Material Weight Chart — How Much Does a Yard Weigh?
Pounds per cubic yard for gravel, dirt, sand, topsoil, stone, concrete and mulch — dry, typical and wet — plus the formula that generates every row, so you can check any material the table does not list.
Midpoint of TRORC dry 2,565 and wet 3,375. The weight is volume × density only — it does not include compaction after placement, which raises the in-place density of soil and gravel above the loose figure printed here.
What this chart answers
"How much does a yard of gravel weigh" is the question you ask at the moment a supplier quotes one unit and bills in another. Yards are a volume; tons are a weight; the conversion between them is the density of the material, and for aggregate that density is not a constant — it depends on how much empty space is between the pieces and how much water is sitting in that space. A yard of the same 3/4″ gravel weighs 2,565 lb bone dry and 3,375 lb soaking wet. That is an 810 lb spread on a single yard, or 9,700 lb on a 12-yard load, and no lookup table that prints one number per material can be right on both ends of it.
So this page prints the range and shows its work. Every row below is either a value from a published table or a value computed from a stated formula, labelled as one or the other, with the specific gravity and void fraction that produced it. If your material is not listed, the formula in the next section will get you an answer in about thirty seconds.
The formula: 1,685 × specific gravity × (1 − voids)
Start with water, because water is the definition. A cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 lb, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so one cubic yard of water weighs 1,685 lb (62.4 × 27 = 1,684.8). Everything else is water multiplied by how much heavier the material is than water — its specific gravity — and then corrected for the air space between the pieces:
lb per yd³ = 1,685 × SG × (1 − void fraction)
Specific gravity is a property of the rock: 2.65 for gravel and sand, 2.6 for granite, 2.8 for limestone, 2.4 for sandstone. The void fraction is a property of the pile: how the pieces nest, how much they have been shaken down, and how much water has filled the gaps. A loose dump of crushed gravel is roughly 40–45% voids. The same gravel after a rain, with water occupying the gaps, behaves like a material with about 25% voids — because the water is now part of what you are weighing.
The material weight chart — pounds per cubic yard
The per-cubic-yard column is the one suppliers use. Pounds per cubic foot and tons per cubic yard are the same number restated, so you can move between a scale ticket, a volume and a truck rating without doing the division twice.
| Material | Condition | lb / yd³ | lb / ft³ | tons / yd³ | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel, 3/4″ | Dry | 2,565 | 95.0 | 1.28 | Published value |
| Typical | 2,970 | 110.0 | 1.49 | Midpoint of the dry and wet rows | |
| Wet | 3,375 | 125.0 | 1.69 | Published value | |
| Crushed stone | — | 2,700 | 100.0 | 1.35 | Published value |
| Pea gravel, 3/8″ | — | 2,700 | 100.0 | 1.35 | Published value |
| Rock, 2–6″ | — | 3,200 | 118.5 | 1.60 | Published value |
| Rip rap, 1–4″ | — | 4,000 | 148.1 | 2.00 | Published value |
| Sand | Dry | 2,750 | 101.9 | 1.38 | Published value |
| Typical | 3,025 | 112.0 | 1.51 | Midpoint of the dry and wet rows | |
| Wet | 3,300 | 122.2 | 1.65 | Published value | |
| Topsoil | Loose | 2,050 | 75.9 | 1.02 | Published value |
| Packed | 2,565 | 95.0 | 1.28 | Published value | |
| Wet | 3,375 | 125.0 | 1.69 | Published value | |
| Clay | Dry | 2,300 | 85.2 | 1.15 | Published value |
| Wet | 2,970 | 110.0 | 1.49 | Published value | |
| Limestone | Crushed | 2,565 | 95.0 | 1.28 | Published value |
| Solid | 4,480 | 165.9 | 2.24 | Published value | |
| Concrete | Average wet mix | 3,730 | 138.1 | 1.86 | Published value |
| Gravel or stone mix | 4,050 | 150.0 | 2.02 | Published value | |
| Asphalt | — | 2,700 | 100.0 | 1.35 | Published value |
| Water | — | 1,700 | 63.0 | 0.85 | Published value |
| Mulch, wood | Dry to wet | 400–1,200 | 15–44 | 0.2–0.6 | Supplier range, no table |
Published values are the TRORC (Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Vermont) "Material Weight – Pounds per Cubic Yard" table, revision 6/9/2015, read in full on 2026-10-22. Every row in that source is the same figure multiplied by 2, 3, 4 and 5 yards, and the physics checks out across it: 4,050 ÷ 27 = 150 lb/ft³ for concrete, 2,050 ÷ 27 = 75.9 lb/ft³ for loose topsoil, 2,750 ÷ 27 = 101.9 lb/ft³ for dry sand. Midpoints are arithmetic on the dry and wet rows, printed so the calculator has one number to multiply by — they are not a third measurement.
