What is the density of gravel per cubic yard?

Common dry gravel weighs 1.42 US tons per cubic yard loose (2,830 lb, from 105 lb/ft³ × 27). Across the database the range runs from lava rock at 0.67 t/yd³ to compacted crusher run at 1.89 t/yd³ — which is why ordering from a generic figure instead of your material's row can miss by 30% or more.

Should I use the loose or compacted density?

Use loose density to convert an order into delivered tons — that is the state the truck weighs. Use compacted density to work out how much stone a finished, rolled layer contains. For a compacted base, run the math both ways: in-place volume × compacted density gives the tons you must order loose.

Which aggregate is heaviest, and which is lightest?

Compacted crusher run tops the database at 2,240 kg/m³ (140 lb/ft³) because its fines fill every void; crushed trap rock is the densest clean stone at 1,700 kg/m³ loose. Lava rock is the lightest at 800 kg/m³ — half the weight of common gravel, so a ton covers roughly twice the area.

How accurate are these values for my local quarry?

Treat them as typical estimating values, accurate within about ±5% for most sources. Parent-rock specific gravity, particle shape and gradation all shift the number, so any quarry that runs ASTM C29 tests can hand you a certified bulk density for the exact product you are buying — worth requesting on large orders.

Why do sand and screenings compact so much more than clean stone?

Fine particles can rearrange into the voids between larger ones. Stone dust gains about 13% from loose to compacted (1,600 to 1,810 kg/m³), while uniform clean stone like #57 gains only about 9% — its single-size particles bridge against each other and leave the voids open.

Gravel · Reference Database

Gravel density database

Thirty aggregates, each with loose and compacted bulk density in lb/ft³, kg/m³ and US tons per cubic yard. Every value traces to ASTM C29 typical figures and stays consistent across this site's calculators and charts.

30
aggregates listed: 105 lb/ft³
common gravel, loose: 1.42
tons per yd³, loose: +8–13%
typical compaction gain

Contents

1.The density database
2.How density is measured: ASTM C29
3.Loose vs compacted unit weight
4.Moisture and scale weight

The density database

Loose values are material as it leaves the truck; compacted values approximate a rodded or rolled layer. Tons per cubic yard are US short tons, derived from the loose figure.

Gravel & rounded stone

Material	Looselb/ft³	Compactedlb/ft³	Loosekg/m³	Compactedkg/m³	Looset/yd³
Pea gravel (3/8 in, rounded)Rounded particles barely interlock — pours and flows	96	103	1,540	1,650	1.3
Common gravel, dryThe 105 lb/ft³ / 1.42 t/yd³ estimating standard	105	115	1,680	1,850	1.42
Gravel, wetMoisture adds 10–15% to scale weight, not volume	120	—	1,920	—	1.62
River rock, 1–3 in	100	105	1,600	1,680	1.35
Bank run (sand & gravel mix)Pit-run blend; gradation varies by deposit	112	125	1,800	2,000	1.52
Riprap, 3–8 in (placed)Large voids between stones — placed, not compacted	94	—	1,500	—	1.26

Crushed stone by size number

Material	Looselb/ft³	Compactedlb/ft³	Loosekg/m³	Compactedkg/m³	Looset/yd³
Crushed stone #1 (1.5–3.5 in)Machine-placed; too large to rake	95	102	1,520	1,630	1.28
Crushed stone #2 (1.5–2.5 in)	100	106	1,600	1,700	1.35
Crushed stone #3 (1–2 in)	98	105	1,570	1,680	1.32
Crushed stone #357 (No. 4–2 in)Graded blend — packs tighter than single sizes	99	107	1,580	1,720	1.33
Crushed stone #5 (1/2–1 in)	99	107	1,590	1,710	1.34
Crushed stone #57 (No. 4–1 in)The most-ordered size in North America	100	109	1,600	1,750	1.35
Crushed stone #67 (No. 4–3/4 in)	100	109	1,600	1,740	1.35
Crushed stone #8 (3/8 in chip)	97	105	1,550	1,680	1.31
Crushed stone #89 (fine chip)	97	104	1,550	1,670	1.31
Stone dust / #10 screeningsFines pack hard — highest compaction gain	100	113	1,600	1,810	1.35
Crusher run / road base140 lb/ft³ compacted — matches DGA under asphalt	125	140	2,000	2,240	1.69

By rock type

Material	Looselb/ft³	Compactedlb/ft³	Loosekg/m³	Compactedkg/m³	Looset/yd³
Crushed limestone	97	106	1,550	1,700	1.31
Crushed granite	103	112	1,650	1,800	1.39
Decomposed graniteFines bind when watered and rolled	100	119	1,600	1,900	1.35
Crushed trap rock (basalt)Densest common quarry rock	106	117	1,700	1,870	1.43
Ballast / railway stone	97	103	1,550	1,650	1.31

