrong answer.

6. Trusting a Library Value as Exact

These are midpoints. For a billed load, use the supplier density or a scale ticket.

The calculator converts between cubic yards and US short tons using a material density.

Multiply the cubic yards by the material density in tons per cubic yard. For example, 10 cubic yards of gravel at 1.5 is 15 tons. Divide instead to go from tons back to cubic yards.

About 1.5 tons for loose gravel, with most gravels between 1.4 and 1.7. Pea gravel and #57 stone are near 1.4; crusher run is near 1.5.

About 1.15 tons for dry, loose topsoil or dirt, rising to roughly 1.6 when wet or compacted. Moisture is the biggest variable.

About 2.0 tons for solid, cured concrete, since it weighs around 150 pounds per cubic foot. Asphalt is similar at about 2.0 compacted.

Density ranges sevenfold, from about 0.3 tons per cubic yard for wood mulch to 2.0 for concrete. The same volume can weigh very different amounts, so the material sets the conversion.

US short tons of 2,000 pounds. A metric tonne is about 2,205 pounds, so a short ton is about 0.907 tonnes. The tool shows both.

It depends on the density. For gravel at 1.5 tons per cubic yard, one ton is about 0.67 cubic yards. Divide the tons by the density to find the yards.

Yes. Wet soil, sand and mulch can weigh 10 to 20 percent more than dry, so a wet delivery billed by weight reads heavier than a dry estimate.

Crushed and placed stone holds air between the pieces, so a cubic yard weighs less than the same rock solid. Use the loose or placed density for ordering.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent.

• Inch Calculator – Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator (Conversion formula and material density table.)
• Inch Calculator – Gravel Calculator (density table) (Bulk densities for gravel, sand, rock and topsoil.)
• USDA NRCS – Bulk Material Weights (Background on soil and aggregate bulk density.)