The cross-check: a second publisher, a different method
A table is only trustworthy if an independent source produces the same answer. The second source here is the KPIJCI/Astec equipment handbook, whose "approximate weights" page states its own anchor outright — specific gravity of 1 is approximately 1,685 lb per cubic yard — and then tabulates aggregates by specific gravity and void percentage. It is a different industry, a different publisher and a different method: no per-material list, just the identity and a void assumption.
| KPIJCI cell | SG | Voids | 1,685 × SG × (1 − voids) | KPIJCI prints | TRORC, same material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel / sand, SG 2.65, 25% voids | 2.65 | 25% | 3,349 | 3,350 | 3,375 — Wet 3/4″ gravel |
| Gravel / sand, SG 2.65, 45% voids | 2.65 | 45% | 2,456 | 2,450 | 2,565 — Dry 3/4″ gravel |
| Granite, SG 2.6, 25% voids | 2.60 | 25% | 3,286 | 3,280 | — |
| Limestone, SG 2.8, 30% voids | 2.80 | 30% | 3,303 | 3,300 | — |
| Sandstone, SG 2.4, 50% voids | 2.40 | 50% | 2,022 | 2,020 | — |
Every computed cell lands within 0.3% of the number KPIJCI prints, so the identity is not something this page invented — it is the arithmetic the aggregate industry already uses. The last column is the more interesting one. KPIJCI's 25%-voids cell for SG 2.65 gives 3,349 lb; TRORC's wet 3/4″ gravel is 3,375 lb, 0.7% apart. Its 45%-voids cell gives 2,456 lb against TRORC's dry 2,565 lb, 4.2% apart — the same material, at the dry end of the same range.
Work backwards from the TRORC numbers and the void fractions fall out: 1 − 2,565 ÷ 4,465 = 42.6% voids dry, and 1 − 3,375 ÷ 4,465 = 24.4% voids wet. That is the entire reason a single weight per material is misleading, and it is the argument this page is built on: the honest answer to "how much does a yard weigh" is a band, and the width of the band is the void fraction nobody has measured on your pile.
Worked example: a 10 × 10 slab at 4 inches
A 10 ft by 10 ft slab, 4″ thick. Volume first: 100 ft² × (4 ÷ 12) = 33.33 ft³, and 33.33 ÷ 27 = 1.235 yd³. Now the weight, using concrete at 4,050 lb/yd³: 1.235 × 4,050 = 5,002 lb, or 2.5 tons. Using the lower 3,730 lb average-wet-mix figure instead gives 4,606 lb — 2.3 tons. The difference between the two is 400 lb, and both numbers are in the published table.
That weight matters for two reasons. If you are mixing by bag, the same slab takes about 56 bags of 80 lb mix at 0.60 ft³ of yield each — roughly 4,500 lb of material to open, mix and place. If you are ordering ready-mix, 2.5 tons is one short load and well inside a small truck — but the same arithmetic on a 30 × 40 slab at 6″ (22.2 yd³, 45 tons) is four truckloads, which is a scheduling question, not a bag question. The concrete calculator runs the volume side and the bag count; this table turns its answer into weight.
Worked example: 12 yards of gravel on a 3,000 lb trailer
This is where the dry-to-wet difference stops being trivia. A utility trailer rated for a 3,000 lb payload, loaded with 3/4″ gravel:
- Dry (2,565 lb/yd³): 3,000 ÷ 2,565 = 1.17 yd³ before the trailer is at its limit.
- Wet (3,375 lb/yd³): 3,000 ÷ 3,375 = 0.89 yd³ for the same legal load.
