How Many Tons in a Cubic Yard? The Conversion for Every Material
A cubic yard is a volume; a ton is a weight; the bridge between them is density, and every material has its own. A yard of gravel is about 1.4 tons. A yard of mulch is barely a third of a ton. A yard of concrete is over 2. Get the density right and the conversion is one multiplication.
Tons per cubic yard, by material
| Material | Tons per yard | Pounds per yard |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch (hardwood) | 0.3 – 0.4 | 600 – 800 |
| Topsoil (dry, screened) | 1.0 – 1.1 | 2,000 – 2,200 |
| Fill dirt | 1.1 – 1.3 | 2,200 – 2,600 |
| Sand (dry) | 1.3 – 1.4 | 2,600 – 2,800 |
| Pea gravel | 1.3 – 1.4 | 2,700 – 2,800 |
| Standard gravel | 1.4 | 2,800 |
| #57 limestone | 1.4 – 1.5 | 2,900 |
| Crusher run | 1.5 – 1.6 | 3,100 |
| Asphalt (hot mix) | ~2.0 | 3,900 |
| Concrete | ~2.0 | 4,050 |
Moisture moves everything: wet sand and damp clay weigh 10 to 20% more than the dry figures. If your delivery crosses a scale on a rainy week, the ticket reads heavy and that’s normal.
The two formulas
Yards to tons: multiply yards by the density. 5 yards of crusher run x 1.55 = 7.75 tons.
Tons to yards: divide tons by the density. 10 tons of standard gravel / 1.4 = 7.1 yards.
That second one matters because quarries sell by the ton off a scale while your measurements produce yards. When the yard asks “how many tons?”, this is the translation they’re doing on their end, and doing it yourself first is how you sanity-check the quote.
Cubic yard calculator with weight by material →
Why suppliers quote both units
Weight is what a scale can verify, so bulk stone and sand sell by the ton. Volume is what landscaping actually consumes, so soil, mulch, and concrete sell by the yard. Neither side is wrong; they’re measuring different things about the same pile. The one unit that is always wrong: the “scoop”, which varies by loader. If a yard sells by the scoop, ask what fraction of a cubic yard the bucket holds.
Convert your own numbers
Where the conversion bites
- Hauling: a half-ton pickup is done at about 1,000 pounds of payload, which is a third of a yard of gravel. The bed will hold more; the axle shouldn’t.
- Ordering asphalt or concrete by volume: both are quoted around 2 tons a yard, so a “small” 3-yard order is 6 tons of material.
- Comparing quotes across units: convert both to the same unit first. A $42-per-ton gravel quote and a $58-per-yard quote are the same price at 1.4 t/yd.
How many yards in a ton? (The reverse table)
Suppliers quote tons; your hole is measured in yards. Flipping the densities gives yards per ton:
| Material | Yards per ton | 10 tons equals |
|---|---|---|
| Standard gravel | 0.71 | 7.1 yd |
| Crusher run | 0.65 | 6.5 yd |
| Sand | 0.74 | 7.4 yd |
| Fill dirt | 0.9 | 9 yd |
| Topsoil | 0.95 | 9.5 yd |
| Mulch | 2.8 | 28 yd (not a real order) |
That last row is why nobody sells mulch by the ton: a ton of it is a small hill. Weight units suit dense material, volume units suit fluffy material, and the industry’s split follows the physics.
Short ton, metric ton, long ton
Every figure on this page uses the US short ton, 2,000 pounds, which is what American quarries and scales mean by “ton”. A metric ton (tonne) is 2,205 pounds, about 10% heavier, and shows up in engineering specs and imported material documentation. The long ton (2,240 lb) survives mostly in shipping. If a spec sheet says “t” and the number matters, ask which one; on a 20-ton driveway order the difference between short and metric is a full extra scoop.
Quick answers
How many tons is a yard of gravel? About 1.4 for standard crushed gravel, 1.35 for pea gravel, up to 1.55 for crusher run with fines. Type matters more than people expect; the crushed stone calculator applies the right one.
How many tons is a yard of dirt? Roughly 1.1 loose, more when damp. A “couple yards of dirt” is a two-and-a-half-ton object, which is why it arrives by truck.
How many tons of gravel do I need for a driveway? A 12 by 50 driveway at 4 inches deep needs about 10.5 tons. Run your own size in the gravel calculator and it converts yards and tons in one shot.
Why did my delivery weigh more than the estimate? Moisture. Material sold off an outdoor pile after rain can run 10 to 20% heavier per yard. Scales don’t lie, but they do weigh the water.