Convert cubic yards to tons, or tons to cubic yards, for gravel, sand, fill dirt, topsoil, rock, mulch and asphalt. Pick a material or enter your supplier’s weight per yard.
How to use the cubic yards to tons calculator
- Choose the direction: cubic yards to tons, or tons to cubic yards.
- Enter the amount. For tons, say whether they are US tons of 2,000 lb or metric tonnes.
- Pick the material, or choose Other and enter the weight per cubic yard your supplier gives.
Yards to tons formulas
Tons = cubic yards × weight per yd³ (lb) ÷ 2,000 Cubic yards = tons × 2,000 ÷ weight per yd³ (lb) 1 US ton = 2,000 lb = 0.9072 metric tonnes 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet = 0.7646 m³
There is no single conversion between yards and tons. A cubic yard is a volume and a ton is a weight, so the answer depends on what the material weighs: a yard of mulch is about a third of a ton, and a yard of gravel about 1.35 tons.
Worked examples
- 10 yd³ of gravel to tons: 10 × 2,700 = 27,000 lb, and 27,000 ÷ 2,000 = 13.5 tons.
- 20 tons of fill dirt to yards: 20 × 2,000 = 40,000 lb, and 40,000 ÷ 2,400 = 16.67 yd³.
Tons per cubic yard by material
| Material | Weight per yd³ | Tons per yd³ | Cubic yards per ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel or crushed stone | 2,700 lb | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Sand | 2,700 lb | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Pea gravel | 2,800 lb | 1.4 | 0.71 |
| River rock | 2,700 lb | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Fill dirt | 2,400 lb | 1.2 | 0.83 |
| Topsoil, moist | 2,400 lb | 1.2 | 0.83 |
| Lava rock | 1,500 lb | 0.75 | 1.33 |
| Mulch or wood chips | 660 lb | 0.33 | 3.03 |
| Asphalt, compacted hot mix | 3,960 lb | 1.98 | 0.51 |
These are typical figures. Moisture, stone size and how the load settles all change the real weight.
Where the weights come from
- Gravel, sand, rock, lava rock and mulch: North Bay Materials lists sand, gravel, rock and cobble at 2,500–2,900 lb per yard, lava rock at 1,400–1,600 lb and mulch at 500–800 lb. We use 2,700, 1,500 and 660 lb, the same figures as our gravel and mulch calculators, and 2,800 lb for pea gravel.
- Fill dirt: North Bay Materials gives 2,300–2,700 lb per yard for screened fill dirt; the dirt calculator uses 2,400 lb.
- Topsoil: 2,400 lb is the moist figure our topsoil calculator uses, from Topsoil.com’s dry, moist and wet weights.
- Asphalt: compacted hot mix is laid at about 110 lb per square yard per inch. A cubic yard is a square yard 36 in thick, so 110 × 36 = 3,960 lb, as on the asphalt calculator.
Questions
How many tons are in a cubic yard?
It depends on the material: about 1.35 tons for gravel, sand and rock, 1.2 tons for fill dirt and moist topsoil, 0.75 tons for lava rock, 0.33 tons for mulch and about 1.98 tons for compacted asphalt.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.74 yd³, since 2,000 ÷ 2,700 = 0.74.
How many yards is 10 tons of dirt?
About 8.33 yd³ at 2,400 lb per yard: 10 × 2,000 = 20,000 lb, and 20,000 ÷ 2,400 = 8.33.
What is the difference between a ton and a tonne?
A US (short) ton is 2,000 lb. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, or 2,204.62 lb. Choose the right one in the calculator when you convert tons to yards.
Why is my supplier’s number different?
Wet material weighs more, and stone size and shape change how it packs. If your supplier gives a weight per yard, choose Other and enter it so the conversion matches their scale.
How many tons is 5 cubic yards of gravel?
About 7 tons, at a typical 1.4 tons per cubic yard.
Sources
- Landscape Materials Density Chart, North Bay Materials.
Used for: Weights per cubic yard for gravel, sand, rock, cobble, lava rock and mulch. - Screened Fill Dirt (Clay Blend), North Bay Materials.
Used for: Fill dirt weight (2,300–2,700 lb per cubic yard). - How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?, Topsoil.com.
Used for: Dry, moist and saturated topsoil weights. - Five handy rules of thumb for successful asphalt pavement construction, Asphalt magazine, Sep 11, 2023.
Used for: 110 lb per square yard per inch for compacted hot mix asphalt. - NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for units listed alphabetically, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Used for: Pound and short ton definitions; cubic foot, cubic yard and cubic meter conversions.