Cubic Yards to Tons

The missing number in a material estimate

Bulk density calculator & guide

Have a weighed sample and its volume? Calculate its bulk density, then check whether that density describes the loose delivery or the finished layer.

Subtract the same container, including any lid or liner. If your scale was tared, enter the net material reading as filled weight and 0 as empty weight.

Use the measured volume to the fill line, including spaces between particles. The printed capacity of an unfilled container is not the sample volume.

A note only. Selecting “compacted” does not apply an assumed multiplier or change moisture content.

Your sample’s bulk density

2,700 lb/yd³

1.35 US tons/yd³ · 100 lb/ft³ · 1,601.846 kg/m³

Sample condition: Unspecified / check before using. This label does not adjust the result.

(102 − 2) lb ÷ 1 ft³ = 100 lb/ft³. Multiply by 27 for 2,700 lb/yd³.

This is an estimate for the sample as weighed. It includes its moisture and does not measure dry soil density or certify a compaction test.

Use a matching density in the cubic yards to tons converter.

What bulk density means for an order

Bulk density tells you how much material mass occupies a bulk volume. That volume includes the gaps between particles. It is the quantity needed to connect a truckload measured in cubic yards with a weight measured in tons.

Do not substitute the density of solid rock for the bulk density of a pile of gravel. Similarly, a soil laboratory’s dry bulk density is not automatically the shipping density of damp topsoil. USDA-NRCS defines soil bulk density using oven-dry soil mass and a specified volume basis; it also explains how compaction and pore space are related. The calculator above instead uses the sample exactly as weighed, without subtracting its water.

Calculate density from a sample

Net material weight = filled-container weight − empty-container weight
Bulk density = net material weight ÷ occupied volume

For a simple arithmetic example, a filled container weighs 102 pounds, its empty weight is 2 pounds, and the material occupies 1 cubic foot. The material weighs 100 pounds. Its bulk density is 100 lb/ft³, or 2,700 lb/yd³ because one cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet. Divide by 2,000 to get 1.35 US short tons per cubic yard.

Those numbers are an example, not a density recommendation for a named material. A sample with an unrepresentative mix of large pieces, fines or moisture can produce a poor estimate for the full order. This simple arithmetic tool does not replace a supplier’s product data or a specified material test.

Loose versus compacted: match the density to the volume

A delivered loose yard and a finished compacted yard describe different packing conditions. A density for one cannot simply be attached to the other. Keep the material description, moisture basis and packing state together when recording a value.

Consider an illustrative material with a loose density of 2,400 lb/yd³ and a compacted density of 3,000 lb/yd³. At the same moisture content and with no material lost, 10 loose cubic yards have a mass of 24,000 pounds. At the second density, that same mass occupies 8 compacted cubic yards. This example demonstrates conservation of mass; it does not establish a universal compaction factor.

New volume = old volume × old density ÷ new density
10 yd³ × 2,400 lb/yd³ ÷ 3,000 lb/yd³ = 8 yd³

If water is added, drains away or evaporates, total mass changes too. Do not use the equal-mass example as a moisture correction. A supplier or project specification must establish which measurement basis applies.

Read a supplier’s quote without losing the assumptions

  1. Identify the exact product. Keep the supplier’s material name, grade and description with the density. “Gravel” alone can cover different products.
  2. Ask what condition the number describes. Is it loose as loaded, compacted in place, dry, wet or a measured shipment? A single value without that basis is incomplete.
  3. Check both units. A US short ton is 2,000 pounds; a metric tonne is 1,000 kilograms. Confirm whether the quote is per ton, per tonne or per cubic yard.
  4. Keep a range as a range. If a supplier gives 2,800–3,200 lb/yd³, 5 yards corresponds to 7–8 US tons. A 7.5-ton midpoint is an estimate, not a guaranteed delivery weight.
  5. Separate material quantity from fees. Delivery charges, minimum quantities and loading increments change the bill without changing the definition of density.

Common mistakes the calculator cannot fix

  • Entering the container’s outside dimensions or full rated capacity instead of the occupied internal volume.
  • Forgetting the empty-container weight, or subtracting it again after the scale was already tared.
  • Using a tightly packed sample to represent material delivered loose.
  • Treating one small sample as a guaranteed density for every part of a mixed stockpile.

For a layer measured by area and depth, use the gravel coverage calculator once the density basis is known. For bags or a refill above existing mulch, use the mulch calculator. You can also browse all material tools.

Method and source notes

Unit factors follow the NIST Guide to the SI: the international foot is 0.3048 meter and the pound is 0.45359237 kilogram. The guide uses cubic volume and net mass arithmetic; there is no hidden packing, drying or ordering allowance. Sources checked September 16, 2026.

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