How much does a yard of concrete weigh?

The quick estimate

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. For normal-weight concrete, a planning estimate near 4,000 pounds per cubic yard is common because many normal mixes are roughly 145 to 150 pounds per cubic foot. The exact weight can be higher or lower depending on aggregate, air content, water, reinforcement, and whether the concrete is fresh, cured, or broken for disposal.

Use weight for hauling, debris planning, trailer limits, and disposal. Use volume for ordering fresh concrete. A ready-mix supplier sells by cubic yard, while a landfill, dumpster, or trailer limit may care about pounds or tons.

Common planning weights

Concrete amount	Approximate weight at 4,000 lb/yd3	Practical use
0.25 yd3	1,000 lb	Small repair, several post holes, or a short pad section.
0.50 yd3	2,000 lb	One ton, often already above small trailer comfort limits.
1.00 yd3	4,000 lb	One cubic yard of normal-weight concrete.
3.00 yd3	12,000 lb	Small slab or patio order, truck delivery territory.

Why the actual weight changes

• Aggregate density: stone type is the largest driver. Lightweight aggregate mixes are designed to weigh less than normal-weight concrete.
• Air entrainment: intentional air voids improve freeze-thaw performance in many exterior mixes and reduce density slightly.
• Water and moisture: fresh concrete includes batch water. Broken old concrete may also hold moisture, dirt, base stone, or embedded material.
• Reinforcement and debris: rebar, mesh, asphalt contamination, or soil stuck to demolition pieces can change haul weight.

Ordering concrete versus hauling concrete

The supplier order should start with volume. A 10 by 12 foot slab at 4 inches thick is 40 cubic feet, or about 1.48 cubic yards before waste. If you add 10% waste, the planning order is about 1.63 cubic yards. That does not mean you should haul 1.63 yards in a pickup; at 4,000 lb per yard it would be roughly 6,500 pounds of concrete before considering forms, tools, or passengers.

For demolition, the volume-to-weight relationship works in the other direction. If you remove a 12 by 12 foot patio at 4 inches thick, the slab is about 1.78 yd3. At 4,000 lb/yd3, the clean concrete could approach 7,100 lb. Disposal facilities may charge by ton and may reject mixed debris, so confirm accepted materials and weight limits before loading.

When not to use the 4,000 lb rule

Do not use a generic weight factor for engineered load calculations, suspended slabs, bridge work, hauling near a legal weight limit, or specialty mixes. Normal-weight, lightweight, high-density, and pervious concrete can have meaningfully different unit weights. The correct number is the supplier's mix data or the project specification.