How to convert tons to cubic yards
A ton measures weight and a cubic yard measures volume, so you need the material’s weight per cubic yard to go from one to the other. That weight changes with the rock, the moisture and whether the material is loose or compacted, so every answer on this page is a range.
tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard
tons per cubic yard = pounds per cubic foot × 27 ÷ 2,000
A short ton is 2,000 lb and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Dividing by the heavy end of the weight range gives the smallest volume you can expect; dividing by the light end gives the largest.
Example: 10 tons of pea gravel spread 3 inches deep
- Cubic yards: 10 ÷ 1.50 = 6.67 and 10 ÷ 1.25 = 8.00, so 6.67–8.00 cu yd
- Cubic feet: × 27 = 180–216 cu ft
- Area at 3 in: ÷ (3 ÷ 12) = 720–864 sq ft
Example: a crusher run driveway base, 12 × 60 ft, 6 inches compacted
- Finished volume: 12 × 60 × 6 ÷ 12 = 360 cu ft = 13.33 cu yd, measured after compaction
- With the compacted weight of 1.75–2.15 tons per cu yd: 13.33 × 1.75–2.15 = 23.3–28.7 tons
- Check the other way: loose volume 13.33 × 1.4 = 18.67 cu yd, × 1.30–1.60 loose = 24.3–29.9 tons
The two routes give similar ranges (23.3–28.7 and 24.3–29.9 tons). The mistake to avoid is multiplying the finished volume by the loose weight: 13.33 × 1.30–1.60 = 17.3–21.3 tons, about 29% short.
Tons per cubic yard by material
Weights of loose material as it comes off the truck. “Cubic yards per ton” is the range you get from one ton: the heavy end of the weight gives the low number.
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Cu yd per ton | Pounds per cu ft | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone (about ¾ in, clean) | 1.25–1.45 | 0.69–0.80 | 93–107 | [1][2][3][4][5] |
| #8 / #89 crushed stone (⅜ in, pea-size) | 1.15–1.40 | 0.71–0.87 | 85–104 | [2][3] |
| Pea gravel (rounded, about ⅜ in) | 1.25–1.50 | 0.67–0.80 | 93–111 | [6][7][8] |
| River rock (1–3 in) | 1.30–1.45 | 0.69–0.77 | 96–107 | [9][10] |
| Crusher run / road base (loose) | 1.30–1.60 | 0.63–0.77 | 96–119 | [1][11][12][13] |
| Decomposed granite | 1.35–1.50 | 0.67–0.74 | 100–111 | [14][10] |
| Lava rock | 0.45–0.80 | 1.25–2.22 | 33–59 | [15][16][10] |
| Sand, dry | 1.20–1.45 | 0.69–0.83 | 89–107 | [6][7][4] |
| Sand, damp (typical as delivered) | 1.40–1.55 | 0.65–0.71 | 104–115 | [6][3][7] |
| Topsoil | 0.80–1.30 | 0.77–1.25 | 59–96 | [11][17] |
| Fill dirt | 1.00–1.20 | 0.83–1.00 | 74–89 | [11] |
More materials, including mulch and compost, are in the aggregate and material weights table.
Quick conversions
| Tons | #57 stone (cu yd) | Pea gravel (cu yd) | Crusher run (cu yd) | Damp sand (cu yd) | Topsoil (cu yd) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.7–0.8 | 0.7–0.8 | 0.6–0.8 | 0.6–0.7 | 0.8–1.3 |
| 5 | 3.4–4.0 | 3.3–4.0 | 3.1–3.8 | 3.2–3.6 | 3.8–6.3 |
| 10 | 6.9–8.0 | 6.7–8.0 | 6.3–7.7 | 6.5–7.1 | 7.7–12.5 |
| 15 | 10.3–12.0 | 10.0–12.0 | 9.4–11.5 | 9.7–10.7 | 11.5–18.8 |
| 20 | 13.8–16.0 | 13.3–16.0 | 12.5–15.4 | 12.9–14.3 | 15.4–25.0 |
Crusher run here is loose volume. Once compacted it fills about 71% of that space (divide by 1.4).
Loose, compacted and in the ground
A cubic yard of the same stone weighs a different amount depending on how tightly it is packed:
- Loose is the stone in the truck or in a fresh pile. All the weights in the table above are loose.
- Compacted is stone after a plate compactor or roller. Dense-graded base such as crusher run weighs about 1.75–2.15 tons per cubic yard compacted, against 1.30–1.60 loose. Wisconsin DOT’s guideline for compacted dense-graded base is 1.75–2.2 tons per cubic yard.[11] Tennessee DOT, for example, takes 2,900 lb of loose base per cubic yard × 1.4 = 2.03 tons per compacted cubic yard.[1]
- Clean stone such as #57 barely changes. Tennessee DOT uses 2,619 lb loose × 1.02 = 1.34 tons per cubic yard placed without compaction, and × 1.14 = 1.49 tons compacted.[1]
Put the other way, a compacted base takes about 1.33–1.5 times its volume in loose stone: Penn State’s gravel road program places 8 inches loose to finish at 6 inches (1.33), Tennessee DOT uses 1.4, and Wisconsin DOT measured 1.34–1.52.[13][1][11] The FHWA gravel roads guide reports a volume loss of 30% or more on gravel roads.[12] Our calculators order 1.4 times the finished volume of crusher run.