Almost a third of a yard disappears because the pile sat out in the rain. The same trap runs the other way on a delivery: 12 yd³ of that gravel is 30,780 lb dry (15.4 tons) and 40,500 lb wet (20.25 tons). If the ticket says 20 tons and you counted 12 yards, nothing is wrong — you bought water as well as stone, and you paid for it at stone prices.
The practical version of this decision is to ask the supplier what density their scale uses, or simply to order by weight and let them convert. Weight is what the scale measures and what the truck is legally limited to; volume is what you can estimate from the hole.
Tons to yards: the conversion at the counter
Divide 2,000 by the weight of one cubic yard and you have the volume a ton occupies. The table reads both ways: the middle column converts one ton, the right-hand column converts a typical 20-ton load — about what a tandem dump truck carries.
| Material (lb/yd³) | yd³ per ton | yd³ in 20 tons |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel, 3/4″ dry (2,565 lb/yd³) | 0.78 | 15.6 |
| Gravel, 3/4″ typical (2,970 lb/yd³) | 0.67 | 13.5 |
| Gravel, 3/4″ wet (3,375 lb/yd³) | 0.59 | 11.9 |
| Sand, typical (3,025 lb/yd³) | 0.66 | 13.2 |
| Topsoil, loose (2,050 lb/yd³) | 0.98 | 19.5 |
| Concrete, gravel or stone mix (4,050 lb/yd³) | 0.49 | 9.9 |
| Mulch, wood (tool default) (700 lb/yd³) | 2.86 | 57.1 |
Read the topsoil row twice. At 2,050 lb/yd³, one ton is 0.98 yd³ — close enough that "a yard or a ton" is a rounding error on a small bed. On gravel it is not: 20 tons is 13.5 yd³, and a supplier who quotes "20 yards" and delivers 20 tons has shorted you six and a half yards. That is the single most expensive misreading on this page.
How much area a yard covers, by depth
Coverage is geometry and does not care what the material is: one cubic yard is 27 ft³, so the area it covers is 27 ÷ the depth in feet. Multiply by density for the weight of that layer.
| Depth | ft² per yd³ | yd³ per 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|
| 1″ | 324 | 0.31 |
| 2″ | 162 | 0.62 |
| 3″ | 108 | 0.93 |
| 4″ | 81 | 1.23 |
| 6″ | 54 | 1.85 |
| 12″ | 27 | 3.70 |
A yard of 3/4″ gravel at 2″ deep covers 162 ft² and weighs between 2,565 and 3,375 lb depending on moisture — so a 500 ft² driveway apron at 2″ is 3.09 yd³ and 4 to 5.2 tons. The same 3.09 yd³ of mulch at 3″ covers 334 ft² and weighs about 2,160 lb, a quarter of what the gravel weighs. Same volume, same trailer, very different problem.
Why your supplier's number does not match this table
Three things move a real load away from a published figure, and all three are normal:
- Moisture. A stockpile in the open holds 5–10% water by weight after rain. That alone is the difference between the dry and typical columns.
- Source rock. "Gravel" is a size, not a material. Crushed granite at SG 2.6 and crushed limestone at 2.8 differ by 8% before voids are considered, and a local pit's product is whatever the deposit gives it.
- Compaction and handling. A yard loaded loose, dumped and spread is not the same volume it was in the pile. Vibratory compaction of a gravel base removes a large share of the voids; the tonnage stays the same while the volume shrinks.
This is why the trade sells most aggregate by weight and why a scale ticket beats any chart, including this one. Use the chart to estimate the order, then reconcile against the ticket: if the delivered tonnage is 20% above your estimate, the load was wet, not wrong.
Where our own calculators stand against this table
Two of the site's tools print tonnage from a fixed density, and both are within the bands above — with one deliberate exception worth stating rather than hiding. The gravel & mulch calculator uses 1.4 tons/yd³ (2,800 lb) for gravel, 0.35 tons (700 lb) for mulch and 0.95 tons (1,900 lb) for topsoil. Gravel and mulch sit mid-band. Topsoil's 1,900 lb is about 7% under the published loose figure of 2,050 lb — a deliberately light assumption, so the tool under-promises on tonnage rather than sending you to the counter short. If you are ordering topsoil by weight, use 2,050 lb/yd³ from the chart above and expect the difference.
