Quick answer: a cubic yard of gravel typically weighs 2,500 to 2,900 pounds, which is about 1.35 tons. That figure covers sand, gravel, decomposed granite, crushed rock and river cobble according to the density chart published by North Bay Materials, a landscape supplier. Your actual load can be lighter or heavier, so treat 2,700 lb per yard (1.35 tons) as a planning number and use your supplier’s figure when ordering.
If you already know the volume you need, the Gravel Calculator converts yards to tons for you, and the Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator lets you enter any weight per yard. This guide explains the numbers behind them.
Tons in a cubic yard of gravel
Tons = cubic yards × weight per cubic yard (lb) ÷ 2,000
Cubic yards = tons × 2,000 ÷ weight per cubic yard (lb)
At 2,700 lb per cubic yard:
| Cubic yards | Pounds | Tons (at 2,700 lb/yd³) | Tons range (2,500 to 2,900 lb/yd³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ | 1,350 | 0.68 | 0.63 to 0.73 |
| 1 | 2,700 | 1.35 | 1.25 to 1.45 |
| 2 | 5,400 | 2.70 | 2.50 to 2.90 |
| 5 | 13,500 | 6.75 | 6.25 to 7.25 |
| 10 | 27,000 | 13.50 | 12.50 to 14.50 |
Going the other way, one ton of gravel is about 0.74 cubic yards. If you are ordering 10 tons, that is roughly 7.4 yards of material.
Weight per cubic foot
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 2,700 lb per yard is 100 lb per cubic foot. That is a handy figure for small jobs. A 5-gallon bucket holds about two-thirds of a cubic foot, which is why a full bucket of gravel is heavy enough that most people stop at half full.
Why the weight changes
The North Bay Materials chart carries a disclaimer worth repeating: weights vary with mineral composition, moisture, compaction and source, and batches of gravel, rock, soil and mulch differ naturally. The main factors:
- Rock type. Dense stone such as granite or basalt weighs more per cubic foot than lighter stone.
- Moisture. Wet gravel on a rainy week weighs more than dry gravel from a covered pile. Water adds weight but not volume.
- Size and gradation. Crushed stone with fines (fine particles) packs tighter than clean, same-size stone, so it weighs more per yard.
- Compaction. Loose, freshly dumped material fills more space than the same material tamped down. Compacted stone is denser.
If your supplier sells by the ton, ask what their material weighs per cubic yard and use that figure in the formula. Many suppliers can also tell you the load weight from a scale ticket after delivery.
What a ton of gravel covers
At 2,700 lb per yard, one ton of gravel is 0.74 cubic yards, which covers about:
- 120 square feet at 2 inches deep
- 80 square feet at 3 inches deep
- 60 square feet at 4 inches deep
Do the math for your own project with the formula in our guide on how much gravel you need.
Can your truck carry it?
Weight, not volume, is usually what stops people hauling gravel themselves. Topsoil.com notes that a typical half-ton pickup (a Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado 1500, for example) has a payload of roughly 1,500 to 2,200 pounds. One full cubic yard of gravel at 2,700 lb is already over that range, and even 0.8 of a yard (about 2,200 lb) reaches the top of it.
Your truck’s actual limit is on the payload sticker in the driver-side door jamb. When in doubt, order delivery. Gravel is cheap compared with a broken axle.
Planning where the delivery goes
North Bay Materials gives these rough footprints for dumped piles: about 10 by 12 feet for 3 tons of gravel, about 10 by 15 feet for 5 tons, and about 15 by 20 feet for 10 tons of sand. A dump truck needs room to back in and lift its bed, so check overhead wires and branches, and avoid dumping on septic fields, soft ground or thin pavement. Tell your supplier about tight access when you order.
Worked examples
Example 1: how many tons is 8 yards? 8 × 2,700 ÷ 2,000 = 10.8 tons. With the range of 2,500 to 2,900 lb per yard, it is 10.0 to 11.6 tons.
Example 2: you were quoted 12 tons. 12 × 2,000 ÷ 2,700 = 8.9 cubic yards. If your project needs 10 yards, you are about 1 yard short.
Example 3: a small raised path. A path 3 ft wide and 20 ft long, 3 inches deep: 3 × 20 × 0.25 = 15 ft³ = 0.56 yd³, about 0.75 tons. That is a pickup-truck job.
Common mistakes
- Using volume and weight interchangeably. Tons and cubic yards are not the same thing. A cubic yard of mulch weighs a fraction of a cubic yard of gravel.
- Using one weight for every material. Mulch, soil, lava rock and gravel differ a lot (see our cubic yards to tons conversion table).
- Ignoring moisture. If you pay by the ton, wet gravel costs more for the same volume.
- Not allowing for compaction. Base stone shrinks when you compact it, so order more than the finished volume suggests.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
About 1.35 tons, with a typical range of 1.25 to 1.45 tons.
How much does a cubic foot of gravel weigh?
About 100 lb at 2,700 lb per cubic yard, and 93 to 107 lb across the 2,500 to 2,900 lb range.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.74 cubic yards per ton at 2,700 lb per yard.
Does pea gravel weigh the same as crushed stone?
Both fall in the broad range supplier charts give for gravel and rock, but they are not identical. Ask your supplier for the weight of the specific product.
How much does a yard of gravel cost?
Prices vary by region, stone type and delivery distance, so we do not quote a figure here. Get quotes from two or three local suppliers and compare in the same unit.
Sources
- North Bay Materials, >Landscape Materials Density Chart: weight per cubic yard and tons per yard for gravel and other materials, disclaimer about variation, and delivery footprint examples.
- Topsoil.com, >How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?: typical half-ton pickup payload.
- NIST, >Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: cubic yard, cubic foot and pound conversions.
Weights are estimates. Confirm the weight per yard with your supplier before you order by the ton.