How Much Does a Cubic Yard of Gravel Weigh?

Gravel is sold two ways: by the cubic yard and by the ton. To compare prices, plan a delivery, or haul a load yourself, you have to convert between the two, and that takes a density: how many tons fill one cubic yard. This guide explains why that number varies, what measured values look like, and how to turn the volume from the gravel calculator into an order by weight.

Why there is no single number

A cubic yard of “gravel” can weigh quite different amounts, for four reasons:

• The stone itself. Different rock types, and recycled materials such as crushed concrete or asphalt, have different densities.
• The mix of sizes. A graded mix with fines packs into the gaps between larger stones. One-size stone leaves more air in each yard.
• Moisture. Water in a stockpile adds weight without adding stone.
• Its state. Wisconsin DOT's research describes three states for the same material: bank (in the ground), loose (in a stockpile or truck), and compacted (rolled in place). The same tonnage takes up a different volume in each.

That is why the gravel calculator only shows a weight when you enter a density, and why a figure copied from another website may not match what your supplier loads. The rest of this guide shows how big the differences are.

What measured densities show

In a 2023 study for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, researchers sampled aggregates used in Wisconsin road construction and measured them in the lab and in the field. WisDOT's conversion factors are, in the report's words, “essentially compacted unit weights (tons/cubic yard).” Across the aggregates tested, they ranged from 1.50 to 1.98 US tons per cubic yard.

Measured on Wisconsin transportation aggregates. Landscape products such as pea gravel or decorative rock were not part of the study. Use these to sanity-check a supplier's figure, not in place of it.

Two things stand out. First, even one product type spans a range: ¾ in dense graded base measured 1.80 to 1.86 tons per yard. Second, the recycled and backfill materials sit lower than the crushed base materials. Your supplier's stone comes from a different pit, so expect its density to differ from the table too.

Loose versus compacted

A truck carries loose stone. Once it is spread and rolled, the same stone occupies less space. The report measures this as an expansion factor, the percentage by which the loose volume exceeds the compacted volume:

expansion (%)  = (compacted density ÷ loose density − 1) × 100
loose density  = compacted density ÷ (1 + expansion ÷ 100)

For ¾ in dense graded base at 1.8 tons per compacted yard and 36 to 47% expansion, one loose yard weighs roughly 1.22 to 1.32 tons. Across all the aggregates in the study, expansion ran from 27% to 60%.

Converting yards and tons

One US (short) ton is exactly 2,000 lb and one cubic yard is 27 ft³ (NIST Handbook 44). With a density from your supplier, the conversions are:

tons          = cubic yards × tons per yd³
cubic yards   = tons ÷ tons per yd³
tons per yd³  = lb per ft³ × 27 ÷ 2,000
example: 1.8 tons/yd³ = 1.8 × 2,000 ÷ 27 = 133.3 lb/ft³

The calculator accepts density in US tons per yd³, lb per ft³, tonnes per m³, or kg per m³, so enter it in whatever unit the supplier quotes. The one thing to confirm is which state the figure describes. A loose density divided into a compacted volume, or the reverse, can be off by a third or more.

Worked example: a 40 × 10 ft driveway pad

Say the pad is 40 ft by 10 ft, the finished layer is 4 in deep, and you add a 10% allowance. The supplier says their base material runs 1.8 tons per compacted yard, the low end of the ¾ in base row above.

Volume      = 40 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 4.94 yd³
+ 10%       = 5.43 yd³ in place (order 5.5 yd³ if sold by the half yard)
Weight      = 5.43 × 1.8 = 9.78 tons (19,556 lb)
Loose yards = 5.43 × (1.36 to 1.47) = 7.39 to 7.99 yd³

Because weight doesn't change when stone is compacted, ordering about 9.8 tons covers the compaction automatically. If the supplier sells loose yards instead, you would need roughly 7.4 to 8 loose yards to end up with 5.43 compacted yards. Try your own dimensions and density in the gravel calculator.

Hauling it yourself

A small load can quickly reach a vehicle's limit. To find how much you can carry per trip, divide the payload your vehicle maker publishes (usually on a door-jamb label or in the owner's manual) by the weight of one loose yard of the product. For example, with a 1,500 lb payload (an example, not a typical figure) and stone at 1.22 tons per loose yard:

1,500 lb ÷ (1.22 × 2,000 lb) = 0.61 yd³ per trip

Wet stone is heavier, so leave a margin, and check the trailer and hitch ratings if you tow. For most driveway-size jobs, a delivery is far fewer trips; see planning a bulk delivery for site and access checks.

What to ask your supplier

• Tons per cubic yard for this exact product, and whether that is loose, compacted, or as stockpiled.
• Do you sell it by the ton or by the yard? If by the yard, ask how a yard is measured (a loader bucket, a box, or weight converted to volume).
• How much extra for compaction? They know how their material behaves under a roller.
• Minimum order and truck capacity. A truck may be limited by weight before it is full by volume.

For small jobs, bagged stone may be simpler: the weight is printed on each bag. See bagged vs. bulk materials to compare, and what a cubic yard is for the volume arithmetic.