One cubic yard of stone is a 3 × 3 × 3 ft cube — 27 cubic feet — weighing about 1.5 tons for typical crushed stone. Multiply length × width × depth in feet and divide by 27: a 15 × 12 ft patio at 3 inches deep comes to about 1.67 cubic yards, so order 2 yards.
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Stone Yard Calculator Guide
The cubic yard is the native unit of the bulk stone business. Loaders are rated in yards, stockpiles are tracked in yards, and when you call a supply yard the first question is “how many yards?” — even if the invoice ultimately prints tons. This calculator is built around that unit: it turns feet-and-inches measurements into cubic yards first, then translates to tons for the materials that sell by weight.
Getting comfortable with the yard as a quantity makes every conversation easier. It is 27 cubic feet — a 3-foot cube — and at the common 3-inch landscaping depth, one yard blankets 108 square feet. Two or three reference points like that let you sanity-check any quote on the spot.
How Much Does a Cubic Yard of Stone Weigh?
Volume is constant; weight is not. The same one-yard bucket scoop can weigh anywhere from 1,300 to 3,300 lb depending on what it holds:
| Material | Tons per yd³ | Pounds per yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| Riprap | 1.65 | 3,300 |
| Crusher run | 1.55 | 3,100 |
| Crushed stone / river rock / sand | 1.50 | 3,000 |
| #57 stone | 1.45 | 2,900 |
| Gravel | 1.40 | 2,800 |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 | 2,700 |
| Lava rock | 0.65 | 1,300 |
Hauling and Delivery: What a Yard Means in Practice
- Half-ton pickup: despite the bed size, weight limits you to about a third of a yard of stone per trip.
- Full-size pickup or small trailer: roughly half a yard safely; check your payload and tongue ratings.
- Single-axle dump truck: typically hauls 4–6 yards of stone — the usual residential delivery.
- Tri-axle dump truck: carries on the order of 10–14 yards of stone; the economical choice for driveways.
- Dump clearance: a raised dump bed needs 12–14 feet of overhead clearance — flag wires and branches before the truck arrives.
When your supplier quotes by weight instead, the conversion is one multiplication away — the cubic yards to tons calculator handles it per material. And if you are starting from a known pile of material rather than a measured area, the stone coverage calculator works the problem in reverse.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a cubic yard of stone?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet — picture a cube 3 feet on every side, or a pile that covers 108 square feet at 3 inches deep. Dumped loose it forms a mound roughly 5–6 feet across and 2–3 feet tall.
How many tons is a yard of stone?
Between 1.35 and 1.65 US tons for common materials: crushed stone is about 1.5, gravel 1.4, crusher run 1.55, and riprap 1.65 tons per cubic yard. Lightweight lava rock is the outlier at just 0.65 tons per yard.
Can a pickup truck carry a yard of stone?
Usually not. A yard of crushed stone weighs around 3,000 lb, which exceeds the payload of a half-ton pickup. Plan on hauling a third to a half yard per trip in a full-size truck, or have the supplier deliver.
Should I round my order up to a whole yard?
Most yards sell bulk stone in half-yard increments, so round up to the next half yard at minimum. The small extra costs far less than a return trip, and leftover stone always finds a use in low spots and edges.