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Converting Tonage to Yards - Dirt

26K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  JimLewis  
#1 ·
Ok. So I am doing this landscaping and irrigation job down in Phoenix area this week. And they sell all the dirt by the ton. Where I am from it's all sold by the yard. So I am not sure how much to order. I know how many yards I would need, but I have no idea how many tons that is.

Anyone have any idea how much one ton of dirt equates to in yards?
 
#5 ·
Wel When Sanding A Yard. One Ton Of Sand At 1/8 To 1/4 Thickness Does 1000 Square Feet. Maybe That Will Help
 
#6 ·
I also depends on the material used.

Call the place that you will be buying the soil from, and ask them what the conversion is per each product that you will be using. If they are reputable, they will know off the top of their heads. My guess, is they are more of a stone/rock/paver distributor, rather than soil/mulch.
 
#10 ·
Dirt - 1 yard = 1 ton, but for mulch its different. Stone, sand etc are the same as dirt.
I go by this calculation. But it will greatly vary. If it rains the day before it will completely offset your calculation. Or if you get more rocks in one load, etc...

It also depends by who loads the truck. We move topsoil by the truckload. On average of 300+ loads a day easily from a new subdivision. Some trucks might hold 15-20 yards, some you can pack 25 into.
 
#11 ·
Well, we were buying soil from one place and they told me 1.4 tons = 1 yard screened topsoil. So we had 15 tons delivered, thinking that would equal almost 10 yards. What they delivered was about that, from the looks of the load the delivered.

But then I went to another rock / soil supply yard this afternoon and the guy I asked there said, decisively, 1.25 tons = 1 yard. So that means 15 yards would equal about 12 yards.

Either way, I guess I figured out what I needed. Thanks guys.
 
#18 ·
Jim - How did you get a job down in Arizona ..... or is there a Pheonix, OR?
That was my same exact question.

I was walking out to get my cell phone to call, then remembered the date of this post.

You are done with it now, right?

If it was Phoenix, Oregon, I'd take a spin down the road to say hello, or invite you over the hill to Applegate Valley for a drink.

Here is a view looking down on where we live, from the hill where the paragliders take off - great place for a drink or coffee, wouldn't you say Jim? But I still look forward to moving back up your way.

BLUE SPOT marks our residence. A few restaurants and store like 1 minute away.

Image
 
#19 ·
Yes, there is a Phoenix, Oregon. But the job wasn't there. It was in Phoenix, AZ.

I got the job because my best friend's brother lives there. So I was doing them a favor. We've been friends a long time and it was a good excuse to get a free trip to somewhere sunny for a week. Plus, it was an interesting experiment - whether I could design and install a big landscape in a place where I wasn't familiar with the horticulture, turfgrass, irrigation methods, rock, suppliers, etc.

The experiment turned out very well, thanks to a lot of research and the help of Matt Hoskins (HOSKM01, here on Lawnsite). I spent a lot of hours studying the general look of landscapes down there and all the various plants and trees and so forth.

There are photos of the job in other threads here on lawnsite.