Quick answer: One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. Multiply length ร width ร depth in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply yards by the material's density for tons.
Convert cubic yards to tons for gravel, dirt, mulch, and sand. Enter your dimensions to get cubic yards AND tons - with real material density built in.
The most common question we get: how many tons is X cubic yards of gravel? Crushed gravel weighs 1.35 tons per cubic yard. Here are the most searched conversions:
| Material | Tons per CY | Lbs per CY | 10 CY = Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch / Wood Chips | 0.40 | 800 | 4.0 tons |
| Topsoil / Fill Dirt | 1.00 | 2,000 | 10.0 tons |
| Mason Sand | 1.30 | 2,600 | 13.0 tons |
| Crushed Gravel | 1.35 | 2,700 | 13.5 tons |
| River Rock | 1.50 | 3,000 | 15.0 tons |
| Concrete | 2.03 | 4,050 | 20.3 tons |
There are exactly 27 cubic feet in 1 cubic yard. A yard is 3 ft ร 3 ft ร 3 ft = 27. Buying bagged material from a big box store? Multiply your cubic yards ร 27 to find how many 1-cu-ft bags you need.
You cannot directly convert square yards (2D area) to tons (weight) without a depth. If someone quotes your project in square yards with a set depth, convert to cubic yards first: multiply square yards ร depth in feet รท 3, then use the tons-per-CY figure above. Our calculator at the top does this automatically when you enter length, width, and depth.
There is no single answer, because a ton is a weight and a cubic yard is a volume โ the conversion depends entirely on the material's density. For the materials people ask about most:
| Material | Cubic yards in 1 ton | Tons in 1 cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Bark mulch | ~4.0 | ~0.25 |
| Compost | ~1.8 | ~0.55 |
| Screened topsoil | ~1.0 | ~1.0 |
| Dry sand | ~0.74 | ~1.35 |
| Gravel / crushed stone | ~0.71 | ~1.4 |
| Crusher run | ~0.67 | ~1.5 |
| Wet fill dirt | ~0.63 | ~1.6 |
| Asphalt | ~0.50 | ~2.0 |
The rule of thumb worth memorising: for most aggregates, 1 ton is about 0.7 cubic yards, and 1 cubic yard is about 1.4 tons. If a conversion hands you a number far outside that band for stone or gravel, you have used the wrong density.
Suppliers occasionally quote coverage in square yards, which adds a depth step. One ton of gravel at 1.4 tons per cubic yard is 0.71 cu yd, or 19.3 cu ft. Spread 3 inches deep that covers about 77 sq ft โ roughly 8.6 square yards per ton. Halve the depth and you double the coverage.
Fill dirt and topsoil swing more than any other bulk material because of moisture. A dirt tonnage figure calculated from a dry-weight table can be 20% light after a wet week, which is enough to leave you short on a grading job. When the tonnage matters, ask the supplier what their scale is showing that day rather than trusting a published constant.
Volume-to-weight questions come in four flavours. If this is not the one you wanted:
Multiply your cubic yards by 1.35 to get tons of crushed gravel. For example, 5 cubic yards ร 1.35 = 6.75 tons. River rock is heavier at 1.5 tons/CY; mulch is lighter at 0.4 tons/CY. Use the calculator above to handle any material automatically.
10 cubic yards of crushed gravel weighs approximately 13.5 tons (10 ร 1.35). If it's river rock, that same 10 yards is 15 tons. The material type matters significantly - always check with your supplier.
CY stands for cubic yard. "CY to tons" means converting a volume measurement (cubic yards) to a weight measurement (tons). Landscaping suppliers often sell heavy materials like gravel and stone by the ton rather than the cubic yard, so this conversion is essential before placing an order.
Divide tons by the material density. For crushed gravel: tons รท 1.35 = cubic yards. So if your supplier quotes you 10 tons of gravel, that's 10 รท 1.35 = 7.4 cubic yards.
Yes, physically it fits in a full-size pickup bed. However, a cubic yard of topsoil weighs about 2,000 lbs. Check your truck's payload capacity - a half-ton truck (F-150, Silverado 1500) should carry no more than 0.5-0.75 cubic yards of heavy material like dirt or gravel.
It depends on depth: at 2 inches deep, 1 CY covers ~162 sq ft. At 3 inches, ~108 sq ft. At 4 inches, ~81 sq ft. Use the calculator above - enter your area and depth and it instantly gives you the cubic yards and tons.
A cubic yard is a unit of volume (how much space material takes up). A ton is a unit of weight. They measure different things, which is why the material density is required to convert between them. A cubic yard of mulch and a cubic yard of river rock occupy the same volume but weigh very different amounts.
Every constant this calculator uses and where it comes from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Local codes amend the model IRC and adopt different cycles — your building department governs. Manufacturers revise yields; where your product's data sheet disagrees with a default here, use the product's number. See our full methodology.