A cubic yard of concrete weighs about 4050 pounds or 1837 kg. As concrete weighs 150 pounds per cubic feet. And 1 cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet so, 150 multiply by 27 equals 4050 pounds or 1837 kg.
If you see in above calculation, I’ve used the density of concrete i.e. 150 pounds per cubic feet. But you know this density of concrete varies. It depends on the type of aggregates, mix proportion, and different sizes of aggregates. So, it is important that you evaluate all these factors before reaching a conclusion about weight of concrete per cubic yard.
But don’t worry, in our today’s blog; I’ve tried to cover all the aspects that are helpful to answer your questions “how much does a cubic yard of concrete weigh?”
Table of Contents
- Density of concrete – the factor of concrete mix proportion
- What is the Density of Concrete?
- How much does a Cubic Yard of Concrete Weigh?
- How much does a Square foot of Concrete Weigh?
- Dry and Wet Concrete Weigh difference
- How much does one yard of crushed concrete weigh?
- Conclusion:
Density of concrete – the factor of concrete mix proportion
Concrete is a mixture of water, cement, and aggregate. Sometimes the composition of concrete can be tailored according to the requirement like in some cases fly ash, slag, or any other recycled or by-product material is used to make it sustainable concrete.
In general practice, the weight of the concrete is determined by its density depending on the mix design or concrete mixture and it increases and decreases depending on the water, cement, and aggregate ratio.
Concrete is used in the construction of megastructures, high-rise buildings, water reservoirs, bridges, and other concrete structures. It is one of the most commonly used materials around the world.
Some of the mega concrete structures include the Three Gorges Dam, Burj Khalifa, Grande Dixence Dam, Statue of Unity, Millau Viaduct, Oroville Dam, Petronas Twin Towers, and Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Also Read: Weight of concrete – Density – Concrete Slab – Driveways
What is the Density of Concrete?
The density of concrete depends on various factors which typically include the density and the amount of aggregate, the water-cement ratio, and the amount of entrapped air. In layman’s terms, it is the measure of concrete component’s weight. As we know that density of any material is determined by mass and volume. The formula for density is as follows:
Density (p) = Mass (M) / Volume (V)
The known density for a typical concrete mix is 3.15 g/cm3 where the density of aggregate will differ by the type of aggregate and cement used.
Also Read: Weight of concrete per cubic foot – With Examples – (Including Calculator)
How much does a Cubic Yard of Concrete Weigh?
Concrete’s weight is dependent on the volume which is a simple calculation to make. All we need to do is to multiply the length, width, and depth of any structure and we will get the volume of concrete.
Another way to do this is by multiplying square footage by the depth.
Once we have the quantity of concrete then we can convert this volume in yards when needed. As we know that the weight of concrete is measured by its density which can differ from the amount of aggregate and water cement ratio.
Understanding how much concrete weighs per yard is very important because for large-scale jobs it is normally ordered by the yard.
Typically, a solid slab of concrete weighs 4,050 pounds per cubic yard, and a cubic yard of broken-up concrete, it weighs around 2,025 pounds depending on which one you need.
Also Read: How many 40lb, 50lb, 60lb and 80lb bags of concrete are in a cubic yard
How much does a Square foot of Concrete Weigh?
When it comes to square footage, it is slightly different because it does not include depth.
To calculate square footage, we simply need to multiply the measured length by the width of any component.
So, it is a measurement of an area that does not have any weight whatsoever. To rightly calculate the weight of any desired area we simply need to take depth into account.
To understand this better, assume we have a cubic foot of concrete that weighs 150 pounds which means that each cubic inch weighs around 12.5 pounds.
So, if we have a slab of 6-inch thickness then the weight of 1 square foot would be 75 pounds.
Also Read: How many bags of mulch in a yard? 1.5 ft3, 2 ft3, 3ft, 4ft3, 5ft3
Dry and Wet Concrete Weigh difference
On average one yard of dry concrete weighs around 4,050 pounds. This weight of concrete includes the weight of cement, aggregate, sand, and some amount of water.
It takes approximately 20-25 gallons of water to mix one yard of concrete. The water/cement ratio is very important when it comes to achieving the maximum strength of concrete. Therefore, we do not want to overwater our concrete mix.
Once wet concrete is placed, it dries and hardens. During the concrete mix, half of the water is lost due to the heat of the hydration process and curing. Although some amount of water remains in the concrete for weeks, days, and possibly even years.
Therefore, out of 20-25 gallons of water only 10-15 gallons of water remain rest of the water dissipates for various reasons. Which also explains the weight difference.
As mentioned above, one yard of dry concrete weighs 4,050 pounds, and by subtracting the amount of water then the wet concrete would weight around 4,150 pounds.
Also Read: How much does a yard of sand weigh? (Sand Weight per Yard)
How much does one yard of crushed concrete weigh?
The crush used for concrete comes in different sizes and with different sizes their weight also varies. The smaller the size of the crush used the more it will fit into a cubic yard container because of lesser voids.
In general practices, 1.5 inch of crushed concrete will weight around 2,450 pounds per yard whereas 0.75 inch or ¾ inch crushed concrete would weigh around 2,550 pounds per yard.
Conclusion:
Concrete weigh is based on its volume and the space that it can occupy when placed. It can be calculated by using some basic mathematics.
However, a solid slab of concrete has an average weights of 4,050 lb. per cubic yard or in 150 lb. per cubic feet depending upon which measurement is being used.
There are other factors that affects the weight of concrete which includes cement types, type of aggregate or crush, amount of water or any other material used. So, the density of materials that are used while making a concrete mix will decide the density of concrete.
In day to day construction, on average regular concrete mix weighs around same as mentioned above. As far as dry and wet concrete is concerned, there is not much to worry about but the amount of water used and how much it would evaporate once concrete is poured.
By taking the amount of water used into account it would help in calculating the correct concrete per cubic yard for better quantity estimation. Same when calculating slabs where rebars are used and for obvious reasons it would always weight greater than just concrete.
Further Read: Weight of Number 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 rebar per foot
