AsphaltCalc

Stone calculator

Stone Cubic Feet Calculator

Volume first, everything else after. Enter the three dimensions and read every unit a supplier might quote.

Platform scale with calibration weights and stone samples beside a tape measure and notebook of kg, pounds and stone conversion figures
Stone is two units in one word: 14 pounds of body weight, and a bulk material sold by the ton. These conversion tools keep the two from being mixed up.

Your project

inches

Density is what turns volume into tons. Confirm it with your quarry when ordering.

Volume

160

cubic feet

Cubic yards
5.926
Cubic metres
4.531
Litres
4,531
Weight
16,000 lb (8 tons)
Bags needed
320

Bagged stone stops making sense above roughly half a cubic yard — about 27 half-cubic-foot bags. Past that, bulk is cheaper even with delivery.

The shareable link reopens this calculator with your exact inputs.

The cubic foot conversions worth memorising

27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard. 35.31 cubic feet = 1 cubic metre. 1 cubic foot = 7.48 US gallons = 28.32 litres. A standard 50 lb bag of stone is about 0.5 cubic feet, so 54 bags make a cubic yard.

When depth is given in inches, divide by 12 before multiplying. That single step is the most common arithmetic error in DIY material orders, and it produces an answer twelve times too large.

Loose volume versus compacted volume

Base stone and screenings lose 15-20% of their loose volume when compacted. If you need 4 inches compacted, order for about 4.6-4.8 inches loose. Decorative stone that is never compacted needs no such allowance.

Stone weight conversion diagram of kilograms to pounds to stone and of cubic yards to tons using material density
Two different conversions share the word stone: the imperial mass unit (14 lb) and bulk material, where cubic yards only become tons once you apply density.

Volume conversions

Cubic feetCubic yardsCubic metres50 lb bags
10.0370.0282
100.370.28320
2710.76554
501.8521.416100
1003.7042.832200

Frequently asked questions

+How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?

Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft.

+How many bags of stone make a cubic yard?

Fifty-four 0.5 cu ft bags, 27 one-cubic-foot bags, or about 18 of the 1.5 cu ft mulch bags.

+How do I convert cubic feet of stone to tons?

Multiply cubic feet by the density in lb/ft³, then divide by 2,000. At 100 lb/ft³, 20 cubic feet is exactly one ton.

+Is a cubic yard of stone the same as a ton?

No. A cubic yard of typical crushed stone weighs about 1.35 tons. Only very light materials come close to one ton per yard.