How to read the table
Weights are ranges because rock type, grading and moisture all move them. Tons are short tons of 2,000 lb, and tons per cubic yard = pounds per cubic foot × 27 ÷ 2,000. “Order factor” is what we multiply the finished volume by to get the loose volume to buy.
Gravel and stone
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Lb per cu yd | Lb per cu ft | Order factor | Basis | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone (about ¾ in, clean) | 1.25–1.45 | 2,500–2,900 | 93–107 | × 1 | None: spread loose. Clean stone barely compacts; if you plate-compact it, add about 10–15%. | [1][2][3][4][5] |
| #8 / #89 crushed stone (⅜ in, pea-size) | 1.15–1.40 | 2,300–2,800 | 85–104 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [2][3] |
| Pea gravel (rounded, about ⅜ in) | 1.25–1.50 | 2,500–3,000 | 93–111 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [6][7][8] |
| River rock (1–3 in) | 1.30–1.45 | 2,600–2,900 | 96–107 | × 1 | None: spread loose. No public test data for bulk river rock; range is from bag weights and supplier charts. | [9][10] |
| Crusher run / road base (loose) | 1.30–1.60 | 2,600–3,200 | 96–119 | × 1.4 | Order × 1.4. Compacted base takes about 1.33–1.5 times its volume in loose stone (Penn State 1.33, TDOT 1.4, WisDOT 1.34–1.52); we use 1.4. Used for a compacted base. | [1][11][12][13] |
| Decomposed granite | 1.35–1.50 | 2,700–3,000 | 100–111 | × 1 | None: spread loose. Loose weight; compacted DG weighs about 1.6 tons per yard. Stabilized DG paths are compacted, so ask your supplier how much extra to order. | [14][10] |
| Lava rock | 0.45–0.80 | 900–1,600 | 33–59 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [15][16][10] |
Sand
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Lb per cu yd | Lb per cu ft | Order factor | Basis | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand, dry | 1.20–1.45 | 2,400–2,900 | 89–107 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [6][7][4] |
| Sand, damp (typical as delivered) | 1.40–1.55 | 2,800–3,100 | 104–115 | × 1 | None: spread loose. Most bulk sand arrives damp and weighs more per yard than dry sand. | [6][3][7] |
Concrete
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Lb per cu yd | Lb per cu ft | Order factor | Basis | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard concrete mix | 1.89–2.03 | 3,780–4,050 | 140–150 | — | Not used: concrete is sold by placed volume. Weight is for mixed, placed concrete. | [17][18][19] |
Soil and compost
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Lb per cu yd | Lb per cu ft | Order factor | Basis | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 0.80–1.30 | 1,600–2,600 | 59–96 | × 1.15 | Order × 1.15. Our estimate for settling of mineral soil; there is no published standard. The low end is dry loose topsoil; very wet topsoil can reach about 1.5 tons per yard (supplier figure). | [11][20] |
| Fill dirt | 1.00–1.20 | 2,000–2,400 | 74–89 | × 1.15 | Order × 1.15. Our estimate for settling of lightly compacted fill; machine compaction needs more. | [11] |
| Clay fill | 1.00–1.07 | 2,000–2,149 | 74–80 | × 1.15 | Order × 1.15. Our estimate for settling of lightly compacted fill. | [11] |
| Compost | 0.40–0.80 | 800–1,600 | 30–59 | × 1.2 | Order × 1.2. Our estimate: organic matter keeps shrinking as it breaks down. | [21][22] |
| Garden soil / raised bed mix | no published bulk weight | × 1.2 | Our estimate: mixes with a lot of compost settle more. No published bulk weight for blended garden soil, so no weight is shown. | [23][24][25] | ||
Mulch
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Lb per cu yd | Lb per cu ft | Order factor | Basis | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shredded hardwood mulch | 0.20–0.40 | 400–800 | 15–30 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [26][27] |
| Wood chips | 0.225–0.325 | 450–650 | 17–24 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [27][28] |
| Pine bark mulch or nuggets | 0.10–0.25 | 200–500 | 7–19 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [29][26] |
| Rubber mulch | 0.351 | 702 | 26 | × 1 | None: spread loose. | [30][31] |
Concrete is listed as mixed, normal-weight concrete. For dry bagged mix, a cubic yard is 3,600 lb of bags (see bags per yard).
Loose, bank and compacted
The same material weighs very different amounts per cubic yard depending on its state:
- Bank (in place): soil in the ground before it is dug. Digging loosens it, so it takes up more room in the truck.
- Loose: dug, loaded or delivered. This is how material is sold by the yard and what every weight in the tables above describes, except concrete, which is mixed concrete as placed.
