Use this m3 to tonnes calculator to convert cubic meters to metric tonnes by material density for aggregate and road base work, including gravel, stone, sand, soil, concrete, and asphalt. Supports m3, tonnes, custom density, moisture, and compaction adjustments.
Part of the Utilities & Converters calculators — see all tools in this category.
Wet materials absorb water, increasing density
Compaction reduces air gaps, increasing material per m³
Enter volume in cubic meters
Enter weight in metric tonnes
Tonnes are metric tonnes; tons are US short tons.
Use this m3 to tonnes calculator to convert cubic meters of construction material into metric tonnes by density. It is built for estimating soil, sand, gravel, crushed stone, road base, concrete, asphalt, and excavated materials for ordering, hauling, disposal, and site work checks.
The calculator supports metric volume and weight inputs, custom densities, material presets, moisture adjustments, and compaction adjustments. Enter volume in m³ to calculate tonnes, or enter tonnes to work back to m³.
m3 to tonnes: Weight (tonnes) = Volume (m3) x Effective Density (t/m3)
Tonnes to m3: Volume (m3) = Weight (tonnes) / Effective Density (t/m3)
Effective Density = Base Density x Moisture Multiplier x Compaction Multiplier
These examples use the same dry, loose density presets as the calculator. The metric result is tonnes; the US result is short tons.
Tonnes = Cubic meters × Density in tonnes per cubic meter
| Query | Density | Worked conversion | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate / gravel | 1.8 t/m³ | 12 m³ × 1.8 = 21.6 tonnes (23.81 US tons) | Use for loose gravel or general aggregate orders when a supplier has not provided a tighter bulk density. |
| Sand | 1.5 t/m³ | 8 m³ × 1.5 = 12 tonnes (13.23 US tons) | Use the dry sand preset first, then switch the form to damp or wet if the stockpile contains moisture. |
| Asphalt | 2.3 t/m³ | 6 m³ × 2.3 = 13.8 tonnes (15.21 US tons) | Use for pavement mix estimates and truck payload checks where the ticket is specified in tonnes or tons. |
| Crusher run / road base | 2 t/m³ | 10 m³ × 2 = 20 tonnes (22.05 US tons) | Use the road base preset for dense graded aggregate, crusher run, and compactable base layers. |
| Soil / topsoil | 1.4 t/m³ | 15 m³ × 1.4 = 21 tonnes (23.15 US tons) | Use for loose screened soil before site-specific moisture, swell, or compaction adjustments. |
If the material is damp or compacted, use the adjusted effective density rather than the dry loose density.
For compacted base work, use the road base calculator. For aggregate-only volume and weight checks, use the gravel weight calculator. For haul planning, compare the converted weight with payload limits in the truckload estimator. For broader unit conversions, see the utilities and converters guide.
| Material | kg/m³ | lb/ft³ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry sand | 1,500 | 94 | Clean dry sand; damp sand can be noticeably heavier. |
| Gravel | 1,800 | 112 | Typical loose aggregate for drainage, base, and backfill. |
| Crushed stone | 1,600 | 100 | Angular aggregate; density varies by stone type and grading. |
| Road base | 2,000 | 125 | Dense graded base with fines, usually heavier than clean gravel. |
| Topsoil | 1,400 | 87 | Loose screened soil; organic content and moisture change weight. |
| Clay soil | 1,800 | 112 | Can become much heavier when wet and difficult to compact uniformly. |
| Standard concrete | 2,400 | 150 | Typical normal-weight concrete, not lightweight concrete. |
| Asphalt | 2,300 | 144 | Compacted asphalt mix for pavement estimating and haul checks. |
These are typical estimating densities. Supplier tickets, geotechnical reports, and project specifications should override generic table values.