Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator
Convert soil volume to weight in either direction. Typical excavated soil weighs about 1.4 to 1.6 tons per cubic yard in the ground, and swells 12-35% once dug.
Truck loads
Volume-limited: 1 load by weight, 2 by volume. Plan 2 trucks.
Soil is dug by the yard but hauled and disposed of by the ton. Disposal facilities weigh trucks on certified scales, and highway limits cap what each truck can legally carry. A 10-yard dump bed filled level with excavated soil is often over legal payload before the bed is full, which is why the load count above checks both constraints.
| Bank volume | US tons | Loose cy (hauled) | Tri-axle loads (16 t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cy | 1.49 | 1.3 | 1 |
| 5 cy | 7.43 | 6.3 | 1 |
| 10 cy | 14.85 | 12.5 | 2 |
| 20 cy | 29.70 | 25.0 | 3 |
| 50 cy | 74.25 | 62.5 | 6 |
| 100 cy | 148.50 | 125.0 | 11 |
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Soil is dug by the yard but disposed of by the ton. An excavator bucket and a takeoff sheet measure volume; the scale house at the disposal facility, the DOT officer at the weigh station, and the line items on a hauling invoice all measure weight. This calculator converts between the two in either direction: enter a volume and get tonnage, or enter a scale-ticket tonnage and get the yardage it represents.
Three groups of people need this number. Excavation contractors sizing haul-off need to know how many truckloads a pit becomes before they quote it. Buyers of remediation work pricing contaminated-soil disposal need tonnage, because licensed facilities charge by the ton, not the yard. And property owners looking at a tank-removal quote can sanity-check the soil line item by running the same numbers the contractor did.
How the math works
The core conversion is volume times density. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so a material at 110 pounds per cubic foot weighs 2,970 pounds per bank cubic yard, which is 1.49 US tons. Ten bank yards of that soil is 14.85 tons.
Tons to cubic yards: converting a scale ticket back to volume
The reverse direction divides instead: a 20-ton scale ticket at the same density represents about 13.5 bank cubic yards. Enter the weight in the calculator's weight field and the volume side computes automatically, in bank, loose, and compacted cubic yards. This is how you audit a hauling invoice: take the certified scale weight, divide by the material's tons-per-yard figure, and compare the yardage to what the trucks were billed to carry.
The complication that trips up estimates is soil state. In the ground, soil is compacted by years of overburden. Break it loose with a bucket and the same mass occupies more volume: clay swells about 35 percent, sand and gravel about 12 percent, mixed soils about 20 to 25 percent. Re-compact it as fill and it lands about 10 percent below bank volume. Mass never changes across these states, which is why the calculator carries all three volumes and one weight. Trucks fill up on loose yards; scales and disposal invoices see tons.
The tank-pit presets work backwards from standard tank dimensions. A 1,000 gallon tank is about 4 feet in diameter and 10.7 feet long; add two feet of working room on each side and below, and the removal pit works out to roughly 35 bank cubic yards. If you have actual pit dimensions, the soil excavation calculator computes the exact volume and feeds the same conversion.
What this estimate doesn't account for
Moisture is the biggest swing. The same soil can vary 15 to 20 percent in density between dry and saturated, which is why the presets carry separate dry and wet entries. After heavy rain, use the wet figure or a custom density; a stockpile that has drained for a week sits somewhere between.
Debris mix moves the number in both directions. Tank-pit spoil is rarely clean soil; concrete chunks, asphalt, pea gravel backfill, and old pipe all ride along. A load with significant concrete runs heavier than any soil preset, and a load fluffed up with organic topsoil runs lighter.
The scale ticket is the authority. Every figure here is an estimate for planning and quote-checking; the certified scale at the receiving facility decides what you actually pay. Expect real project totals to land within about 10 percent of a careful estimate, not on it.
Disposal pricing for contaminated soil varies widely by state and facility. The $50-$200 per ton band covers most petroleum-contaminated soil taken to licensed facilities, but thermal treatment, long hauls to the nearest permitted site, and high-concentration material can push past it. Get facility quotes in writing before committing to a disposal budget.
How much does a cubic yard weigh, by material?
