Reference
How much does a yard of gravel weigh
Landscape suppliers sell gravel by the cubic yard or by the ton. To convert one to the other you need the stone's weight per yard, which varies with the type of stone and with how wet the pile is.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh? About 2,800 lb — 1.4 US tons — dry for pea gravel or #57 stone, 2,700–3,000 lb across common gravels, and up to 3,100 lb wet. A yard of sand is about 2,700 lb dry. Tons here are 2,000 lb short tons.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh, sand and stone included
| Material | Per cubic yard, dry | Tons per yard | Per cubic foot | kg per m³ | Per yard, wet (worst case) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone | 2,800 lb · 1,270 kg | 1.40 | 104 lb | 1,661 kg | 3,100 lb |
| Pea gravel | 2,800 lb · 1,270 kg | 1.40 | 104 lb | 1,661 kg | 3,100 lb |
| Crusher run / road base | 3,000 lb · 1,361 kg | 1.50 | 111 lb | 1,780 kg | 3,300 lb |
| River rock | 2,700 lb · 1,225 kg | 1.35 | 100 lb | 1,602 kg | 3,000 lb |
| Sand | 2,700 lb · 1,225 kg | 1.35 | 100 lb | 1,602 kg | 3,200 lb |
| Crushed limestone | 2,700 lb · 1,225 kg | 1.35 | 100 lb | 1,602 kg | 3,000 lb |
| Decomposed granite | 2,700 lb · 1,225 kg | 1.35 | 100 lb | 1,602 kg | 3,000 lb |
How many yards in a ton of gravel
The same table turned around: 2,000 lb divided by the weight of a yard. Suppliers that sell by the ton use this to convert the yards you measured.
| Material | Yards per ton | Cubic feet per ton |
|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone | 0.71 yd³ | 19.3 cu ft |
| Pea gravel | 0.71 yd³ | 19.3 cu ft |
| Crusher run / road base | 0.67 yd³ | 18.0 cu ft |
| River rock | 0.74 yd³ | 20.0 cu ft |
| Sand | 0.74 yd³ | 20.0 cu ft |
| Crushed limestone | 0.74 yd³ | 20.0 cu ft |
| Decomposed granite | 0.74 yd³ | 20.0 cu ft |
How much does a ton of gravel cover
A cubic yard, whatever it weighs, covers 162 sq ft at 2 in, 108 at 3 in, 81 at 4 in and 54 at 6 in. A ton covers less of the heavier stones. Crusher run and decomposed granite compact about 20% when tamped, so order that much extra for a base. Sizes and what each grade is for are on the crushed stone sizes guide.
| Material | 2 in deep | 3 in deep | 4 in deep | 6 in deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone | 116 sq ft · 11 m² | 77 sq ft · 7 m² | 58 sq ft · 5 m² | 39 sq ft · 4 m² |
| Pea gravel | 116 sq ft · 11 m² | 77 sq ft · 7 m² | 58 sq ft · 5 m² | 39 sq ft · 4 m² |
| Crusher run / road base | 108 sq ft · 10 m² | 72 sq ft · 7 m² | 54 sq ft · 5 m² | 36 sq ft · 3 m² |
| River rock | 120 sq ft · 11 m² | 80 sq ft · 7 m² | 60 sq ft · 6 m² | 40 sq ft · 4 m² |
| Sand | 120 sq ft · 11 m² | 80 sq ft · 7 m² | 60 sq ft · 6 m² | 40 sq ft · 4 m² |
| Crushed limestone | 120 sq ft · 11 m² | 80 sq ft · 7 m² | 60 sq ft · 6 m² | 40 sq ft · 4 m² |
| Decomposed granite | 120 sq ft · 11 m² | 80 sq ft · 7 m² | 60 sq ft · 6 m² | 40 sq ft · 4 m² |
How many yards in a dump truck
Stone runs out of weight allowance before the bed is full, so trucks are limited by tons, not yards. A half-ton pickup carries about 0.5 yard of stone before it sits on the bump stops — 1,400 lb. A single-axle dump truck is limited to about 5–7 tons, which is 4–5 yards of gravel; a tandem-axle truck carries 12–15 tons, about 9–11 yards. Lighter mulch or soil can fill the same bed to 12 yards or more.
