Run the math on the gravel calculator below — pick the gravel type, type the dimensions, and the engine surfaces both the cubic yards and the tons at the type's loose density.
Convert your job
The calculator below converts cubic yards to tons automatically using the type's density. If you're sizing a delivery truck or trailer, look at the practical-tons output to confirm the load is under your rated payload.
A yard of gravel is heavier than most contractors think. Your half-ton pickup is rated at 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of payload — well under one cubic yard of crusher run. The weight is also where the per-ton invoice and the per-yard math have to agree, and they frequently don't.
Ask a SiteworkMath question
Quick answers about SiteworkMath's calculators and material take-offs — concrete yardage, topsoil + mulch volume, tile box-count, deck-surface materials. Free, no signup. Not structural-engineering or code advice — for joist / beam / footing / permit decisions, talk to a structural engineer, licensed contractor, or your local building department.
Hi, I'm the SiteworkMath assistant. I answer questions about the calculators and guides on this site — concrete yardage, topsoil, mulch, tile, and decking material math. I'm not a structural engineer or a licensed contractor; I'm a calculator built around the math that James Wu — Chicago-area flipper — uses on his own jobs. For structural decisions (joist sizing, beam spans, footing depth in your soil + climate, anything that needs a permit) talk to a licensed structural engineer or your local building department.
The per-type weight table
The four common residential types, with their loose dry densities and the resulting per-yard weights:
| Gravel type | Density (lb/ft³) | Weight per cu yd (lb) | Tons per cu yd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decorative (river rock) | 95 | 2,565 | 1.28 |
| Pea gravel | 96 | 2,592 | 1.30 |
| #57 clean angular | 100 | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Crusher run (loose) | 115 | 3,105 | 1.55 |
Densities are dry loose midpoints1— what the supplier reports when the load is on the yard scale and dry. Wet loads add 10-15%; compacted crusher run on the finished driveway runs higher still because the fines fill in the void space. InchCalculator's published industry range is 1.4-1.7 tons/yd³, which covers heavier dense-graded blends; the table above sits at the lower end because the calculator uses dry loose density, not compacted.
Where this number breaks down — the wet-load trap
The single most common reason a supplier ticket and a cubic-yard calculation don't agree is moisture. The dispatcher quotes the dry-loose density on the spec sheet; the load that arrives might be wet from rain, snow on the stockpile, or hose-down for dust control. A wet crusher-run yard that should weigh 3,105 lb dry can arrive at 3,400 lb — that's 10% over the math.
On a Michigan tax-deed property in 2019 I caught this one cold. The job was a small two-yard French drain order for a foundation drainage repair. The supplier ticket showed 3.45 tons. My math at 1.35 tons/yd³ for #57 stone said 2.70 tons. I called the dispatcher ready to dispute. They were honest about it: the stockpile had been hosed down at 6 a.m. for dust control before the truck loaded, and a wet #57 load runs closer to 1.65-1.70 tons/yd³.
The moisture wasn't a billing error — it was actual weight on the actual scale, and the customer pays for what the scale says. The fix is to confirm the load state before the truck rolls (dry stockpile / hosed-down / rained-on overnight) and to expect a 10-15% over on wet days. On a 20-ton order that's 2-3 tons of weight that's really water; on a 2-ton job it's the difference between two cubic yards and three.
My take: don't bother trying to fight a wet ticket. The dispatch is doing what dispatch does. If the moisture matters (you're bagging the gravel for a small job, or you need the dry weight for a structural load calculation), ask the supplier to load from the covered stockpile or pay for an extra day of dry time. Otherwise just bake the 10-15% wet uplift into your tonnage expectation.
The truck-payload math
A cubic yard of gravel weighs roughly the same as a small Honda Civic curb weight (~2,500-3,100 lb). That has implications:
- Half-ton pickup (Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500). Payload rating is typically 1,500-2,500 lb depending on trim. ONE cubic yard of crusher run is at or over the upper end of payload on most half-tons — and that's before driver weight, tools, and tongue load on a hitch. The supplier's 5-yard minimum isn't arbitrary; it's what a properly-rated delivery truck can carry safely.
- 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup.Payload 3,000-4,500 lb. You can haul one cubic yard of any type. Two yards exceeds most payloads and you'll need a trailer or dump-truck delivery.