Bank (in-ground) densities for the materials the calculator supports. Multiply tons per cubic yard by your bank yardage for a quick estimate, and remember the swell column when counting truck loads: the same weight occupies that much more volume once excavated.
| Material | lb/ft³ (bank) | lbs / cubic yard | US tons / cubic yard | Swell (loose) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill dirt (dry) | 105 | 2,835 | 1.42 | +20% |
| Fill dirt (wet) | 120 | 3,240 | 1.62 | +20% |
| Topsoil | 100 | 2,700 | 1.35 | +20% |
| Clay (dry) | 100 | 2,700 | 1.35 | +35% |
| Clay (wet) | 110 | 2,970 | 1.49 | +35% |
| Sand (dry) | 100 | 2,700 | 1.35 | +12% |
| Sand (wet) | 120 | 3,240 | 1.62 | +12% |
| Gravel | 105 | 2,835 | 1.42 | +12% |
| Crushed stone | 100 | 2,700 | 1.35 | +12% |
| Mixed excavated soil | 110 | 2,970 | 1.49 | +25% |
| Concrete debris | 140 | 3,780 | 1.89 | +20% |
Tons per truck, by truck class
Federal weight rules cap what a dump truck can legally carry; whether the bed fills or the scale limits the load depends on the material, and the heavy, wet ones weight-out first. GVWR is the maximum loaded vehicle weight; payload is what is left for cargo after the truck's own weight. State limits on non-Interstate roads can be lower, and axle-group rules bind separately.
| Truck class | GVWR (lbs) | Typical payload (tons) | Bed capacity (loose cy) | Soil the payload allows* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-axle dump (Class 6) | 26,000 | 7 | 5-6 | 5.9 loose cy |
| Tandem-axle dump (Class 7) | 33,000 | 9 | 8-10 | 7.6 loose cy |
| Tri-axle dump (Class 8) | 54,000-64,000 | 16 | 10-12 | 13.5 loose cy |
| Quad-axle dump | 66,000-73,000 | 19 | 12-15 | 16.0 loose cy |
| Semi end dump / transfer | 80,000 | 23 | 15-16+ | 19.4 loose cy |
*Mixed excavated soil at 110 lb/ft³ bank density with 25% swell. Heavier or wetter material hits the weight limit at even lower volume.
Yards to tons quick chart (mixed excavated soil)
| Bank cubic yards | US tons | Loose cy hauled | Tri-axle loads (12 cy / 16 t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cy | 1.49 | 1.3 | 1 |
| 5 cy | 7.43 | 6.3 | 1 |
| 10 cy | 14.85 | 12.5 | 2 |
| 20 cy | 29.70 | 25.0 | 3 |
| 50 cy | 74.25 | 62.5 | 6 |
| 100 cy | 148.50 | 125.0 | 11 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tons are in a cubic yard of dirt?
A cubic yard of typical excavated soil weighs about 1.35 to 1.6 US tons in the ground. Mixed excavated soil at 110 pounds per cubic foot works out to 1.49 tons per bank cubic yard, dry fill dirt at 105 pounds per cubic foot is 1.42 tons, and wet sand or wet fill at 120 pounds per cubic foot reaches 1.62 tons. The honest answer is a range because moisture content and material type move the density; the calculator's material presets cover the common cases and accept a custom density when you have a measured figure.
How much does a cubic yard of dirt weigh?
Between roughly 2,700 and 3,240 pounds per bank cubic yard for common soils: topsoil around 2,700 pounds, dry fill dirt around 2,835, mixed excavated soil around 2,970, and wet fill dirt or wet sand around 3,240. Concrete debris is heavier at roughly 3,780 pounds per cubic yard. These are in-ground (bank) figures; the same material loosened by excavation spreads the identical weight across 12 to 35 percent more volume.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of soil?
Divide one by the material's tons-per-yard figure: at 1.49 tons per cubic yard for mixed excavated soil, one ton is about 0.67 bank cubic yards. For quick field math, a ton of typical soil is roughly two-thirds of a cubic yard in the ground, or about four-fifths of a loose cubic yard after excavation swell.
What is soil swell and why does it matter for hauling?
Swell is the volume increase when in-ground (bank) soil is broken up by excavation. Clay swells about 35 percent, sand and gravel about 12 percent, and mixed soils 20 to 25 percent. It matters because trucks fill up on loose volume while disposal facilities charge on weight: a 30 bank-yard excavation of clay becomes roughly 40 loose yards in truck beds, but it never gains a pound. Load counts that ignore swell run one or two trucks short on real projects.
How many cubic yards fit in a dump truck?
