Reference
Material weights and densities
What landscape materials weigh, by the yard, the cubic foot, the bag and the pallet. Use it to convert volume to tons and to decide what your vehicle can carry.
Weight matters twice on a garden project. Stone and sand are sold by the ton, so you need a density to turn your volume into an order. And everything has to be moved, so you need to know what a load weighs before it goes into a vehicle or a wheelbarrow.
The figures below are ranges, and they are ranges for a reason. Moisture, particle size and how tightly a material is packed all change its weight. Use the low end for dry, loose material and the high end for wet. When safety is the question, as it is with hauling, always plan on the high end.
Loose bulk materials
| Material | lb per cubic yard | lb per cubic foot | US tons per cubic yard | kg per cubic meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood chips, bark mulch | 400 to 800 | 15 to 30 | 0.2 to 0.4 | 240 to 475 |
| Straw, loose | 50 to 100 | 2 to 4 | under 0.05 | 30 to 60 |
| Compost | 1,000 to 1,600 | 37 to 59 | 0.5 to 0.8 | 590 to 950 |
| Peat moss, loose and dry | 200 to 400 | 7 to 15 | 0.1 to 0.2 | 120 to 240 |
| Garden soil blend | 1,400 to 2,200 | 52 to 81 | 0.7 to 1.1 | 830 to 1,300 |
| Topsoil | 2,000 to 2,700 | 74 to 100 | 1.0 to 1.35 | 1,190 to 1,600 |
| Clay, wet | 2,800 to 3,200 | 104 to 119 | 1.4 to 1.6 | 1,660 to 1,900 |
| Sand | 2,600 to 3,000 | 96 to 111 | 1.3 to 1.5 | 1,540 to 1,780 |
| Pea gravel | 2,500 to 2,800 | 93 to 104 | 1.25 to 1.4 | 1,480 to 1,660 |
| River rock | 2,500 to 2,800 | 93 to 104 | 1.25 to 1.4 | 1,480 to 1,660 |
| Crushed stone | 2,600 to 2,900 | 96 to 107 | 1.3 to 1.45 | 1,540 to 1,720 |
| Crusher run, road base | 2,700 to 3,000 | 100 to 111 | 1.35 to 1.5 | 1,600 to 1,780 |
| Decomposed granite | 2,800 to 3,000 | 104 to 111 | 1.4 to 1.5 | 1,660 to 1,780 |
| Lava rock | 1,200 to 1,500 | 44 to 56 | 0.6 to 0.75 | 710 to 890 |
The densities the calculators use
Where a calculator has to pick one number, it uses these. They sit in the middle of the ranges above. The gravel calculator lets you replace them with your supplier’s figure.
| Material | lb per cubic yard | US tons per cubic yard | kg per cubic meter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone or gravel | 2,700 | 1.35 | 1,600 |
| Pea gravel, river rock | 2,600 | 1.30 | 1,540 |
| Decomposed granite | 2,900 | 1.45 | 1,720 |
| Crusher run, paver base | 2,800 | 1.40 | 1,660 |
| Sand, bedding sand | 2,700 | 1.35 | 1,600 |
| Lava rock | 1,300 | 0.65 | 770 |
Mulch, soil and compost are sold by volume, so the calculators do not need a single density for them. They show a weight range for hauling only.
Concrete
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Wet concrete | About 150 lb per cu ft, 4,050 lb per cu yd, 2,400 kg per m³ |
| Cured concrete | About 145 lb per cu ft |
| Slab, 4 in thick | About 50 lb per sq ft |
| One cubic yard in 80 lb bags | 45 bags, 3,600 lb dry |
Typical bag weights
Bags of soil and mulch are labeled by volume, and their weight depends on how damp the contents are. These are common figures.
| Bag | Typical weight |
|---|---|
| Mulch, 2 cu ft | 20 to 40 lb |
| Mulch, 3 cu ft | 30 to 55 lb |
| Compost or manure, 1 cu ft | 40 to 55 lb |
| Topsoil, 0.75 cu ft | About 40 lb |
| Raised bed or garden soil, 1.5 cu ft | 35 to 60 lb |
| Peat moss, 3 cu ft compressed bale | 40 to 60 lb |
| Perlite, 2 cu ft | 8 to 15 lb |
| Gravel, sand or stone, 0.5 cu ft | 50 lb |
| Concrete mix | 40, 50, 60 or 80 lb, as labeled |
| Polymeric or jointing sand | 40 to 50 lb |
Sod, pavers and block
| Item | Typical weight |
|---|---|
| Sod roll, 10 sq ft | 30 to 45 lb, more when wet |
| Pallet of sod, 450 sq ft | 1,500 to 3,000 lb |
| Concrete paver, 4 × 8 in, 2⅜ in thick | About 6 lb |
| Pavers, per square foot at 2⅜ in thick | About 27 lb |
| Pallet of pavers | 2,500 to 3,500 lb |
| Garden wall block, 12 × 4 in face | 20 to 30 lb |
| Retaining wall block, 16 × 6 in face | 50 to 80 lb |
| Standard concrete block, 8 × 8 × 16 in | 30 to 38 lb |
Wall block weights vary a great deal between products. The maker’s sheet gives the exact figure, and it is worth checking before you plan to carry 170 of them.
Lumber
Wood weight depends on species and, above all, on how wet it is. Freshly treated lumber can weigh half as much again as the same board once dry.
| Board, 8 ft long | Dry | Wet from treatment |
|---|---|---|
| 2 × 4 | 9 to 11 lb | 13 to 17 lb |
| 2 × 6 | 14 to 17 lb | 20 to 26 lb |
| 5/4 × 6 deck board | 10 to 12 lb | 14 to 18 lb |
| 4 × 4 post | 22 to 26 lb | 32 to 40 lb |
| 6 × 6 post | 55 to 65 lb | 80 to 100 lb |
Water
Much of the variation above is water, so it helps to know what water weighs.
| Volume | Weight |
|---|---|
| One US gallon | 8.34 lb |
| One cubic foot | 62.4 lb |
| One liter | 1 kg |
| One cubic meter | 1,000 kg |
A cubic yard of dry topsoil that soaks up 20 gallons of rain has gained 167 pounds. A pile left out in a wet week can gain several times that.
Using these numbers
To convert a volume to tons: multiply cubic yards by tons per cubic yard. Two and a half cubic yards of crushed stone at 1.35 is 3.4 tons.
To check a load: multiply the volume by the high end of the range, and compare the result with the payload on your vehicle’s door sticker, less the weight of the people in it. Our guide to hauling materials safely works through examples.
To check a delivery: suppliers who sell by the ton will give you a weigh ticket. Divide the tons by your volume in cubic yards. If the answer falls well outside the range in the table, ask why.
Tables last reviewed October 4, 2026. Ranges are typical published values for common landscape materials. Your supplier’s own figure, where they give one, is the better number to use.