How Do You Convert Cubic Yards to Tons?

Cubic yards can be converted to tons with the aid of a volume-to-weight conversion table. For instance, 1 cubic yard of uncompacted computer paper weighs approximately 655 pounds. Since 1 ton = 2,240 pounds, 1 cubic yard of the paper weighs 665/2240 tons or 0.292 tons.

Conversion from cubic yards to tons only provides rough estimates because the former measures volume while the latter measures weight. As such, a unit volume of a material, such as clay, doesn’t necessarily weigh the same as a unit volume of another material, such as sand. Differences in the handling or processing of the material can also cause discrepancies in conversion results.