- Trailer behind a passenger vehicle.Check the trailer rating, the receiver hitch rating, AND the tow-vehicle tow rating — the limit is the LOWEST of the three. A 3,500 lb utility trailer behind a 2.0L SUV rated to tow 2,000 lb means you're hauling 2,000 lb of gravel max, plus the trailer itself. About 0.65 yards of crusher run before you exceed the tow rating.
- Dump-truck delivery. A standard 10-yard tandem dump can carry up to ~14 tons; a 16-yard tri-axle can do 22-24 tons. Above 16-20 yards (one truckload) consider splitting across two deliveries to spread the labor of spreading and compacting.
Frequently asked
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh in pounds?
2,565 to 3,105 pounds dry, depending on the gravel type. Decorative river rock sits at the low end (~2,565 lb/yd³ at 95 lb/ft³), pea gravel just above (~2,592 lb/yd³ at 96 lb/ft³), #57 angular clean stone in the middle (~2,700 lb/yd³ at 100 lb/ft³), and crusher-run road base at the high end (~3,105 lb/yd³ at 115 lb/ft³ loose, denser still after compaction). Wet loads run 10-15% heavier — moisture sits in the void space between aggregate pieces and adds real weight on the ticket.
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
1.28 to 1.55 tons per cubic yard dry. The math is density × 27 ft³ per yard ÷ 2000 lb per ton. By type: pea gravel 1.30 tons/yd³, #57 clean 1.35, crusher-run loose 1.55, decorative river rock 1.28. InchCalculator's published range of 1.4-1.7 tons/yd³ covers heavier dense-graded blends and wet loads; the SiteworkMath midpoint sits at the lower end because the engine uses dry loose density.
Why is crusher run heavier than pea gravel?
Because crusher run is a graded mix — coarse angular pieces with crushed fines that pack into the voids between them. Pea gravel is rounded and uniformly sized, so there's more empty space between pieces. Loose density measures the weight per cubic foot AS DELIVERED including the void space. Crusher run's voids are smaller; same volume holds more mineral mass. After compaction the difference is even larger because the fines fill in further. That's why crusher run is the standard subbase — the density itself is doing the load-bearing work.
Does the weight of gravel matter for how I order it?
Yes, in two places. The supplier ticket: aggregate yards bill by the ton, not the yard, and the per-ton price multiplied by the load weight should agree with the per-yard price multiplied by the load volume at the published density. If those numbers don't match, ask which is the actual billed unit. The other place is delivery: a residential half-ton pickup can technically haul 1 cubic yard of crusher run (3,100 lb is the upper end of a 1-ton truck's payload capacity) but you're at the load limit before you even get the tailgate up. Two yards needs a dedicated delivery truck or a properly rated trailer.
What's the difference between dry and wet gravel weight?
Wet gravel weighs 10-15% more than dry. The moisture sits in the void space between pieces and on each piece's surface; a soaked crusher-run load that loaded dry at 115 lb/ft³ might leave the yard at 130 lb/ft³. The supplier's published density is for the dry-loose state, so a wet ticket can show more tons than your cubic-yard math predicts. That's not a billing error — it's the moisture you're paying for. On a long delivery in rain, the load drains in transit and the tonnage ticks down; the in-yard scale-weight is the honest one.
What I'd do next
- How much area a ton covers
Reverse the math when the supplier quotes per-ton: cubic feet of coverage at a given depth.
- Run your job through the calculator
Yards + tons + cushion + supplier minimum, all in one output.
- The volume math from the start
Length × width × depth, divided by 27.
- 1. InchCalculator — Gravel Calculator for the published 1.4-1.7 tons/yd³ industry range and the “How to Account for Overage and Compaction” framing on density variance. ↩
By James Wu. Per-type loose bulk densities (pea 96, #57 clean 100, crusher run 115, decorative 95 lb/ft³) are midpoints from supplier spec sheets cross-checked against Omnicalculator (105 lb/ft³ default) and InchCalculator (1.4-1.7 tons/yd³ range). Wet-load uplift (10-15%) reflects supplier practice on hosed-down or rain-loaded stockpiles. Compaction-loss range from NRCS Construction Specification 423 — Earthfill and Gravel Fill. Engine logic in lib/sitework/gravel.ts. Truck-payload guidance is general advice — for any commercial hauling consult your truck's door-jamb GVWR sticker and your insurance carrier. Full methodology.