Gravel and sand are sold by the ton or by the yard. Convert between them for your material.
How to convert tons to cubic yards
Weight and volume are linked by density: how many tons one cubic yard of the material weighs. It depends on the material, its moisture and how tightly it's packed.
Cubic yards = tons ÷ density (tons per cubic yard)
Tons = cubic yards × density
Typical densities
| Material | Tons per cubic yard | Cubic yards per ton |
|---|
| Gravel | about 1.42 | 0.70 |
| Crushed stone | about 1.4 | 0.71 |
| Dry sand | about 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Wet sand | about 1.62 | 0.62 |
These match the gravel calculator. Your supplier can tell you the figure for their stone; use it for the most accurate answer.
Worked example
10 tons of gravel at 1.42 tons per cubic yard: 10 ÷ 1.42 = 7.04 cubic yards. Going the other way, 5 cubic yards of dry sand at 1.35 is 6.75 tons.
Limitations
Moisture can change the weight of sand and gravel by 10 to 20%. Tons here are US short tons of 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is 2,204.6 lb.
Sources
How we checked this
Before every update, this calculator is run in a real browser with these known answers, and it must match all of them:
- 10 tons of gravel at 1.42: 7.042 cubic yards ✓
- 5 cu yd of dry sand at 1.35: 6.75 tons ✓
- 1 ton at 1 ton per cu yd: 1 cubic yard (singular) ✓
- Edge: density 0 asks for a density ✓
Last checked October 26, 2026. Spotted something wrong? The math is done in your browser with the formula shown on this page, so you can check any result by hand.
Questions people ask
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.7. A cubic yard of gravel weighs about 1.4 tons, so one ton fills roughly 0.7 cubic yards.
How many tons are in a yard of gravel?
About 1.4 to 1.5 tons, depending on the stone and how wet it is.
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
About 1.35 tons (2,700 lb) dry, and around 1.6 tons wet.
Is a ton the same as a yard?
No. A ton is weight and a yard is volume. For gravel, a yard weighs about 1.4 tons.