Material Weight Chart — lb per Cubic Yard
Weights in ranges with the state labeled — because a weight without a state label (bank vs loose) is a guess — the same yard of dirt weighs ~25% less in the truck than in the ground. Values compile the Caterpillar handbook and DOT research lineages; moisture swings any soil row by hundreds of pounds, and your scale tickets are the site truth.
Weights by material and state
| Material | Loose (lb/LCY) | Bank (lb/BCY) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand, dry | 2,400–2,620 | 2,700–3,080 | — |
| Sand, wet | 3,100–3,190 | ~3,500 | The state-label trap: circulating "3,200–3,400" mixes loose and bank |
| Gravel, dry | 2,550–2,970 | 2,850–3,200 | — |
| Gravel, wet | 3,350–3,400 | 3,530–3,800 | — |
| Sand & gravel, dry | ~2,900 | ~3,250 | Thin data — single primary lineage |
| Common earth | 1,900–2,550 | 2,600–3,400 | Moisture moves this more than any soil property |
| Loam | 2,100–2,250 | ~2,600 | — |
| Topsoil | ~1,600 | 2,300–2,430 | — |
| Clay, dry | 2,380–2,500 | 3,100–3,220 | — |
| Clay, wet | 2,800–2,970 | 3,350–3,500 | — |
| Silt / silty clay | 2,130–2,380 | 2,890–3,240 | — |
| Rock, blasted — limestone | 2,600–2,700 | 4,370–4,400 | Tightest agreement in the dataset |
| Rock, blasted — granite/basalt | 2,640–3,300 | 4,500–5,000 | — |
| Sandstone | 2,520–2,550 | 4,070–4,250 | — |
| Crushed stone | ~2,700 | ~4,500 (ledge) | — |
| Asphalt pavement | ~1,940 broken (single lineage) | 3,240–4,050 (120–150 pcf by era) | Unlabeled "asphalt 2,700" figures are the classic state-mislabel |
| Concrete, solid (demo) | ~2,350–2,600 broken (derived) | 3,900–4,200 | — |
| Water | — | 1,685 (62.4 pcf × 27) | — |
Weights are the other half of every haul
Volume math says how many yards; weight math says whether they're legal. The two meet on the truck capacity chart (where payload governs before the box fills) and convert through the swell factors — the loose and bank columns here differ by exactly that factor. For demo work, the concrete and asphalt rows price the dumpsters; for dewatering, the water row (1,685 lb/CY) is why a full trench is heavier than it looks.
Common questions
How much does a cubic yard of dirt weigh?
In the truck (loose): common earth runs 1,900–2,550 lb dry, clay 2,400–3,000, wet sand over 3,100. In the ground (bank), add roughly a quarter — the same earth is 2,600–3,400 lb per bank yard. Any answer without the state label is a guess, and moisture moves the number more than the material type does.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
Loose and dry: 2,550–2,970 lb — call it 1.4 tons. Wet gravel jumps to ~3,400, which is why the same tandem hauls fewer yards after rain. Crushed stone runs ~2,700 loose, and the numbers convert straight into truckloads on the truck capacity chart: a 14-ton payload carries about 10 loose yards of dry gravel.
How much does blasted rock weigh?
By rock type — the one-number answer fails here. Loose blasted limestone runs ~2,600–2,700 lb/CY against a 4,400 lb bank yard; granite and basalt bank at 4,500–5,000. The gap between those columns is the swell factor wearing pounds, and it is why rock hauls price so differently from earth.
Run your whole job on the same numbers
These NORDIX tools are a taste of the full platform — bid pipeline, estimating, and job costing that carry your numbers from the first bid to the final invoice. Our team sets it up for your shop and walks you through your next real job.
Request access →