How Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh? (Tons per Yard Chart)

Dry 3/4 inch gravel weighs about 2,565 pounds per cubic yard. Soak the same yard, and it climbs to about 3,375 pounds, according to the EPA and NTEA figures in a public material weight chart. That 810-pound gap, close to half a ton, is the number to keep in mind before you order or haul.

So how much does a yard of gravel weigh? Plan on 1.28 to 1.69 tons (2,565 to 3,375 pounds) for 3/4 inch gravel, and about 1 to 1.6 tons for other common types.

The estimator below answers how much a yard of gravel weighs for any number of yards, in pounds, tons, and truck trips. To work out the yards first, use the cubic yard calculator.

How much does a yard of gravel weigh depends first on the stone. A yard of gravel always means a cubic yard, so these published figures also answer how much a cubic yard of gravel weighs, type by type:

• 3/4 inch gravel: 2,565 lb dry (1.28 tons), 3,375 lb wet (1.69 tons). EPA and NTEA chart.
• Gravel, 1/4 to 2 inch: about 2,840 lb (1.42 tons). New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division factor, adapted from the BLM Handbook for Mineral Examiners.
• Crushed stone, average: 2,700 lb (1.35 tons). EPA and NTEA chart.
• Crushed limestone: 2,565 lb (1.28 tons). EPA and NTEA chart.
• Rock, 2 to 6 inch: 3,200 lb (1.6 tons). EPA and NTEA chart.
• Base course: about 2,500 lb (1.25 tons). Pit run: about 3,240 lb (1.62 tons). New Mexico factors.

Tons here are US short tons of 2,000 pounds. The quarry, the gradation, and the moisture all move the figure, so your supplier’s scale ticket is the final word.

Pea Gravel and River Rock

Neither of the public charts above lists pea gravel or river rock, so these figures come from a supplier’s published sheet. How much does a yard of pea gravel weigh? Mulch Pros Landscape Supply in Georgia lists its pea gravel at 2,700 to 2,800 pounds per cubic yard. How much does a yard of river rock weigh? The same sheet lists its Tennessee river rock at 2,600 pounds. Both sit inside the range above, so the same planning numbers for how much a yard of gravel weighs work for them.

Crushed Stone and #57 Stone

The EPA and NTEA chart puts average crushed stone at 2,700 pounds per cubic yard, and Mulch Pros lists its #57 stone at the same 2,700. If you want one planning figure for how much a yard of gravel weighs in crushed form, 2,700 pounds (1.35 tons) is it.

Wet vs Dry Gravel Weight

Water is the biggest swing in how much does a yard of gravel weigh, because it fills the gaps between stones. On the EPA and NTEA chart, wet 3/4 inch gravel is 3,375 pounds per cubic yard against 2,565 dry, about 32 percent heavier. A pile that sat out in the rain, or washed stone that has not drained, lands somewhere between those two figures.

The difference matters most when weight is the limit: a trailer, a pickup or a deck. Use the wet figure when you plan a load. When you compare an order sold by the ton, ask which figure the supplier uses to convert tons to yards.

Turn the question around: once you know how much does a yard of gravel weigh, divide to get the yards in a ton. One ton is 2,000 pounds, so:

cubic yards per ton = 2,000 ÷ pounds per cubic yard

For 3/4 inch gravel, that gives 0.78 cubic yards per ton dry and 0.59 wet. At the 1.42-ton factor for 1/4 to 2-inch gravel, one ton is 0.70 cubic yards. So how many yards in a ton of gravel? A little under three-quarters of a yard for most gravel.

Tons to Yards for 5 and 10 Tons

Multiply by the tons. Using the dry and wet 3/4 inch figures, 5 tons of gravel is about 3.0 to 3.9 cubic yards, and 10 tons is about 5.9 to 7.8 cubic yards. The cubic yards to tons converter runs the same math both ways for sand, soil and other materials.

Most hauling mistakes happen here. A truck runs out of payload long before it runs out of bed space, so how much does a yard of gravel weigh decides how many trips you make. Federal rules require trucks up to 10,000 pounds GVWR to carry a placard on the driver’s side door pillar stating that “the combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed” a set number of pounds (49 CFR 571.110). That figure, minus everyone riding along, is your gravel budget.

Find your payload in the left column, then read across:

Round down, never up. If the table says 0.74, ask for half a yard per trip or split the order.

Two Yards of River Rock in a Half-Ton Truck

Say you want 2 cubic yards of river rock and drive a half-ton pickup. “Half ton” is a class name, not the payload, so read the placard. Suppose it says 1,800 pounds (an example; yours will differ) and you weigh 200 pounds. That leaves 1,600 pounds for stone:

1,600 ÷ 2,600 = 0.62 cubic yards per trip

Two yards would take four trips (2 ÷ 0.62 = 3.2, rounded up). By volume, the bed could take far more- about 2 cubic yards level in a full-size bed, as our guide to how big a cubic yard is shows- but the tires and springs would be carrying 5,200 pounds. At that point, paying for delivery starts to make sense.

Dump Truck Loads

On the Interstate System, federal law caps gross vehicle weight at 80,000 pounds, with 20,000 pounds per single axle and 34,000 per tandem (23 CFR 658.17). Gross weight includes the truck itself, and state limits on local roads differ, so the gravel any one truck carries is set by its own legal load. So how many tons of gravel in a dump truck? Whatever that truck’s legal payload is. Ask the supplier for the figure, then use the last two rows of the table: a truck allowed 10 tons of payload carries about 5.9 to 7.8 cubic yards of 3/4 inch gravel, and one allowed 15 tons carries about 8.9 to 11.7.

Coverage per ton follows from how much a yard of gravel weigh. One ton of 3/4 inch gravel is 0.59 to 0.78 cubic yards. A cubic yard spread 2 inches deep covers 162 square feet, so one ton covers about 96 to 126 square feet at 2 inches, or 64 to 84 square feet at 3 inches. For other depths, the square feet to cubic yards guide has the method.

How much does a yard of gravel weigh? Plan on about 1.4 tons; use the wet figure before you haul, and let the door placard, not the bed size, decide each load.