The volume-to-weight step also turns up in concrete work: the rebar & footing calculator sizes pads, this table tells you what they weigh, and the rebar size chart covers the steel going into them at 0.668 lb per foot for a #4 bar.
Frequently asked
How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
About 2,565 lb (1.28 tons) dry and 3,375 lb (1.69 tons) wet for 3/4″ crushed gravel, so a typical yard is roughly 2,970 lb — close to 1.5 tons. The range is wide enough that a 12 yd³ load weighs 15.4 tons dry but 20.25 tons wet, which is why suppliers sell by the ton and quote by the yard only as an approximation.
How much does a yard of dirt weigh?
Loose topsoil is about 2,050 lb per cubic yard (75.9 lb/ft³). The same yard packed down is 2,565 lb, and soaking wet it reaches 3,375 lb. Screened topsoil straight off a screener sits at the loose figure; a yard that has been sitting in a pile through a rainstorm and then driven over can be 60% heavier than the number you ordered.
How much does a yard of concrete weigh?
A cubic yard of cured concrete made with gravel or stone aggregate weighs about 4,050 lb — that is 150 lb per cubic foot, the number to use when you are converting a slab volume into truck weight. A lower-slump average wet mix is listed at 3,730 lb (138 lb/ft³). Normal-weight concrete is conventionally taken as 145–150 lb/ft³, so 4,050 lb/yd³ is the safe design figure.
How much does a yard of mulch weigh?
Wood mulch has no code table and no agency figure, only supplier consensus: roughly 400–800 lb per cubic yard dry, and 800–1,200 lb or more when soaked. Bark mulch runs lighter than hardwood chips. Our gravel and mulch calculator uses 700 lb (0.35 ton) per yard, which sits mid-band — a wet load can weigh nearly twice that.
How many yards are in a ton?
Divide 2,000 by the weight of one cubic yard. For typical 3/4″ gravel at 2,970 lb/yd³ that is 0.673 yd³ per ton, so 20 tons is about 13.5 yd³. Topsoil at 2,050 lb/yd³ is 0.976 yd³ per ton — effectively one yard per ton. Sand at 3,025 is 0.661, and mulch at 700 lb/yd³ is 2.86 yd³ per ton, which is why mulch is nearly always sold by volume.
Is a yard of gravel a ton?
No. A cubic yard of 3/4″ gravel is 1.28 tons dry and 1.69 tons wet, so it is always heavier than a ton — never lighter. If a supplier quotes you a price per yard and then bills by weight, the conversion they use is their own scale reading, not this table, and the two can differ by 10% or more on a wet load.
Why is wet gravel heavier than dry gravel?
Because water fills the spaces between the stones. Dry 3/4″ gravel at 2,565 lb/yd³ implies a void fraction of 42.6% — 1 − 2,565 ÷ (1,685 × 2.65). At 3,375 lb/yd³ the same material implies 24.4% voids. The stone has not changed; about 810 lb of water has moved into the gaps. Once the voids are full, extra water drains away and the weight stops climbing.
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
2,750 lb (1.38 tons) dry and 3,300 lb (1.65 tons) wet, with 3,025 lb as a midpoint. Sand holds more water in its voids than gravel does, so the dry-to-wet gap is proportionally smaller but the absolute number is high: sand is denser than gravel when both are dry, at 101.9 lb/ft³ against 95.0 lb/ft³.
Does compacting change how much a yard weighs?
It changes the density in place, not the weight of the material you bought. Compaction drives out voids, so a cubic yard of compacted gravel contains more stone than a cubic yard of loose gravel — which is why a yard in the truck does not fill a yard in the hole. Order by the compacted volume the job needs and add 15–25% for that difference, then check the figure against the supplier's own coverage guidance.
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
324 ft² at 1″ deep, 162 ft² at 2″, 108 ft² at 3″, 81 ft² at 4″ and 54 ft² at 6″ — coverage depends only on depth, never on the material. Multiply by the density to turn it into weight: a yard of gravel spread at 2″ covers 162 ft² and weighs its usual 1.3 to 1.7 tons while doing it.