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Concrete Rubble Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator

Convert a concrete rubble volume into short tons for weight limits, haulage and disposal pricing.

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  • Every formula cited
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Market
Imperial · sales tax
The volume of concrete rubble in cubic yards.

About 1.5 short tons per cubic yard for broken concrete; solid concrete is denser, but rubble carries large voids.

Approximate weight

15 short tons

High confidence

About 1.5 short tons per cubic yard for broken concrete; solid concrete is denser, but rubble carries large voids. A planning figure, not a specification. Check the figure against the container's or vehicle's weight limit before booking.

Conversion factor applied
1.5 short tons per yd³
Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

  • Typical bulk density used here: approximately 1.5 short tons per cubic yard
  • Density varies with moisture, composition and how the material was broken or processed

Inputs used

Concrete Rubble volume (yd³)
10

Intermediate steps

Conversion factor applied
1.5 short tons per yd³
Final result15 short tons

Confidence note: About 1.5 short tons per cubic yard for broken concrete; solid concrete is denser, but rubble carries large voids. A planning figure, not a specification. Check the figure against the container's or vehicle's weight limit before booking.

What this calculation does not cover

  • What leaves site is more than the element on the drawing. A ground-bearing slab lifts with blinding, hardcore or screed still attached and a grubbed-up foundation comes away with soil on it, while a suspended slab, a wall or a column carries none of that. Those extras add to the load, but they are not broken concrete and do not convert at the density used here, so work them out separately instead of folding them into this volume.
  • This factor is for broken material, not for the structure. Breaking a slab out bulks it up, so the heap takes appreciably more room than the element did, and a volume measured off an intact slab or wall converts at a solid-concrete density nearer two short tons per cubic yard rather than the 1.5 used here.
  • The tonnage has to stand somewhere before it is collected. A few cubic yards of arisings is a modest-looking heap and several tons pressing on whatever is beneath it — a suspended slab, a basement lid, a drain run, a paved surface. The conversion gives you that load; it says nothing about whether the standing will carry it.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Sources checked 2026-08-26 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.0

Regulatory standards & verification citations2
  1. Typical bulk density used here: approximately 1.5 short tons per cubic yard
  2. Density varies with moisture, composition and how the material was broken or processed
Cite this page

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Demolition arisings are the material most likely to catch out a skip booking, because broken concrete is heavy and containers are usually weight-limited long before they are full. The density here is for broken material with the voids that breaking creates — solid concrete is considerably denser per cubic yard, which is why an intact slab converts differently from the rubble it becomes. Estimating the volume from the structure being removed and converting to weight is the way to find out whether a container will be refused, and it is a far cheaper discovery than making it on collection day.

Now that you have the number

These guides cover the work this quantity is for — the first ones run this calculator inside the section that raises the question.

  • Replacing a Ground Floor Slab That Has Heaveduses this calculator

    The hardcore under a 1950s floor is still reacting. What proves it, what leaves the house by barrow, and whether the replacement bears on the ground or spans it.

Worked example: Concrete driveway replaced — step 2 of 10

How to calculate concrete rubble cubic yards to tons in 2 steps

  1. Concrete Rubble volume (yd³)The volume of concrete rubble in cubic yards.
  2. Approximate weightThe tool computes the approximate weight from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Concrete Rubble Cubic Yards to Tons at common values

Page defaults, not your figures above.

Concrete Rubble volume (yd³)Approximate weight (short tons)
11.5
23
57.5
1015
2030
5075
100150

Frequently asked questions

Why is rubble lighter than solid concrete?
Because breaking it creates voids. A cubic yard of intact concrete is over two tons; the same concrete broken into a heap occupies more space per ton, so the rubble figure is lower. Which figure applies depends on whether you are weighing the structure or the pile.
Will a skip take a full load of concrete?
Almost certainly not by volume. Heavy waste hits the container's weight limit while it still looks part-full, and overloading means a surcharge or a refused collection. Book a container rated for heavy waste, or fill to the weight rather than the brim.
Can concrete rubble be reused?
Often, as crushed hardcore for sub-base, which avoids both disposal cost and new aggregate. It has to be free of contaminants and reinforcement, and crushing on site needs space and plant, so it suits larger jobs better than small ones.
Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.