Dump Truck Load Calculator
A tandem planned at 12 cubic yards and a 14-ton limit holds 14.00 tons of #57, which is 10.38 cubic yards, because the weight limit binds before the bed is full.
Last updated . #57 is 1,600 kg/m³, 1.35 short tons per cubic yard. Twelve yards at that density is 16.18 tons, which is over a 14-ton limit. These bed sizes and limits are planning assumptions, not legal payloads.
How many tons in a dump truck depends on the stone. The delivered load is the bed volume or the weight limit, whichever runs out first. The 304 page already gives the tandem band this preset sits in.
Bed volume or weight limit, whichever binds
Planning assumptions you can edit. Not a legal payload.
Each row is the default density on that material’s own page.
Load that fits
Delivered short tons
0.00
Delivered cubic yards
0.00
The load is the limit that binds
A full bed is bed yards × short tons per yard. The tons per yard come from the same density as the material page: #57 at 1,600 kg/m³ is 1.35, 304 at 1,920 is 1.62, and class 5 at 2,400 is 2.02. If that full-bed weight is under the weight limit, volume binds and you haul the whole bed. If it is over, weight binds and the yards are the limit divided by tons per yard.
The tandem default is a 12 cubic yard bed and a 14 short ton limit. Fourteen is the middle of the 12 to 16 ton tandem range on the 304 gravel page. At #57, 12 yards would weigh 16.18 tons, so the result is 14.00 tons and 10.38 yards. The line under the result says weight binds.
Presets at the #57 default
Change the two boxes if the hauler quotes different numbers. Switching a preset fills the boxes again. The semi row is only a starting assumption.
| Preset | Bed | Weight limit | #57 if the bed were full | What fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup | 2 yd³ | 1 ton | 2.70 tons | 1.00 ton, 0.74 yd³ |
| Single-axle | 6 yd³ | 6 tons | 8.09 tons | 6.00 tons, 4.45 yd³ |
| Tandem | 12 yd³ | 14 tons | 16.18 tons | 14.00 tons, 10.38 yd³ |
| Tri-axle | 16 yd³ | 19 tons | 21.58 tons | 19.00 tons, 14.09 yd³ |
| Semi | 22 yd³ | 22 tons | 29.67 tons | 22.00 tons, 16.32 yd³ |
The single-axle 6-ton limit sits in the 5 to 7 ton landscape-truck range from the 304 page. The tri-axle 19-ton limit sits in that page’s 16 to 22 ton range. At 304’s own density, the 14-ton tandem is 8.65 yards, which is the “about 7 to 10 yards” sentence on that page. Class 5 at 2.02 tons per yard cuts the same tandem to 6.92 yards. The class 5 calculator already notes that a heavy yard fills a truck sooner.
Worked example
Leave the preset on Tandem, the material on #57, the bed at 12, and the limit at 14. Delivered short tons read 14.00. Delivered cubic yards read 10.38. The note says the weight limit is reached first. The formula line shows that a full 12.00 yd³ bed would be 16.18 short tons. Choose Pickup and the lines read 1.00 ton and 0.74 yards, because 2 yards of #57 is 2.70 tons.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons are in a dump truck?
Whichever limit is smaller, the bed or the weight rating. These presets are planning assumptions you can edit, not a payload sticker. At the #57 default of 1,600 kg/m³, a tandem set to 12 cubic yards and 14 tons delivers 14.00 tons. Twelve yards of #57 would be 16.18 tons, so the bed is only 10.38 yards full when the truck hits 14 tons.
How many cubic yards are in a dump truck?
The tandem preset uses a 12 cubic yard bed. With #57, weight binds and the truck hauls 10.38 yards. Class 5 at this site’s 2,400 kg/m³ is heavier: the same 14-ton limit is 6.92 yards. 304 at 1,920 kg/m³ is 8.65 yards, inside the 7 to 10 yard band the 304 page gives for a 12 to 16 ton tandem.
How many tons of gravel fit in a pickup?
The pickup preset is a 2 cubic yard bed and a 1-ton limit. Two yards of #57 would be 2.70 tons, so the load is 1.00 ton and 0.74 cubic yards. A pickup’s remaining payload depends on the truck, the passengers, and the fuel. Change the weight limit to the number on your door sticker.
How many tons in a single-axle, tri-axle, or semi?
The single-axle preset is 6 cubic yards and 6 tons. With #57 that is 6.00 tons and 4.45 yards. The tri-axle preset is 16 cubic yards and 19 tons, the middle of the 16 to 22 ton band: 19.00 tons and 14.09 yards of #57. The semi preset is a planning assumption of 22 cubic yards and 22 tons: 22.00 tons and 16.32 yards of #57. End-dump trailers vary. Use the hauler’s numbers.
Which limit binds, volume or weight?
The tool computes the tons if the bed is filled, and the yards if the truck is loaded to the weight limit. The delivered load is the smaller of the two. For every preset on this page, with #57 at 1,600 kg/m³, the weight limit binds. A lighter material, or a small bed with a high rating, can fill the bed first. The result line says which one.
How many tons of 304 fit in a tandem?
Select 304 and leave the tandem at 12 yards and 14 tons. 304’s page default is 1,920 kg/m³, 1.62 tons per yard. Twelve yards would be 19.42 tons, so the 14-ton limit binds at 8.65 yards. The 304 page describes a tandem as about 12 to 16 tons, roughly 7 to 10 yards at 1.62 tons per yard. Fourteen tons is 8.65 yards, in that band.
Are these legal payloads?
No. Axle ratings, brakes, permits, and wet stone all change what a truck can haul. The numbers are editable planning assumptions lined up with the ranges on the 304 page: a small landscape truck around 5 to 7 tons is the single-axle neighborhood, a tandem around 12 to 16 tons, and a tri-axle around 16 to 22 tons. Ask the hauler before you order.
How do I turn the load into a cost?
The delivered ton line is the number to price. This page does not invent a price per ton. The gravel cost calculator turns length, width, and depth into tons, then applies the price and delivery fee you type from your quote.