A single-axle dump truck carries 5 to 6 cubic yards, a tandem 8 to 10, a tri-axle 10 to 12, and a semi end dump 15 or more. Which limit you hit first depends on the material. Dry mixed soil runs about 1.19 tons per loose cubic yard, so a full 12-yard tri-axle bed weighs roughly 14.3 tons, inside a 16-ton payload: the bed fills first. Wet sand, wet fill dirt, and concrete debris are heavy enough to hit the payload limit before the bed is full; 16 tons of wet sand is only about 11 loose yards. The calculator checks both constraints and tells you which one binds.
How much does contaminated soil disposal cost?
Most petroleum-contaminated soil taken to a licensed treatment or disposal facility falls in the range of $50 to $200 per ton, including transport in many markets. Where a project lands in that range depends on the contamination concentration, the treatment method the facility uses, hauling distance, and state requirements. A 50-ton tank-pit excavation therefore carries a disposal budget of roughly $2,500 to $10,000. Facilities quote by the ton against certified scale weights, so tonnage, not yardage, is the number to pin down first.
Why is contaminated soil priced by the ton instead of the yard?
Because every truck that enters a licensed disposal or treatment facility crosses a certified scale, and the facility's own regulatory accounting is mass-based. Volume changes with handling: soil swells when dug and compacts when stockpiled, so the same load can measure different yardages at different points in its trip. Its weight never changes. Scale tickets are also the paper trail regulators expect on manifested waste, which makes the ton the billing unit end to end.
How many tons of soil come out of an oil tank removal?
Measured as total pit excavation, a residential 275 or 550 gallon removal moves roughly 17 to 24 bank cubic yards (about 25 to 35 tons), a 1,000 gallon pit around 35 bank yards (roughly 52 tons), and commercial 8,000 to 12,000 gallon pits 130 to 190 bank yards (200 to 285 tons). Most of that soil returns to the hole as backfill on a clean removal. The figure disposal budgets turn on is the impacted subset that actually leaves the site, typically 5 to 15 cubic yards (roughly 8 to 24 tons) on a residential job, per our contaminated soil disposal cost guide. When a quote cites tonnage, ask which figure it means: total-pit tonnage and disposal tonnage differ by an order of magnitude on a clean removal.
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
About 2,835 pounds, or 1.42 US tons, per cubic yard at a typical 105 pounds per cubic foot. Crushed stone runs slightly lighter at about 2,700 pounds per cubic yard because of the air voids between angular fragments. Both figures are for dry material; washed or rain-soaked aggregate carries extra water weight.
How do I convert tons to cubic yards?
Divide the tons by the material's tons-per-cubic-yard figure. Mixed excavated soil runs 1.49 tons per bank cubic yard, so a 20-ton scale ticket is 20 ÷ 1.49 = about 13.5 bank cubic yards, or roughly 16.8 loose cubic yards in the truck. Enter the weight side of the calculator above and it runs this division for any of the material presets or a custom density.
How much does a yard of concrete weigh?
Poured concrete weighs about 4,050 pounds per cubic yard, or 2.03 US tons, at a typical 150 pounds per cubic foot. That is solid, cured concrete, which sits outside this calculator's soil presets. For demolition loads of broken-up slab and footing, use the concrete debris preset instead: the rubble runs lighter at about 3,780 pounds per cubic yard because of the air between fragments.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
About 2,700 pounds, or 1.35 US tons, per cubic yard at a typical 100 pounds per cubic foot for screened topsoil with normal moisture. Saturated topsoil after heavy rain can run 10 to 20 percent heavier, and very dry, fluffy loads run lighter. The topsoil preset above uses the 100 lb/ft³ figure.
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
Dry sand weighs about 2,700 pounds (1.35 US tons) per cubic yard at 100 pounds per cubic foot; wet sand jumps to about 3,240 pounds (1.62 tons) at 120 pounds per cubic foot, because water fills the voids between grains. That 20 percent swing is why the calculator carries separate dry and wet sand presets.
What is the difference between bank, loose, and compacted cubic yards?
Bank cubic yards measure soil undisturbed in the ground, and they are what pit dimensions give you. Loose cubic yards measure the same soil after excavation has fluffed it up with air voids, 12 to 35 percent more volume depending on material, and they are what fills a truck bed. Compacted cubic yards measure soil re-placed and compacted as fill, about 10 percent less volume than bank. One mass, three volumes; estimates go wrong when a number in one state is used in a context that expects another.
Densities and swell factors were compiled by USTContractors.com from standard civil engineering and earthwork estimating references; values are typical bank figures for planning use. Last updated July 2026.
Authoritative references:
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