The gravel calculator turns a driveway or bed into yards, tons and bags with these densities.
Figure your gravel →Figures: Aggregate-supplier density tables and Engineering Toolbox (gravel about 105 lb/ft³ dry and 125 wet; sand 97 dry and 119 wet); crushed limestone 2,600–2,800 lb/yd³; decomposed granite 2,700–3,000 lb/yd³; wet figures are a worst case for stone with fines — washed stone holds only a few percent water. Truck loads: Boom & Bucket and Hello Gravel delivery guides (single-axle dump truck 5–7 tons, tandem 12–15 tons; stone reaches the weight limit before the bed is full). Compaction of crusher run and decomposed granite about 20%: supplier installation guides. Accessed 2026-10-14. Wet stone weighs more, so if you buy by the ton after rain you get less stone — ask for a price by the yard. When loading a pickup from a wet pile, take a little less than half a yard.
How much does a yard of sand weigh, and other gravel questions
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
About 2,700 lb dry and 3,200 lb wet — sand holds more water than gravel.
How much does a yard of crushed limestone or decomposed granite weigh?
About 2,700 lb dry for either, up to 3,000 lb wet; crusher run packs tighter at 3,000 lb.
How many bags of gravel in a yard?
54 bags of 0.5 cu ft, about 52 lb each. One bag covers about 2 sq ft at 3 in, so past roughly 50 sq ft bulk is cheaper.
How much does a yard of pea gravel weigh?
2,800 lb dry, 3,100 lb wet.
More in this series
The rest of the yard
These are the weights, coverages and rates every yard calculator on the site runs on. Each tool applies them to one material.
- Gravel Calculator Gravel, crushed stone, sand and road base by volume, tons and bags
- Mulch Calculator Cubic yards, bags or bales of mulch for every bed, topped up over the old layer
- Topsoil Calculator Cubic yards, tons and bags of topsoil, fill dirt or compost, with settling
- Sod Calculator Rolls or slabs of sod, pallets, pallet weight and what a trailer carries, with waste for cuts
- Grass Seed Calculator Pounds and bags of grass seed by grass type for a new lawn or overseeding, with starter fertilizer and straw
- Fertilizer Calculator Pounds and bags of lawn fertilizer from the nitrogen rate or the bag label, with the N, P and K actually applied
- Crushed Stone Sizes and Coverage What each stone grade is for, and what a ton and a yard cover
- Topsoil Weight and Coverage What a yard of soil weighs dry, moist and wet, and how far it spreads
- Mulch Coverage, Bags and Weight How far a yard and a bag of mulch spread, and what they weigh
- Grass Seed Germination and Planting Times How many days each grass takes to come up, when to plant it, how deep, and how to water a new seeding
- Sod Pallet Sizes and Weights Square feet and pieces on a pallet of sod, what a pallet, roll and slab weigh, what a truck can carry, and how long sod keeps
- Lawn Seed and Fertilizer Rates How often to fertilize, pounds of seed per 1,000 sq ft and per acre, fertilizer by NPK, how much lime, and when to overseed
- New Sod Watering and Rooting A week-by-week watering schedule for new sod, how long it takes to root, and when you can walk on, mow and feed it
Tools for the job
What makes this job easier
Tools and materials that suit this kind of job. These are affiliate links: if you buy through one, Renovimo may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the figures on this page.
Garvee
Plate compactor, 7 HP
Compacts gravel base in lifts so pavers and walls do not settle.
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Garvee
Dump cart, 1200 lb
Tips a whole load of gravel, mulch or debris where you want it.
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Garvee
Geotextile landscape fabric, 4 × 50 ft
Keeps gravel base from sinking into the soil under paths and pads.
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Garvee
Corrugated metal edging, 6 in × 50 ft
Holds a gravel or mulch bed at its line.
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Garvee
Steel landscape edging
Keeps gravel, mulch and pavers from creeping into the lawn.
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Garvee
Steel garden cart, 900 lb
A flatbed wagon for bags of stone, soil and pavers; the sides come off.
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Not the tool you were after? Browse the whole range at Garvee — the store these picks come from.