You know the volume and need the weight: type your cubic yards, pick ANY material and its type, and get US short tons, metric tonnes, and total pounds — with the density used shown every time.
Quick answer: tons = cubic yards × (lbs/yd³) ÷ 2,000. Example: 10 yd³ of crushed stone at 2,800 lbs/yd³ = 14.0 US short tons = 12.70 metric tonnes.
Ballpark, not gospel. Densities are typical bulk values that change with moisture and compaction — wet sand can run 400 lbs/yd³ heavier than dry. Confirm with your supplier before hauling or ordering at truck scale.
Every material and material type the converter offers. The density you pick is the entire conversion: tons = yards × tons/yd³.
| Material | Material type | lbs / yd³ | tons / yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | Ready-mix concrete (default) | 4,050 | 2.02 |
| Gravel | Crushed stone (typical) (default) | 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Pea gravel | 2,700 | 1.35 | |
| River rock | 2,900 | 1.45 | |
| Crushed concrete (RCA) | 2,900 | 1.45 | |
| Decomposed granite | 2,650 | 1.32 | |
| Fill dirt | Screened fill (typical) (default) | 2,200 | 1.10 |
| Sandy soil | 2,400 | 1.20 | |
| Clay soil | 2,500 | 1.25 | |
| Topsoil | Screened topsoil (typical) (default) | 2,400 | 1.20 |
| Enriched garden soil | 2,200 | 1.10 | |
| Heavy clay topsoil | 2,600 | 1.30 | |
| Mulch | Bark / hardwood mulch (typical) (default) | 800 | 0.40 |
| Cedar mulch | 600 | 0.30 | |
| Pine bark mulch | 700 | 0.35 | |
| Bulk compost | 1,000 | 0.50 | |
| Sand | Mason / concrete sand (typical) (default) | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Coarse fill sand | 2,800 | 1.40 | |
| Paver / joint sand | 2,700 | 1.35 | |
| Wet sand | 3,100 | 1.55 | |
| Rock | Mixed landscape rock (typical) (default) | 4,500 | 2.25 |
| River rock | 4,700 | 2.35 | |
| Limestone / flagstone | 4,800 | 2.40 | |
| Lava rock (lightweight) | 1,500 | 0.75 | |
| Garden soil | Garden soil (default) | 2,400 | 1.20 |
| Hot-mix asphalt | Hot-mix asphalt (typical) (default) | 3,915 | 1.96 |
| Warm-mix asphalt | 3,800 | 1.90 | |
| Reclaimed asphalt — millings | 3,300 | 1.65 |
Representative planning values. For weight-sensitive decisions (truck load limits, structural loads), use your supplier's product-specific spec sheet.
Say your contractor orders 10 cubic yards of crushed stone. The chart shows crushed stone at 2,800 lbs/yd³ — that's 1.40 tons/yd³. Math: 10 × 2,800 = 28,000 lbs, ÷ 2,000 = 14.0 US short tons, × 0.9072 = 12.70 metric tonnes.
Swap the material and watch the weight move: the same 10 yd³ of bark mulch is only 4.0 tons, while hot-mix asphalt would be 19.58 tons. Volume is constant; density is everything.
This converter goes volume → weight (you have yards, need tons). If the supplier quotes in tons and you need to picture the volume — say, will it fit the driveway — use the tons to cubic yards converter instead. For a gravel-only two-way tool, the gravel to tons converter covers both directions with crushed-stone defaults.
Straight answers, no fluff. Then run your own numbers above.
Tons = cubic yards × (lbs per cubic yard) ÷ 2,000. Example: 10 yd³ of crushed stone at 2,800 lbs/yd³ → 10 × 2,800 ÷ 2,000 = 14 US short tons. A cubic yard of one material can weigh double another, so the material choice is the whole answer.
A US short ton is 2,000 lbs; a metric tonne is 2,204.62 lbs (1,000 kg). One short ton = 0.9072 tonnes. The converter above shows both, plus total pounds, on every result.
Crushed stone runs about 1.40 tons/yd³ (2,800 lbs), sand 1.35–1.55 tons/yd³ depending on moisture, and mulch only about 0.40 tons/yd³ (800 lbs). See the full density chart below for every material and variant.
Go the other direction: cubic yards = tons ÷ density in tons/yd³. Our tons-to-cubic-yards converter does it in one click — pick your material and it handles the density.
Moisture is the usual culprit. Wet sand can hit 3,100 lbs/yd³ versus 2,700 dry — an extra 400 lbs on every yard. Compaction during transport adds weight too. Pick the matching material type in the dropdown (e.g. Wet sand) and confirm with your supplier on big orders.
Want the full explanation? The cubic yards to tons conversion guide walks through the formula with material examples, and how much a cubic yard weighs compares every material at a glance.