Yards to tons by material
One cubic yard is a fixed volume (27 cubic feet) but a very different weight depending on what fills it. The table below is computed from the same typical densities the calculator loads — every figure is editable above, and the honest answer for any material is a range, because moisture and gradation move the number.
| Material | Typical density (tons/yd³) | Tons per yd³ (typical) | Yards per ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch (bark, wood) | 0.3–0.5 | 0.40 | 2.50 |
| Compost | 0.5–0.8 | 0.60 | 1.67 |
| Topsoil (dry) | 1.0–1.3 | 1.10 | 0.91 |
| Fill dirt | 1.1–1.3 | 1.20 | 0.83 |
| River rock | 1.2–1.5 | 1.30 | 0.77 |
| Sand (dry) | 1.2–1.5 | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Asphalt millings (loose) | 1.2–1.6 | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Topsoil (wet) | 1.3–1.5 | 1.40 | 0.71 |
| Gravel | 1.3–1.7 | 1.40 | 0.71 |
| Crushed stone | 1.4–1.7 | 1.50 | 0.67 |
| Limestone (crushed) | 1.4–1.7 | 1.55 | 0.65 |
| Sand (wet) | 1.5–1.7 | 1.60 | 0.63 |
| Hot-mix asphalt (compacted) | 1.9–2.1 | 1.96 | 0.51 |
| Concrete (solid) | 1.9–2.1 | 2.03 | 0.49 |
Notice the spread: a yard of mulch weighs about 800 lb while a yard of concrete weighs over 4,000 lb. That is why a single “yards to tons” conversion factor does not exist — the material is the conversion.
Tons to yards: the conversion in reverse
Suppliers quote some materials by the ton (stone, sand, asphalt) and others by the yard (soil, mulch), so you often need to go the other way:
cubic yards = tons ÷ density (tons/yd³)
Three tons of gravel at 1.4 tons/yd³ is about 2.1 cubic yards — roughly what a mid-size pickup-bed-sized pile looks like. Switch the calculator to Tons → Yards and it also shows cubic feet and cubic metres, which helps when one supplier quotes weight and another volume.
Asphalt cubic yards to tons
Asphalt is the heavy outlier, and it comes in two very different states. Compacted hot-mix asphalt runs about 140–155 lb/ft³, so a cubic yard weighs roughly 3,780–4,185 lb — call it 1.9–2.1 tons per cubic yard, with 1.96 a common planning figure. Loose asphalt millings (recycled, uncompacted) are far lighter at roughly 1.2–1.6 tons per cubic yard, and they compact significantly when placed.
Worked example: a 10 yd³ hot-mix order at 1.96 tons/yd³ is 10 × 1.96 = 19.6 tons. The same 10 yd³ of loose millings at 1.35 tons/yd³ is only about 13.5 tons — pick the right preset or the order is off by a third. For the full area × depth → tons workflow (including the square-yards-to-tons math estimators quote in), use the dedicated Asphalt Calculator.
How much does a cubic yard of topsoil, dirt or soil weigh?
A cubic yard of dry topsoil typically weighs about 2,000–2,600 lb (1.0–1.3 tons); the same yard wet runs 2,600–3,000 lb (1.3–1.5 tons) because soil holds a lot of water. Screened fill dirt usually lands around 2,200–2,600 lb per yard. Two practical consequences:
- Hauling: one yard of wet topsoil can exceed a half-ton pickup’s payload by itself — check the door-jamb payload sticker before loading.
- Ordering by weight: a “ton of topsoil” after rain is noticeably less material than the same ton in a dry week. If a project is volume-critical, order by the yard.
For soil quantities from bed dimensions (with bags, settling allowance and raised-bed modes), the Soil Calculator starts from area and depth.
Gravel and crushed stone: yards to tons
Most construction gravel and crushed stone converts at 1.3–1.7 tons per cubic yard loose, with 1.4–1.5 the usual planning band. Compacted in place it is denser — suppliers often allow 10–15% extra for compaction on base material. Angular crushed stone packs tighter than rounded river rock, which is why their densities differ even at the same stone size. The Gravel Calculator goes straight from area and depth to tons with per-product presets, and the River Rock Calculator covers decorative stone, including the much lighter lava rock.
Compaction and moisture: why your tons may differ
Two yards measured loose in a truck are not two yards compacted in a trench. Granular materials typically lose 10–20% of their volume when compacted, and moisture can add 10–15% to the weight of porous materials without changing the volume at all. The honest workflow: compute the in-place volume you need, add a compaction allowance to the order, and treat any single density figure as the middle of a range. When the load crosses a certified scale, the scale wins — this page is for planning, not billing.
Weight of 1 cubic foot of soil or dirt
Divide the per-yard figures by 27. At 1.1 tons/yd³, dry topsoil is about 81 lb per cubic foot; wet soil runs 95–110 lb/ft³; sand about 100–120 lb/ft³; gravel 100–125 lb/ft³. The calculator’s lb/ft³ density unit makes these direct: enter the density in lb/ft³ and it converts internally (tons/yd³ = lb/ft³ × 27 ÷ 2,000).