Tonnage
Tonnage is the weight of bulk material sold by the ton rather than by volume. In the United States a ton is a 2,000-pound short ton. Heavy, dense materials such as gravel, sand, and crushed stone are usually priced and delivered by tonnage because weight stays more consistent than a loosely heaped cubic-yard measure.
Why some materials sell by the ton
Dense aggregates compact and settle, so a “heaping” cubic yard is hard to measure consistently at the loader bucket. Weight does not lie: a truck crossing a certified scale produces an exact, auditable number. That is why gravel, crushed stone, sand, and riprap are typically sold by the ton, while light, airy materials like bark mulch stay on volume pricing. Selling by tonnage also matches how quarries and pits buy and stock their inventory.
Short tons, long tons, and metric tonnes
In U.S. bulk-material sales, “ton” almost always means the short ton of 2,000 pounds. Be careful with two look-alikes: the long ton (2,240 lbs, mostly British) and the metric tonne (1,000 kg ≈ 2,205 lbs). A quote in “tonnes” from an overseas or scientific source is about 10% heavier than a U.S. short ton, so always confirm which unit a price refers to before comparing.
Converting tons to cubic yards
Customers usually think in area and depth (cubic yards) while the yard prices by weight (tons). Bridge the two with the material’s bulk density:
tons = cubic yards × (tons per cubic yard)
For example, 5 cubic yards of gravel at ~1.45 tons/yd³ is about 7.25 tons. Getting this conversion wrong is a common source of short deliveries and billing disputes, so many yards store a density per product and let software do the math on every quote.
Typical densities (tons per cubic yard)
As rough planning figures: bark mulch ≈ 0.4 to 0.5, screened topsoil ≈ 1.0 to 1.2, sand ≈ 1.3 to 1.4, pea gravel and crushed stone ≈ 1.4 to 1.5, and wet or clay-heavy soil can exceed 1.5. Actual weight shifts with moisture, so a rain-soaked load can weigh noticeably more than the same volume dry, one reason weight-based sales are metered at the scale on the day of delivery.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How many pounds are in a ton?+
A U.S. short ton is 2,000 pounds. Watch for the long ton (2,240 lbs) and the metric tonne (about 2,205 lbs), which are different units.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?+
Gravel weighs roughly 1.4 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so one ton of gravel is only about 0.67 to 0.71 cubic yards. Lighter materials give you more volume per ton.
Should I order by the ton or the cubic yard?+
Follow how the yard prices the product. Heavy aggregates are usually priced by the ton; mulch and compost by the cubic yard. Convert with bulk density if you need to compare.