Why the scale ticket doesn’t match the conversion
Bulk stone is loaded by the bucket and sold by the scale, so the weight on your ticket is real. What varies is how much volume that weight turns into.
- Moisture. Caterpillar lists loose sand at 2,400 lb per cubic yard dry, 2,850 lb damp and 3,100 lb wet, so wet sand weighs 29% more than dry for the same volume. For ¼–2 in gravel it lists 2,850 lb dry and 3,400 lb wet (19% more).[6] Stone loaded after rain gives you fewer yards per ton.
- Rock type. Vulcan’s estimator uses 96 lb per cu ft for coarse limestone or granite aggregate and 102 lb for traprock, which is 1.30 against 1.38 tons per cubic yard. Martin Marietta’s calculator shows the same pattern (1.32 against 1.40).[4][3]
- The supplier’s own factor. Luck Stone’s calculator uses one factor, 103.7 lb per cu ft (1.40 tons per cubic yard), for every product.[5] Kokosing uses 1.65 tons per cubic yard for coarse stone such as #57,[18] well above Tennessee DOT’s loose weight for #57 of 2,619 lb (1.31 tons).[1] Ten tons is 6.06 cu yd at 1.65 but 7.64 cu yd at 1.31. A higher factor means more tons for the same yards, which leaves extra material; ask what your supplier’s factor assumes.
- Loose and compacted numbers mixed up. Some producer calculators list base at weights in the compacted range without saying which state they mean: Vulcan’s base aggregates are 130–160 lb per cu ft, or 1.76–2.16 tons per cubic yard,[4] close to the compacted figures from Tennessee and Wisconsin DOT.[1][11] Using a figure like that to convert a loose truckload understates the yards you receive.
If you order by the ton and need a set depth, measure the spread as you go and hold back the last load until you know how far the first ones went.
Questions people ask
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.69–0.80 cubic yards of #57 stone, 0.67–0.80 of pea gravel or 0.63–0.77 of loose crusher run. Ten tons of #57 is 6.90–8.00 cubic yards.
How many tons of crusher run are in a compacted cubic yard?
About 1.75–2.15 tons, against 1.30–1.60 tons for a loose cubic yard. Use the compacted figure with the finished volume of a base, or order 1.4 times the finished volume in loose yards.
Why does my scale ticket show a different amount than the calculator?
The scale weighs what was actually loaded. Moisture, rock type and the supplier’s own conversion factor all change how many cubic yards that weight makes, so trust the ticket for weight and measure the spread for volume.
Related calculators
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Transportation, Roadway Design Guidelines, Chapter 4 (rev. 03/20/15). Loose and compacted weights of mineral aggregate base and crushed stone. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Federal Highway Administration, Strength Characterization of Open-Graded Aggregates for Structural Backfills (FHWA-HRT-15-034). Laboratory densities of #57, #67, #8 and #89 stone. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Martin Marietta, Product Calculator (material density table). Checked 2026-09-26.
- Vulcan Materials, Aggregate Tonnage Estimator. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Luck Stone, Product Calculator. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Caterpillar, Caterpillar Performance Handbook, Edition 50: Weight of Materials. Checked 2026-09-26.
- U.S. Army, FM 5-434 Earthmoving Operations, Table 1-2: Material weight and swell. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft pea gravel, 48 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft river rock, 50 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
- North Bay Materials, Landscape Materials Density Chart. Supplier chart (secondary source). Checked 2026-09-26.
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WHRP), Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates (Project 0092-22-05, 2023). Unit weights of base aggregate, and FHWA/Church loose, bank and compacted weights of topsoil, loam and clay. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP, Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-002, 2015). Volume loss of gravel on compaction; minimum lift thickness. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, Driving Surface Aggregate (DSA) Handbook (2025). 8 in loose compacts to 6 in. Checked 2026-09-26.
- GraniteCrete, GraniteCrete Math Sheet (2024). Decomposed granite ordering weight. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft red lava rock, 18 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft black lava rock, 16.5 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Topsoil.com (supplier blog), Cubic Yard of Topsoil Weight: 1,500–3,000 lbs Explained. Dry, moist and saturated topsoil weights (secondary source). Checked 2026-09-26.
- Kokosing Materials (Ohio aggregate producer), Tonnage Calculator: Calculating by Material Size. Ordering factors: 1.65 tons per cu yd for coarse stone (#2, 4, 57, 67, 8, 9), 1.75 for base (304, 411, screenings), 1.5 for sand. Checked 2026-09-26.