Sand & fines

Material	Looselb/ft³	Compactedlb/ft³	Loosekg/m³	Compactedkg/m³	Looset/yd³
Concrete sand (coarse, dry)	100	109	1,600	1,750	1.35
Masonry sand (fine, dry)	95	102	1,520	1,630	1.28
Sand, wetBulking peaks near 5% moisture, then packs	119	—	1,900	—	1.6

Specialty, decorative & recycled

Material	Looselb/ft³	Compactedlb/ft³	Loosekg/m³	Compactedkg/m³	Looset/yd³
Marble chips	95	101	1,520	1,620	1.28
Lava rockHalf the weight of gravel — double the coverage per ton	50	55	800	880	0.67
Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA)Residual mortar makes it lighter than virgin stone	91	103	1,450	1,650	1.22
Asphalt millingsBinder re-knits under rolling — see the asphalt cluster	103	122	1,650	1,950	1.39
Blast-furnace slag, air-cooledVesicular byproduct aggregate	87	97	1,400	1,550	1.18

Need only the everyday types? The condensed gravel density chart covers the ten materials behind most residential orders, and the gravel weight chart restates these densities as pounds per yard, foot and meter.

How density is measured: ASTM C29

Every figure above is a bulk density — stone plus the air between particles — measured by a standardized fill-and-weigh procedure.

ASTM C29 fills a rigid container of known volume and weighs it two ways. For the loose condition, aggregate is discharged from a shovel or scoop with no consolidation — mirroring a stockpile or truck bed. For the rodded (compacted) condition, the container is filled in three layers, each consolidated with 25 strokes of a tamping rod — approximating a placed, compacted lift. Bulk density is simply net mass divided by container volume; the same test also yields the void content between particles.

Formula

Bulk density = (Mass of aggregate + container − container) ÷ container volume

Mass: Weighed on a calibrated scale (lb or kg)
Volume: Rigid calibrated measure (ft³ or m³)

Bulk density includes inter-particle voids — it is always lower than the solid rock's specific-gravity density (typically 2,600–2,900 kg/m³ for quarry rock).

Loose vs compacted unit weight

Compaction closes the air voids between particles, so the same volume holds more stone. How much more depends on gradation: well-graded blends with fines gain the most (crusher run +12%, stone dust +13%) because small particles fill the gaps between large ones; clean single-size stone gains the least (#57 about +9%); rounded pea gravel and river rock gain only 5–7% because smooth particles cannot interlock.

Moisture and scale weight

Density database questions

What is the density of gravel per cubic yard?: Common dry gravel weighs 1.42 US tons per cubic yard loose (2,830 lb, from 105 lb/ft³ × 27). Across the database the range runs from lava rock at 0.67 t/yd³ to compacted crusher run at 1.89 t/yd³ — which is why ordering from a generic figure instead of your material's row can miss by 30% or more.
Should I use the loose or compacted density?: Use loose density to convert an order into delivered tons — that is the state the truck weighs. Use compacted density to work out how much stone a finished, rolled layer contains. For a compacted base, run the math both ways: in-place volume × compacted density gives the tons you must order loose.
Which aggregate is heaviest, and which is lightest?: Compacted crusher run tops the database at 2,240 kg/m³ (140 lb/ft³) because its fines fill every void; crushed trap rock is the densest clean stone at 1,700 kg/m³ loose. Lava rock is the lightest at 800 kg/m³ — half the weight of common gravel, so a ton covers roughly twice the area.
How accurate are these values for my local quarry?: Treat them as typical estimating values, accurate within about ±5% for most sources. Parent-rock specific gravity, particle shape and gradation all shift the number, so any quarry that runs ASTM C29 tests can hand you a certified bulk density for the exact product you are buying — worth requesting on large orders.
Why do sand and screenings compact so much more than clean stone?: Fine particles can rearrange into the voids between larger ones. Stone dust gains about 13% from loose to compacted (1,600 to 1,810 kg/m³), while uniform clean stone like #57 gains only about 9% — its single-size particles bridge against each other and leave the voids open.

Related references

Sources & references

[1]ASTM C29/C29M: Bulk Density (Unit Weight) and Voids in Aggregate — ASTM International, 2017
[2]ASTM D448: Standard Classification for Sizes of Aggregate — ASTM International, 2017
[3]The Aggregates Handbook, 2nd ed. — National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, 2013
[4]Crushed Stone and Sand & Gravel Statistics and Information — US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2025