Cubic yards to tons
The one multiplication, the density for every material, and the conversion running both ways.
The short answer
Tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard. For gravel that is 1.4, so 5 yd³ × 1.4 = 7 tons. Sand is 1.35, topsoil 1.1, mulch 0.5, concrete 2.03. To go the other way, divide: 7 tons ÷ 1.4 = 5 cubic yards.
- × 1.4 yd³ → tons Gravel 1 yd³ = 1.4 tons
- × 1.35 yd³ → tons Sand 1 yd³ = 1.35 tons
- × 1.5 yd³ → tons Road base 1 yd³ = 1.5 tons
- × 1.1 yd³ → tons Topsoil 1 yd³ = 1.1 tons
- × 0.5 yd³ → tons Mulch 1 yd³ = 0.5 tons
- × 2.03 yd³ → tons Concrete 1 yd³ = 2.03 tons
There is no single conversion from cubic yards to tons, and that is the whole difficulty. A cubic yard is a volume: a box three feet on every side. A ton is a weight. Converting between them needs to know what is in the box, because a yard of mulch and a yard of concrete differ by a factor of four.
Once you have the density the arithmetic is trivial: tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard. The table below is that multiplier for every material this site covers, followed by the same conversion run backwards for when your supplier has quoted you a tonnage.
Cubic yards to tons, by material
Read across from your material to the job size you are ordering. Every column is just the density multiplied out, so you can interpolate freely: 7 yards of gravel is the 5-yard figure plus the 1-yard figure twice.
| Material | tons per yd³ | 1 yd³ | 3 yd³ | 5 yd³ | 10 yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel (loose) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 7 | 14 |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 | 1.35 | 4.05 | 6.75 | 13.5 |
| Crushed stone (#57) | 1.35 | 1.35 | 4.05 | 6.75 | 13.5 |
| Road base / Class 5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 7.5 | 15 |
| Decomposed granite | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 7.5 | 15 |
| River rock | 1.4 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 7 | 14 |
| Crushed concrete | 1.35 | 1.35 | 4.05 | 6.75 | 13.5 |
| Sand | 1.35 | 1.35 | 4.05 | 6.75 | 13.5 |
| Concrete (mixed) | 2.03 | 2.03 | 6.09 | 10.15 | 20.3 |
| Topsoil (screened) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 5.5 | 11 |
| Fill dirt | 1.25 | 1.25 | 3.75 | 6.25 | 12.5 |
| Garden / raised-bed mix | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| Compost | 0.55 | 0.55 | 1.65 | 2.75 | 5.5 |
| Mulch (wood) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 5 |
These are US short tons of 2,000 lb, which is what American suppliers quote. A metric tonne is 2,205 lb, about 10% heavier, so a quote in tonnes covers about 10% more material than the same number of short tons.
Tons to cubic yards
Suppliers who run a weighbridge quote tons, so you often need the conversion in reverse: cubic yards = tons ÷ tons per cubic yard. One ton of gravel is 1 ÷ 1.4 = 0.71 cubic yards. Here is what one ton buys you in each material, and how far it goes on the ground.
| Material | yd³ per ton | ft² at 2″ | ft² at 3″ | ft² at 4″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel (loose) | 0.71 | 116 | 77 | 58 |
| Pea gravel | 0.74 | 120 | 80 | 60 |
| Crushed stone (#57) | 0.74 | 120 | 80 | 60 |
| Road base / Class 5 | 0.67 | 108 | 72 | 54 |
| Decomposed granite | 0.67 | 108 | 72 | 54 |
| River rock | 0.71 | 116 | 77 | 58 |
| Crushed concrete | 0.74 | 120 | 80 | 60 |
| Sand | 0.74 | 120 | 80 | 60 |
| Topsoil (screened) | 0.91 | 147 | 98 | 74 |
| Fill dirt | 0.8 | 130 | 86 | 65 |
| Garden / raised-bed mix | 1 | 162 | 108 | 81 |
| Compost | 1.82 | 295 | 196 | 147 |
| Mulch (wood) | 2 | 324 | 216 | 162 |
The full calculation, start to finish
Most people arriving at this conversion have an area rather than a volume. The complete path from a tape measure to a tonnage is four steps:
- Area = length ft × width ft (a circle is π × radius², a triangle is ½ × base × height)
- Cubic feet = area ft² × (depth in inches ÷ 12)
- Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
- Tons = cubic yards × density from the table above
Worked through with real numbers: a 30 ft × 12 ft driveway at 4 inches of #57 stone. Area is 360 ft². Cubic feet is 360 × 0.333 = 120. Cubic yards is 120 ÷ 27 = 4.44. Tons is 4.44 × 1.35 = 6 tons. Order 6.5 to 7 tons to cover compaction and the edges. The crushed stone calculator runs the same four steps and adds the waste allowance for you.
Where this conversion goes wrong
- Using one density for everything. The commonly quoted "1.5 tons per yard" is road base, not gravel and certainly not mulch. Using it for topsoil over-orders by 35%.
- Confusing tons and tonnes. A metric tonne is 2,205 lb. On a 20-ton order that is a full extra ton of material.
- Converting the finished volume, not the ordered volume. Compacted base loses 20–25% of its loose volume. Add the allowance before converting to tons, not after.
- Ignoring moisture on a ton quote. Buying by weight after rain means buying water. Buying by volume does not have this problem.
- Rounding the depth to the nearest inch. On a large driveway, half an inch of depth is a ton of stone.
Cubic metres and tonnes
Outside the US the same conversion runs in metric: tonnes = cubic metres × tonnes per cubic metre. Gravel at 1.4 short tons per cubic yard is about 1.66 tonnes per cubic metre; sand is 1.60, topsoil 1.31 and concrete 2.41. One cubic yard is 0.7646 cubic metres, and one cubic metre is 1.308 cubic yards.
Every calculator on this site has a ft/yd³ ↔ m/m³ switch above the inputs. Flipping it converts what you have already typed, swaps the depth presets to centimetres and the bag sizes to bulk bags and litres, and reports the result in cubic metres and tonnes. The setting is remembered, so you only choose once.
If what you actually want is the weight rather than the conversion, the weight-per-yard guide has the same densities expressed in pounds, along with what each vehicle can legally carry.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Figures here are typical ranges, not a quote: if a local supplier gives you a number for their product, use theirs. Something wrong? Email hello@bulkmaterialcalculator.com.