How much does a yard of concrete weigh?
A cubic yard of normal-weight concrete weighs about 3,915 pounds, or 1.96 tons, at 145 pounds per cubic foot. The usual range is 3,780 to 4,050 pounds (140–150 lb per cubic foot).
How to work it out
- 27 cu ft × 145 lb/cu ft = 3,915 lb (1.96 tons)
Think “two tons a yard” and you will be close enough for most planning. The exact figure depends on the stone, the air content and how much water is in the mix.
Adjust for your project
- Weight in short tons
- 1.96 tons
- Volume
- 1 cu yd (27 cu ft)
- Unit weight used
- 145 lb/cu ft (3,915 lb/cu yd)
- Over a ton. Check what will carry it — a trailer, a truck’s payload or a floor — before you plan the pour or the removal.
Weight by number of yards (145 lb/cu ft)
| Volume | Weight | Weight in short tons |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 cu yd | 979 lb | 0.49 tons |
| 0.5 cu yd | 1,958 lb | 0.98 tons |
| 1 cu yd | 3,915 lb | 1.96 tons |
| 2 cu yd | 7,830 lb | 3.92 tons |
| 5 cu yd | 19,575 lb | 9.79 tons |
| 10 cu yd | 39,150 lb | 19.58 tons |
Wet, dry or cured
Fresh concrete in the truck and hardened concrete in the slab weigh nearly the same; Iowa DOT’s 140–150 lb/cu ft range is measured on fresh concrete. The dry ingredients for a yard weigh a little less, which is why a yard of 80 lb bags comes to 3,600 lb before the roughly 280–420 lb of water goes in.
Air-entrained concrete, used where slabs freeze and thaw, sits at the lighter end because 5–8% of its volume is tiny air bubbles. Concrete made with dense stone sits at the heavier end.
What the weight means for you
A full 10-yard truck carries close to 20 tons of concrete, and NRMCA puts the loaded truck at about 80,000 lb, which is why drivers avoid lawns and thin drives. On the removal side, a 12 × 12 ft slab 4 in thick is 1.78 yards, roughly 7,000 lb of broken concrete — check the weight limit on any dumpster you rent. To see how many yards a slab is, start with how much concrete for a 12×12 slab; for smaller pieces, how much does a cubic foot of concrete weigh.
Different size? Use the full Concrete Weight Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Contractor wheelbarrowMid-range price
A 6 cu ft steel or poly tray with a pneumatic tire moves concrete from the mixer to the forms. Never load it to the brim with wet concrete.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Square-point shovelBudget price
Pushes and places concrete, and loads sand and gravel. The flat blade spreads a pour better than a round-point shovel.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Nitrile-coated work glovesBudget price
Wet concrete and mortar are caustic. Keep the cement off your skin with waterproof gloves, and wash off any that gets in.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a yard of bagged concrete mix weigh?
About 3,780 pounds at Quikrete’s 140 pounds per cubic foot for its mixed Concrete Mix.
How much do 10 yards of concrete weigh?
About 39,150 pounds, or 19.58 tons.
How much does half a yard of concrete weigh?
About 1,958 pounds at 145 pounds per cubic foot.
Other common sizes
- How much does a cubic foot of concrete weigh — About 145 lb (140–150 lb range)
- Concrete weight per square foot — 48.3 lb per sq ft at 4 in thick
- How much does a 4×4 concrete slab weigh — About 773 lb at 4 in thick
Sources
- Iowa DOT Instructional Memorandum 340 — Weight per cubic foot, yield and air content of concrete (opens in a new tab) — Normal-weight concrete is typically 140–150 lb per cu ft at 5 to 8 percent air.
- Quikrete Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Yields: 40 lb ≈ 0.30, 50 lb ≈ 0.375, 60 lb ≈ 0.45, 80 lb ≈ 0.60, 90 lb ≈ 0.675 cu ft; unit weight ≈ 140 lb/cu ft; for pours 2 in thick or more; 6–9 pints of water per 80 lb bag; control joints every 6–8 ft; cure 5 days at 70 °F or above, 7 days at 50–70 °F; protect from freezing for 48 hours.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 31 — Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete (opens in a new tab) — Truck mixers carry 8 to 12 cubic yards (about 6 to 9 m³); order 4–10% more than the plan estimate; a loaded truck weighs about 80,000 lb; fresh concrete can cause severe chemical burns.
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement (opens in a new tab) — 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet; 1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches.