How Much Does a Yard of Concrete Weigh? About 2 Tons
How much does a yard of concrete weigh? Normal-weight concrete runs about 145 to 150 pounds per cubic foot, so one cubic yard weighs roughly 3,900 to 4,050 pounds. For planning, most people use 4,000 pounds, or about 2 tons. That figure matters more often than you might expect: it decides whether a trailer can carry a partial load, how many trips a tear-out takes, and what a landfill will charge for old slabs.
Concrete calculator →Concrete weight at a glance
| Material | Pounds per cubic foot | Pounds per cubic yard | Tons per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal-weight concrete, fresh | 145 to 150 | 3,900 to 4,050 | about 2.0 |
| Reinforced concrete | about 150 to 155 | 4,050 to 4,200 | about 2.0 to 2.1 |
| Lightweight structural concrete | 90 to 115 | 2,430 to 3,100 | 1.2 to 1.55 |
| Broken concrete rubble, loose | varies | about 2,400 to 3,000 | 1.2 to 1.5 |
The ranges come from the stone and sand in the mix. Mixes made with dense crushed stone weigh more than mixes made with lighter gravel. Lightweight concrete uses expanded shale, clay, or slate in place of some regular stone and is used where weight matters, such as upper floors.
Fresh vs cured weight
Fresh concrete carries water that is partly used up as the cement hydrates and partly evaporates over weeks and months. Cured concrete ends up a few pounds per cubic foot lighter than it was on pour day. For hauling and structural planning, the difference is small enough that 4,000 pounds per yard is still a fine working number.
Why broken concrete weighs less per yard
A cubic yard of solid slab and a cubic yard of broken chunks are not the same thing. Once a slab is broken, the pieces stack with air gaps between them, so a loose yard of rubble holds less concrete. Depending on the size of the pieces and how they settle, a loose yard often weighs around 2,400 to 3,000 pounds. That is why a 4-inch slab that measured 2 cubic yards in place may fill close to 3 yards of truck bed once it is broken up, while still weighing about 4 tons.
What a yard weighs in bags
An 80-pound bag of concrete mix makes about 0.6 cubic feet, so a full cubic yard takes about 45 bags. That is 3,600 pounds of dry mix, plus the water you add. Our bags of concrete per yard guide covers the counts for 40-, 60-, and 80-pound bags.
Hauling concrete: quick math
- Pickup trucks: a half-ton pickup is often rated for roughly 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of payload. That is half a yard of solid concrete or less. Check the door-jamb sticker.
- Utility trailers: many single-axle utility trailers carry around 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. Dense loads like concrete reach the weight limit long before the trailer looks full.
- Dump trucks: a single-axle dump truck may haul roughly 5 to 7 tons, and a tandem around 10 to 15, depending on the truck and local road limits.
Keep the load low and centered over the axle, and never pile broken concrete above the sides. Our guide to how much weight an asphalt driveway can hold is worth a look before parking a loaded truck on a residential drive.
Comparing concrete with other materials
Concrete is heavier per yard than most landscape materials. Dry sand runs about 2,600 to 2,800 pounds per yard and damp sand more; see how much a yard of sand weighs. Crushed stone is often 2,400 to 2,900 pounds per loose yard; see gravel weight per yard. Hot-mix asphalt, compacted, is close to concrete at roughly 3,900 to 4,000 pounds per cubic yard.
Questions people ask
How many pounds is a yard of concrete?
About 4,000 pounds for normal-weight concrete, with a typical range of roughly 3,900 to 4,050 pounds per cubic yard.
How many tons is a yard of concrete?
About 2 tons. Lightweight concrete runs closer to 1.2 to 1.55 tons per cubic yard.
Does concrete weigh less when it dries?
Slightly. Some water evaporates as it cures, so hardened concrete ends up a few pounds per cubic foot lighter than fresh concrete.
How much does a yard of broken concrete weigh?
A loose yard of rubble often weighs around 2,400 to 3,000 pounds because of the air gaps between pieces.
Can a pickup carry a yard of concrete?
Usually not safely. Most half-ton pickups are rated for about 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of payload, far less than a 4,000-pound yard.
Related guides
- How Much Does a Yard of Sand Weigh? Dry vs. Wet Tons
- How Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh? Tons per Yard by Stone Type
- How Many Bags of Concrete in a Yard? 40, 60, 80 lb
- How Much Weight Can an Asphalt Driveway Hold?
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