Dump Truck Load Calculator
How much is really in a load. Pick the material and the truck, enter your legal payload, and see whether the truck runs out of weight or bed first. Then get tons and yards per load, loads for the job, and what it costs by the load or by the ton.
The math, shown transparently
Two limits, and the smaller one wins. Every number updates as you type, and the math is locked in a unit test.
// Weight of a full bed. Trucks carry loose material.
full_bed_tons = bed_yd³ × loose_lb_per_yd³ / 2,000
// Legal payload.
payload_tons = (legal_gross_lb − empty_lb) / 2,000
// Whichever runs out first.
if full_bed_tons > payload_tons: weight-limited
tons_per_load = payload_tons
yd³_per_load = payload_tons × 2,000 / loose_lb_per_yd³
else: volume-limited, tons_per_load = full_bed_tons
// Job loads. Always rounds up.
tons = bank_yd³ × bank_lb_per_yd³ / 2,000
loads = ceil(tons / tons_per_load)
Bank yards convert to tons through the bank weight, and tons convert to loose yards through the loose weight, both from the same Caterpillar row. That way a yard in the ground and a yard in the truck never get mixed up.
How to use the calculator
- Pick the material. Choose the closest match. Each option shows its weight per loose cubic yard, because a truck carries loose material.
- Pick the truck. Choose a tandem or tri-axle, or pick Other truck and enter your bed size in cubic yards.
- Enter your legal payload. Legal gross weight for your truck minus its empty weight, in tons. Your scale tickets show the empty weight. Leave it blank to count by volume only.
- Add the job and your rate. Optional. Enter the job quantity in bank yards, loose yards, or tons, and your rate per load or per ton, to get loads needed and the cost.
- Read the result. Tons and yards per load, whether weight or volume runs out first, how full the bed is when weight-limited, loads for the job, and cost per load, ton, and yard.
Weight of a full bed by material and truck
Tons in a full bed of a 12 yd³ tandem and a 16 yd³ tri-axle. If the number is more than your legal payload, the truck is weight-limited: you carry your payload, and the bed is not full. For other trucks, enter your bed size in the calculator.
| Material | lb/yd³ | 12 yd³ 10-wheeler (tandem dump) | 16 yd³ Tri-axle dump |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil and earth | |||
| Earth, dry packed | 2,550 | 15.3 | 20.4 |
| Earth, wet excavated | 2,700 | 16.2 | 21.6 |
| Earth, loam | 2,100 | 12.6 | 16.8 |
| Clay, natural bed | 2,800 | 16.8 | 22.4 |
| Clay, dry | 2,500 | 15.0 | 20.0 |
| Clay, wet | 2,800 | 16.8 | 22.4 |
| Clay and gravel, dry | 2,400 | 14.4 | 19.2 |
| Clay and gravel, wet | 2,600 | 15.6 | 20.8 |
| Sand, dry | 2,400 | 14.4 | 19.2 |
| Sand, damp | 2,850 | 17.1 | 22.8 |
| Sand, wet | 3,100 | 18.6 | 24.8 |
| Sand and clay | 2,700 | 16.2 | 21.6 |
| Sand and gravel, dry | 2,900 | 17.4 | 23.2 |
| Sand and gravel, wet | 3,400 | 20.4 | 27.2 |
| Gravel, pit run | 3,250 | 19.5 | 26.0 |
| Gravel, dry | 2,550 | 15.3 | 20.4 |
| Gravel, dry (1/4 to 2 in) | 2,850 | 17.1 | 22.8 |
| Gravel, wet (1/4 to 2 in) | 3,400 | 20.4 | 27.2 |
| Topsoil | 1,600 | 9.6 | 12.8 |
| Quarry products | |||
| Crushed limestone | 2,800 | 16.8 | 22.4 |
| Crusher run / road base | 2,900 | 17.4 | 23.2 |
| Pea gravel | 2,800 | 16.8 | 22.4 |
| Washed sand | 2,700 | 16.2 | 21.6 |
| Recycled concrete | 2,700 | 16.2 | 21.6 |
Columns: 12 yd³ = 10-wheeler (tandem dump) · 16 yd³ = Tri-axle dump. Tons are full-bed weights, not legal loads.
Sources and assumptions
Soil and earth weights
Loose and bank lb/yd³ for every soil row: Caterpillar, Material Density Tables to Help Estimate Earthwork Volumes (archived copy). Cat gives one value per material, and notes that weight varies with moisture, grain size, and compaction.
Quarry product weights
- Crushed limestone 2,800 lb/yd³. DOT loose figures run 2,410 to 2,800 lb/yd³ (about 1.2 to 1.4 tons). Uses 1.40, the MoDOT estimating factor and the heavy end, so an order is not short and a weight-limited load is not missed. Source: MoDOT Estimate Factors (2018); MoDOT Highway Maintenance Tables and Conversion Factors; TDOT Roadway Design Guidelines, ch. 4 (rev. 08/01/19).
- Crusher run / road base 2,900 lb/yd³. TDOT: 2,900 lb per loose yard. WSDOT: 2,850 to 2,950 lb per yard by truck measure (dry). Uses 1.45 (TDOT). Source: TDOT Roadway Design Guidelines, ch. 4 (rev. 08/01/19); WSDOT Design Manual M 22-01, Exhibit 620-1.