- Compacted: rolled or plate-compacted in place, as for a road base or engineered fill. Dense-graded base and fill end up heavier per yard than they were loose.
| Material | Bank, lb per cu yd | Loose, lb per cu yd | Compacted (base or engineered fill), lb per cu yd | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 2,427 (1.21 t) | 1,618 (0.81 t) | 3,278 (1.64 t) | [11] |
| Earth or loam, dry | 3,026 (1.51 t) | 2,073 (1.04 t) | — | [11] |
| Clay, dry | 3,219 (1.61 t) | 2,149 (1.07 t) | — | [11] |
| Dense-graded base (crusher run) | — | 2,900 (1.45 t) | 4,060 (2.03 t) | [1] |
| #57 stone | — | 2,619 (1.31 t) | 2,986 (1.49 t) | [1] |
Soil figures are FHWA values tabulated by Wisconsin DOT. From them, dug topsoil takes up 1.50 times its bank volume (the table itself lists a 56% swell). The compacted topsoil figure is for road embankment fill; garden topsoil is only firmed, which is why we use × 1.15 for it, not twice the volume. The stone figures are Tennessee DOT’s loose weights times its own factors: × 1.4 for compacted base and × 1.14 for compacted #57.[11][1] A compacted base takes about 1.33–1.5 times its volume in loose stone (Penn State 1.33, Tennessee DOT 1.4, Wisconsin DOT 1.34–1.52), and the FHWA gravel roads guide reports a volume loss of 30% or more on gravel roads.[13][1][11][12] That is where our × 1.4 for crusher run comes from.
Moisture and rock type
Water adds weight without adding volume. Caterpillar lists loose sand at 2,400 lb per cubic yard dry, 2,850 damp and 3,100 wet.[6] Rock type matters too: in Martin Marietta’s calculator, coarse aggregate is 1.32 tons per cubic yard for granite or limestone and 1.40 for traprock.[3] That is why we show ranges and why the supplier’s scale ticket is the final word.
Mulch and compost
Most published mulch weights are for oven-dried samples: 421 lb per cubic yard for shredded hardwood and 287 lb for pine bark nuggets in NIST’s tests.[26] Delivered mulch holds water, so our ranges for mulch are our estimate of the as-delivered weight, anchored on wood chip figures of 445–620 lb per cubic yard.[27] Screened compost at 50% moisture weighs about 1,000 lb per cubic yard, and compost as sold ranges from 800 to more than 1,600 lb.[21] Rubber mulch is about 26 lb per cubic foot.[30]
Settling factors for soil, compost and garden mixes are our estimates. We found no published standard for how much topsoil settles. Extension sources say only that lawn topsoil depth is measured after it firms or settles, and that organic mixes keep losing volume while mineral soil holds its volume after the first settling.[32][25]
Questions people ask
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
Loose, as delivered, about 2,500–2,900 lb for #57 stone and 2,500–3,000 lb for pea gravel. Compacted crusher run base weighs about 3,500–4,300 lb per cubic yard.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
About 1,600–2,600 lb loose. The low end is dry loose topsoil; the high end is a supplier’s figure for moist topsoil, and saturated soil can weigh more.
Why do material weight charts disagree?
They measure different things: loose or compacted, dry or wet, and different rock types. Some supplier conversion factors are also higher than measured loose weights, which may build in extra. Check which state a figure describes before you use it.
Related calculators and guides
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.
- QUIKRETE, Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (rev. Oct 2022). Bag yields: 40 lb 0.30, 50 lb 0.375, 60 lb 0.45, 80 lb 0.60 cu ft; water per bag. Checked 2026-09-26.
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, CIP 36: Structural Lightweight Concrete. Normal concrete 140–150 lb/cu ft. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Federal Highway Administration, Lightweight Concrete Bridge Design Primer (FHWA-HIF-19-067, 2021). Typical normal-weight concrete 145 lb/cu ft. 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.
- Oregon State University Extension, Interpreting Compost Analyses (EM 9217). Screened compost at 50% moisture weighs about 1,000 lb per cubic yard. Checked 2026-09-26.
- University of New Hampshire Extension, Purchasing Compost (tip sheet). Checked 2026-09-26.
- ScottsMiracle-Gro, Miracle-Gro Garden Soil All Purpose (0.75, 1, 1.5, 2 cu ft). Checked 2026-09-26.
- ScottsMiracle-Gro, Miracle-Gro Organic Raised Bed Soil. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Rutgers NJAES, FS1328 Soil for Raised Beds. Checked 2026-09-26.
- NIST Fire Research Division, Suzuki and Manzello, bulk densities of landscape mulches. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Cornell Waste Management Institute / NRAES, On-Farm Composting Handbook, Appendix A Table 1. Bulk weights of wood chips, bark and leaves. Checked 2026-09-26.
- University of Washington (D. Briggs), Forest Products Measurements and Conversion Factors (1994), chapter 7. Checked 2026-09-26.
- University of Florida, Duryea, English and Hermansen (1999), A Comparison of Landscape Mulches. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Mahantango Enterprises (RubberLast), Rubber mulch products. Rubber mulch about 26 lb per cubic foot; lay at least 2 in. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Lowe’s (product listing), Rubberific 0.8 cu ft rubber mulch. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment. 4–6 in of topsoil, measured after firming or settling. Checked 2026-09-26.