How many tons are in a cubic yard?

It depends entirely on the material, because tons measure weight and cubic yards measure volume. Dry sand runs around 1.3 tons per cubic yard, crushed gravel closer to 1.4, and wet material heavier again. Enter the density your supplier quotes and this tool does the multiplication.

Why do I have to type a density?

Because there is no single right answer, and baking one in would give a confidently wrong figure. A yard of mulch and a yard of gravel weigh very different amounts. The density field is the honest part of the tool — put in the number for your material and the conversion follows.

Is this a short ton or a metric tonne?

The tons box is the US short ton of 2000 pounds, which is what pit tickets in North America use. The tool also shows the metric tonne (1000 kg) beside it, so you can hand over whichever the scale house wants. One short ton is about 0.907 tonnes. Set the site to metric and the boxes become cubic metres, tonnes and tonnes per m³, with the short tons shown beside them instead.

Where do I find the density for my material?

Your quarry or landscape supplier will quote it, often as pounds per cubic foot or tons per yard, and it is the figure they bill against. If you only have a rough idea, use a conservative number and confirm the tally at the scale — a yard here or there adds up on a big order.

Yardas cúbicas a toneladas

The whole answer rides on the density you enter, and that varies with material and moisture. Use the figure your supplier bills against, and treat this as an ordering estimate — the scale ticket is the number that settles the bill.

Enter a volume in cubic yards and the density of your material and you get the weight in tons, with the metric tonne and cubic metre alongside. Enter tons instead and it works back to the volume — handy when a load is sold by weight but you are filling a set space.

Ejemplo resuelto

You need 10 cubic yards of 3/4″ crushed gravel and the pit quotes 1.4 tons per yard. 10 × 1.4 = 14 tons. In metric that is about 12.7 tonnes of material filling roughly 7.6 m³. Drop the density to 1.3 for a lighter sand and the same 10 yards is 13 tons. Working in metric from the start: 8 m³ at 1.66 t/m³ (the same gravel) is 8 × 1.66 = 13.3 tonnes.

En la obra

The pit quotes tons, the takeoff is in yards. Your gravel page says 13.3 yd³; the pit sells crush at $24 a ton and quotes 1.4 t/yd³. 13.3 × 1.4 = 18.6 tons, $447. Order "13 yards" from a pit that thinks in tons and somebody converts it for you — with whatever density they feel like.

The scale ticket, backwards. The truck weighed in at 14.2 tons and you ordered 10 yards. At the pit's 1.4 that is 10.1 yards — honest. If the ticket says 14.2 tons and the driver says "that's 8 yards", somebody's density is 1.78, and it is worth a phone call.

Tonnes are not tons. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, a short ton is 2,000 lb — the tonne is 10% heavier. A pit quoting "1.4 per yard" in tonnes is quoting 1.54 short tons. Ask which, then type the density in the unit the tool is set to — tons/yd³ in imperial, tonnes/m³ in metric.

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Quick referencefor yards and tons

Toneladas cortas: yards × density · yards = tons ÷ density
The density: is the supplier's, per material and moisture — this page only carries a default
Short ton: 2,000 lb · 0.907 tonne
Tonne: 1,000 kg · 2,205 lb · 1.102 short tons
Volumen: 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 0.765 m³ · 1 m³ = 1.31 yd³
Density units: tons/yd³ × 1.186 = tonnes/m³ · 1.4 t/yd³ ≈ 1.66 t/m³

Mistakes to catchbefore you trust the number

Using a dry density for a wet pile — rain on a stockpile can add 10–15% to the weight of the same yardage, and you pay by the scale.
Reading metric tonnes as short tons; the tool shows both, and a tonne is 10% heavier.
Typing the density in lb/ft³ into a t/yd³ field — 100 lb/ft³ is 1.35 t/yd³, not 100.

La fórmula

tons = cubic yards × density (tons/yd³) · yards = tons ÷ density

Weight is volume times density — there is no shortcut around the material's own weight per unit. Cubic yards convert to cubic metres by the cube of the yard-to-metre ratio (0.9144³), and a short ton is 0.907 tonnes, which is how the metric figures are found.

Preguntas

How many tons are in a cubic yard?: It depends entirely on the material, because tons measure weight and cubic yards measure volume. Dry sand runs around 1.3 tons per cubic yard, crushed gravel closer to 1.4, and wet material heavier again. Enter the density your supplier quotes and this tool does the multiplication.
Why do I have to type a density?: Because there is no single right answer, and baking one in would give a confidently wrong figure. A yard of mulch and a yard of gravel weigh very different amounts. The density field is the honest part of the tool — put in the number for your material and the conversion follows.
Is this a short ton or a metric tonne?: The tons box is the US short ton of 2000 pounds, which is what pit tickets in North America use. The tool also shows the metric tonne (1000 kg) beside it, so you can hand over whichever the scale house wants. One short ton is about 0.907 tonnes. Set the site to metric and the boxes become cubic metres, tonnes and tonnes per m³, with the short tons shown beside them instead.
Where do I find the density for my material?: Your quarry or landscape supplier will quote it, often as pounds per cubic foot or tons per yard, and it is the figure they bill against. If you only have a rough idea, use a conservative number and confirm the tally at the scale — a yard here or there adds up on a big order.

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