- Pea gravel 2,800 lb/yd³. An estimate: no pea gravel specific DOT figure found. Uses MoDOT’s loose gravel factor. Source: MoDOT Estimate Factors (2018).
- Washed sand 2,700 lb/yd³. MoDOT loose sand runs 2,630 to 2,960 lb/yd³ (about 1.3 to 1.5 tons). Uses 1.35, inside that range. Source: MoDOT Highway Maintenance Tables and Conversion Factors.
- Recycled concrete 2,700 lb/yd³. MoDOT loose concrete runs 2,700 to 3,460 lb/yd³ (1.35 to 1.73 tons) and does not say crushed or recycled. Uses 1.35, the light end. Check a scale ticket before loading heavy. Source: MoDOT Highway Maintenance Tables and Conversion Factors.
River rock, rip rap, fill sand, and screened topsoil are not listed because we could not find a state DOT or producer loose weight to back them. Use the closest Caterpillar row or a scale ticket.
Truck bed sizes
- 10-wheeler (tandem dump) 12 yd³. TxDOT: usually 12 or 14 yd³. Uses 12. Source: TxDOT Seal Coat and Surface Treatment Manual, Haul Trucks.
- Tri-axle dump 16 yd³. Load King: 16 to 19 yd³ for a 16 to 18 ft body. Uses 16, the low end. Source: Load King tri-axle dump body specs (Custom Truck One Source).
- Belly dump 22 yd³, one maker’s build, no default in the calculator. Source: Trail King bottom dump specs.
- Belly dump 27 yd³ on a 40 ft tandem-axle trailer, one maker’s build, no default in the calculator. Source: MAC Bullet bottom dump flyer.
- Semi end dump 29.0 yd³ with a 32 ft tub, one maker’s build, no default in the calculator. Source: Load King RH3229 end dump specs (archived).
Quad-axle beds have no default: we found no source that ties a capacity to a quad-axle. Enter yours.
Weight limits and payload
Federal limits on the Interstate: 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem, and the Bridge Formula W = 500 (LN/(N−1) + 12N + 36) for any group of axles. Sources: FHWA Bridge Formula Weights and 23 CFR 658.17. Some states allow more under grandfather rights, and state roads follow state law.
There is no default payload. It depends on your truck’s empty weight, its axles and spacing, and your state, and no public source gives one number per truck class. Use your scale tickets.
Tons are US short tons (2,000 lb).
Frequently asked questions
How many tons of dirt are in a tri-axle dump truck?
A full 16 yd³ tri-axle of dry packed earth weighs about 20.4 tons, at 2,550 lb per loose cubic yard in the Caterpillar table. Wet excavated earth at 2,700 lb/yd³ is about 21.6 tons. Whether you can carry that depends on your legal payload: the legal gross weight for your truck minus its empty weight. If your payload is lower than the full-bed number, the truck is weight-limited and you haul your payload with the bed not full.
How many yards are in a dump truck?
It depends on the bed. A tandem is usually 12 or 14 yd³ (TxDOT). A tri-axle is 16 to 19 yd³ for a 16 to 18 ft body (Load King spec sheet). Bigger rigs vary by build, for example belly dump 22 yd³ (Trail King bottom dump specs), belly dump 27 yd³ on a 40 ft tandem-axle trailer (MAC Bullet bottom dump flyer), semi end dump 29.0 yd³ with a 32 ft tub (Load King RH3229 end dump specs (archived)). Those are loose yards, the dirt after it is dug, not bank yards in the ground. On heavy material the truck can run out of legal weight before it runs out of bed.
Why can a dump truck be overweight before the bed is full?
The bed limits volume, the law limits weight. On the Interstate, federal rules cap gross weight at 80,000 lb, a single axle at 20,000 lb, and a tandem at 34,000 lb, and the Bridge Formula sets a lower gross for fewer axles spread over a shorter distance. State roads follow state law. Subtract the empty truck and what is left is your payload. Dense material like wet gravel at 3,400 lb/yd³ eats that payload fast, so the bed can look full and still be over.
Should I price dump truck loads by the ton or by the load?
By the ton, you get paid for every ton you move, and the scale ticket settles the count. By the load, you get paid per trip, so a weight-limited load of heavy material pays the same as a full bed of light material. To compare the two, divide your per-load rate by the tons in a legal load to get your rate per ton, or multiply a per-ton rate by tons per load. The calculator does both conversions when you enter a rate.
Does wet dirt weigh more than dry dirt?
Yes, in the Caterpillar table. Loose dry packed earth is 2,550 lb/yd³ and wet excavated earth is 2,700. Dry sand is 2,400 and wet sand is 3,100. Dry 1/4 to 2 inch gravel is 2,850 and wet is 3,400. After a rain the same truck hits its payload with fewer yards in the bed.
Where do the numbers come from?
Soil and earth weights come from Caterpillar’s published loose and bank material table. Quarry product weights are the ones state DOT tables (Missouri and Tennessee) back up. Truck bed sizes come from TxDOT and a dump body maker’s spec sheet. Federal weight limits come from FHWA and 23 CFR 658.17. Anything without a source is something you enter. Every link is in the sources section below.
Related free tools
- Excavation Volume Calculator. Bank and loose yards coming out of the hole.
- Gravel & Aggregate Calculator. Tons of stone to order for a pad or driveway.
- Truck Cycle Time Calculator. How many trucks keep the excavator busy.
- Haul Ticket Generator. Print dump truck load tickets for the job.