How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
Weight per cubic yard for every common bulk material, and what that means for your truck.
The short answer
One cubic yard of gravel weighs roughly 2,800 lb (1.4 tons) dry. Pea gravel and #57 stone run a little lighter at about 2,700 lb, road base and decomposed granite heavier at about 3,000 lb. Wet gravel adds 5–10%. Multiply cubic yards × the tons-per-yard figure for your material to get the delivered weight.
- 2,800 lb per yd³ Gravel (loose) 1.4 tons
- 2,700 lb per yd³ Pea gravel 1.35 tons
- 3,000 lb per yd³ Road base 1.5 tons
- 2,200 lb per yd³ Topsoil 1.1 tons
- 1,000 lb per yd³ Mulch 0.5 tons
- 4,060 lb per yd³ Concrete 2.03 tons
A yard of gravel weighs about 2,800 pounds, or 1.4 tons. That is the figure to plan around for ordinary loose gravel, and it is the number that decides whether your job is a trailer trip or a delivery. The exact weight depends on the stone, how wet it is and how tightly it has been compacted, which is why suppliers quote a range rather than a single number.
The reason the question comes up at all is that gravel is sold two different ways. Landscape yards sell it by the cubic yard, a measure of volume. Quarries and larger suppliers sell it by the ton, a measure of weight. To move between the two you need the density, and that is what this page is: the density of every bulk material on this site, in the four forms the question gets asked in.
Weight per cubic yard, by material
These are typical delivered, settled densities for dry material. Real suppliers vary ±10–15% with moisture, stone size and how long the pile has sat. The how we calculate page lists the sources behind each figure.
| Material | lb per yd³ | tons per yd³ | yd³ per ton | lb per ft³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel (loose) | 2,800 | 1.4 | 0.71 | 104 |
| Pea gravel | 2,700 | 1.35 | 0.74 | 100 |
| Crushed stone (#57) | 2,700 | 1.35 | 0.74 | 100 |
| Road base / Class 5 | 3,000 | 1.5 | 0.67 | 111 |
| Decomposed granite | 3,000 | 1.5 | 0.67 | 111 |
| River rock | 2,800 | 1.4 | 0.71 | 104 |
| Crushed concrete | 2,700 | 1.35 | 0.74 | 100 |
| Sand | 2,700 | 1.35 | 0.74 | 100 |
| Concrete (mixed) | 4,060 | 2.03 | 0.49 | 150 |
| Topsoil (screened) | 2,200 | 1.1 | 0.91 | 81 |
| Fill dirt | 2,500 | 1.25 | 0.8 | 93 |
| Garden / raised-bed mix | 2,000 | 1 | 1 | 74 |
| Compost | 1,100 | 0.55 | 1.82 | 41 |
| Mulch (wood) | 1,000 | 0.5 | 2 | 37 |
| Rubber mulch | 1,260 | 0.63 | 1.59 | 47 |
Two rows on that table surprise people. Concrete is by far the heaviest thing most homeowners will ever order: a single cubic yard is over two tons, which is why a 10 ft × 10 ft slab at 4 inches is a delivery and not a wheelbarrow job. Mulch is at the other end: a yard of bark weighs about as much as three bags of cement, so a half-ton pickup can carry two or three yards of it without complaint.
Why the same gravel weighs different amounts
Density is not a fixed property of a rock. It is a property of a pile of rock, and four things move it:
- Water. Gravel straight off a rained-on pile carries water in the voids between stones. Expect 5–10% more weight than the dry figure, and more than that for sand, which holds water far better than stone does.
- Grading. Single-size stone like #57 has large voids and weighs less per yard. A dense-graded mix like road base has fines that fill those voids, so the same volume holds more rock, which is why base material runs 1.5 tons per yard against #57's 1.35.
- Compaction. The figures above are for loose material as delivered. Compacted in place, road base gains roughly 20–25% density, which is exactly why you order more than the finished volume.
- Rock type. Limestone, granite and trap rock differ by 5–10% at the same grading. Local quarry stone is what your supplier will quote against, so use their number when they give one.
What that weight means for your vehicle
Weight, not volume, is what limits a pickup. A cubic yard of gravel at 2,800 lb is already over the payload of most half-ton trucks once you count the driver and the fuel: a "half ton" rating is 1,000 lb of payload on many modern trucks, not 1,000 lb of gravel plus everything else.
| Vehicle | Typical payload | Gravel | Topsoil | Mulch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-ton pickup (F-150 class) | 1,300–2,000 lb | ½ yd³ | ½–¾ yd³ | 2 yd³ |
| Three-quarter ton (F-250 class) | 2,500–4,000 lb | 1–1½ yd³ | 1½ yd³ | 3 yd³ (volume-limited) |
| One-ton dually | 4,000–6,000 lb | 2 yd³ | 2 yd³ | 3 yd³ (volume-limited) |
| Single-axle dump truck | 5–7 tons | 4–5 yd³ | 5 yd³ | 10 yd³ (volume-limited) |
| Tandem dump truck | 12–16 tons | 8–11 yd³ | 11 yd³ | 15 yd³ (volume-limited) |
| Small utility trailer (5×8) | 1,500–2,000 lb | ½ yd³ | ½ yd³ | 2 yd³ |
Note where the limit flips. For gravel, soil and concrete the truck runs out of weight long before it runs out of space. For mulch and compost it runs out of space first: a dump truck that legally hauls 5 yards of stone will happily take 10 yards of bark. When you are pricing delivery, that difference is worth knowing: a mulch delivery fee is spread across a lot more material.
Turning your job into a weight
Work out the volume first, then multiply. The volume of a rectangular area is length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft), divided by 27 to get cubic yards. Depth is nearly always given in inches, so divide the inches by 12 first.
- Cubic feet = length ft × width ft × (depth in ÷ 12)
- Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
- Tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard (1.4 for gravel)
- Pounds = tons × 2,000
A worked example: a 20 ft × 10 ft parking pad, 4 inches of gravel deep. That is 20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.7 cubic feet, ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards, × 1.4 = 3.5 tons. Add the usual 10–15% for compaction and edge loss and you are ordering 4 tons. The gravel calculator does all four steps and shows the wheelbarrow and pickup-trip count next to the answer.
Should you buy by the yard or by the ton?
Buy the way your supplier quotes, and convert only to compare two of them. A yard of gravel and 1.4 tons of gravel are the same pile; a yard priced at $56 and a ton priced at $40 are the same price. Where it goes wrong is comparing a yard price at one yard against a ton price at another and assuming the smaller number is cheaper.
One caution on ton pricing: you are buying weight, and weight includes water. A load of stone bought by the ton after two days of rain contains water you have paid for. It is not usually enough to change a decision on a driveway, but on a large order it is real money, which is why some suppliers cover their piles.
To go the other way, from a tonnage quote back to the volume you need, see the cubic yards to tons guide, which has the conversion in both directions for every material on this table.
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.