About the Tons to Yards Calculator
Bulk landscaping and building materials are measured two ways. Quarries and many suppliers sell by weight, in tons, because every truck crosses a scale on the way out. Projects, on the other hand, are planned by volume: an area so many feet long and wide, so many inches deep, gives a number of cubic yards. When a quote, a delivery ticket or a leftover pile is given in tons, you need to know how many cubic yards that is, and how much ground it will cover.
This tons to yards calculator converts a weight in US tons to cubic yards for common materials: gravel, crushed stone, sand, topsoil, fill dirt, crusher run, asphalt millings and bark mulch, or any material whose density you know. It also shows the volume in cubic feet and cubic metres, the volume of one ton, and how much area the material covers at 2, 3 and 4 inches deep.
How to Use the Tons to Yards Calculator
Enter the weight in US tons.
Choose the material, or choose Other and enter its density in tons per cubic yard.
The Formulas
cubic yards = tons ÷ tons per cubic yard
cubic feet = cubic yards × 27
cubic metres = cubic yards × 0.7646
coverage = cubic yards × 324 ÷ depth in inches (ft²)Densities used, in tons per cubic yard: gravel 1.4, crushed stone 1.35, sand 1.35, topsoil 1.1, fill dirt 1.2, crusher run 1.5, asphalt millings 1.25, bark mulch 0.4.
Step-by-Step Example
Ten tons of gravel.
yards 10 ÷ 1.4 = 7.14 yd³ (192.86 ft³, 5.46 m³)
2 in deep 7.14 × 324 ÷ 2 = 1,157 ft²
3 in deep 7.14 × 324 ÷ 3 = 771 ft²
4 in deep 7.14 × 324 ÷ 4 = 579 ft²
per ton 1 ÷ 1.4 = 0.71 yd³Why Materials Differ
A cubic yard is always the same space, but how much it weighs depends on what fills it. Solid rock is very heavy, yet a pile of stones has air between the pieces, so gravel weighs about 1.4 tons per yard rather than the 2 tons or more that solid rock would. Materials that mix sizes, like crusher run, pack the gaps with fines and weigh more. Topsoil contains organic matter and air, and bark mulch is mostly wood fibre, so a ton of mulch fills more than three times the space of a ton of gravel. Always use the right material when converting.
Coverage and the 324 Rule
Because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and there are 12 inches in a foot, one cubic yard covers 324 square feet at one inch deep. Dividing 324 by the depth in inches gives the coverage of a yard at that depth: 162 square feet at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches and 81 at 4 inches. Multiplying by the number of yards gives the total area your tons will cover, which is a quick way to check whether an order is enough for a driveway, path or bed.
Moisture and Compaction
The densities here are typical loose, dry figures. Wet sand, soil and gravel can weigh 10 to 30% more, so a ton of wet material is fewer cubic yards. Compacted layers also take up less space than loose material, so a ton covers less area once it is rolled. For compacted bases, use the crusher run or fill dirt calculators, which allow for shrinkage.
Tons and Tonnes
The calculator uses US short tons of 2,000 pounds. Metric tonnes of 1,000 kilograms are about 10% heavier, at roughly 2,205 pounds. To convert tonnes to US tons, multiply by 1.102 before entering the figure. British long tons of 2,240 pounds are rarely used for aggregates today.
Ordering
When ordering from a quarry, convert your measured volume into tons with the yards to tons calculator and add a little for waste. When a supplier quotes in tons and you want to know if it is enough, use this calculator to turn the tonnage back into yards and coverage. Ask the supplier for their own density figure if you need precision; it varies with the source rock and how the material is screened.
Checking a Delivery
If you ordered by the ton and the pile looks small, convert the ticket weight to yards and compare it with the area and depth you planned. A 15-ton load of gravel is about 10.7 cubic yards, enough for about 1,160 square feet at 3 inches. Remember that a heaped pile looks smaller than it is, and that some material will settle once spread and compacted.
Bags Versus Bulk
Bagged gravel and sand are usually sold by volume, often half a cubic foot per bag. One ton of gravel is about 19 cubic feet, or roughly 39 such bags, which shows why bulk delivery is cheaper for anything more than a small job.
Understanding Your Result
The headline gives the volume in cubic yards.
The working line shows the density used and the volume in cubic feet and metres.
The coverage line shows the area covered at 2, 3 and 4 inches.
The per ton line shows the volume of one ton.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
Use it to check a quarry quote given in tons.
Use it to see how far a delivery will go on a driveway or path.
Use it to compare the volume of different materials for the same weight.
Common Mistakes
Using one density for every material. Mulch and gravel differ hugely.
Ignoring moisture. Wet material weighs more per yard.
Mixing tons and tonnes. A tonne is about 10% heavier.
Forgetting compaction. Rolled layers cover less area.