Enter how many tons of material you have or plan to buy and pick the material. You get the volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters, how much ground it covers at your depth, and the cost if you add a price.
Last updated:
Coverage & cost (optional)
in
Typical: 2–3 in mulch, 4 in gravel driveway top layer, 6 in base.
$
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Tons to Cubic Yards Converter
Enter the weight and choose the unit (US tons, tonnes, long tons, pounds or kilograms).
Pick the material, or choose Custom density and type your supplier's figure.
Add a spread depth to see how many square feet the load will cover.
Add a price per ton (optional) to estimate the cost.
Press Convert and compare materials in the table, or copy the result.
How to convert tons to cubic yards
A ton measures weight and a cubic yard measures volume (3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 ft³), so you need the material's density to go from one to the other. Convert the weight to pounds, then divide by the pounds per cubic yard:
cubic yards = tons × 2,000 ÷ lb per yd³
Worked example: a quarry quotes 12 tons of crushed limestone at about 2,700 lb/yd³. 12 × 2,000 = 24,000 lb, and 24,000 ÷ 2,700 = 8.89 cubic yards (240 ft³). Spread 4 inches deep, 240 ÷ (4 ÷ 12) = about 720 square feet, enough for a 12 ft × 60 ft driveway.
For metric tonnes multiply by 2,204.62 instead of 2,000; for long tons multiply by 2,240.
Cubic yards per ton for common materials
Material
lb per yd³
Tons per yd³
yd³ per ton
yd³ per tonne
Gravel
2,800
1.40
0.71
0.79
Pea gravel
2,700
1.35
0.74
0.82
Crushed limestone
2,700
1.35
0.74
0.82
Sand (dry)
2,600
1.30
0.77
0.85
Sand (wet)
3,100
1.55
0.65
0.71
Topsoil (dry)
2,000
1.00
1.00
1.10
Topsoil (moist)
2,600
1.30
0.77
0.85
Mulch / wood chips
600
0.30
3.33
3.67
Riprap / large rock
2,900
1.45
0.69
0.76
Asphalt (hot mix, compacted)
3,915
1.96
0.51
0.56
Asphalt millings (loose)
2,300
1.15
0.87
0.96
Typical planning values. Real density changes with moisture, stone size and compaction; your supplier's scale ticket is the final word.
Tips for ordering bulk material by the ton
Ask how it is sold. Quarries and landscape yards usually sell stone and sand by the ton but mulch and soil by the cubic yard. Converting both to yards makes quotes easy to compare.
Add for compaction. Gravel and road base compact by roughly 10–15% when rolled, so a 4-inch compacted layer needs more than 4 inches of loose material. Ordering 5–10% extra is common.
Dry vs. wet matters. Sand and topsoil left out in the rain hold a lot of water. You pay for that water by the ton, and you get fewer cubic yards for the same weight.
Check truck limits. A standard tandem dump truck carries about 12–15 tons, roughly 8–11 yd³ of gravel. Very light material such as mulch fills a truck by volume long before it reaches the weight limit.
Coverage rule of thumb: one cubic yard covers 324 ft² at 1 inch, 162 ft² at 2 inches, 108 ft² at 3 inches and 81 ft² at 4 inches deep.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards are in a ton?
It depends on the material. A ton of gravel is about 0.71 cubic yards, a ton of dry sand about 0.77 yd³, a ton of dry topsoil about 1 yd³, and a ton of mulch roughly 3.3 yd³, because lighter materials take up more space per ton.
How do you convert tons to cubic yards?
Multiply the tons by 2,000 to get pounds, then divide by the material's density in pounds per cubic yard. For example, 15 tons of gravel × 2,000 = 30,000 lb ÷ 2,800 lb/yd³ = 10.7 cubic yards.
How many cubic yards is 10 tons of gravel?
At a typical 2,800 lb per cubic yard, 10 US tons of gravel is about 7.1 cubic yards (193 cubic feet). Washed or wet gravel can be heavier, giving slightly fewer yards.
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
One ton of gravel is about 0.71 yd³ or 19.3 ft³. Spread 4 inches deep it covers about 58 square feet; at 2 inches deep it covers about 116 square feet.
Is a tonne the same as a ton?
No. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb), a US short ton is 2,000 lb and a UK long ton is 2,240 lb. Choose the right unit, because a tonne of material is about 10% more volume than a US ton.
Why does my supplier's number differ from this converter?
Bulk material weight varies with moisture, grading and compaction. Wet sand or soil can weigh 15–30% more than dry. Use the Custom density option with your supplier's tons-per-yard figure for the most accurate answer.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.