Dump Truck Load Count
Material-by-material densities turn your excavation into tons, loads, and trips, checked against both the heaping yardage and the legal payload of the truck.
Wet clay is 1.4 tons per yard, so a 10 yard tandem hits its 10 ton legal payload at 7 yards of clay. Dirt fills by weight long before the box is level.
How the math works
- Densities (loose, in-cube-converted): dry sand 0.82, topsoil moist 1.25, wet clay 1.40, crushed gravel 1.30, base rock 1.60, broken concrete 1.20, drywall 0.30, loose mulch 0.35, mixed demo 0.75 tons per cubic yard. A level yard of a material is about 1.1 to 1.35 tons per cubic yard in place.
- Heaping: a heaped box carries 10 to 20% more than the struck capacity; 15% is the working number on a tandem, 10% on a single axle. Over 15% and the load sheds on the road, which is a roadability ticket.
- Payload limit: a 10 yard tandem legal payload is about 10 tons, a 5 yard single axle about 5 tons. Wet clay fills the legal payload at 7 yards on a 10 yard box, which is the load count that surprises people.
- Loads: take the larger of volume ÷ heaped capacity and tons ÷ payload. That is the number to schedule, because the limiting constraint is the one that stops you.
- Time & cost: 45 minutes per round trip on a local haul, 2026 residential demolition and dirt haul at $55 to $85 per load with tip fees of $8 to $18 per ton, and a 10 to 20% mobilization on the first day.
How many cubic yards in a 10 ton load?
Depends on the material: 8 cubic yards of wet clay (1.40 tons per yard) hits 10 tons, 10 yards of topsoil (1.25) is 12.5 tons and overloaded, and 12 yards of drywall (0.30) is 3.6 tons and fine on volume.
How many dump truck loads for 30 cubic yards of dirt?
About 3 loads on a 10 yard tandem by volume (heaped at 11.5 yards), 4 by payload (42 tons at 1.40 for clay). Plan 4 loads and you will not be short.
Is a heaping load legal?
Heaping is normal and legal on private property, and load-shedding on a public road is not. Tarp it, keep the heaping under 15%, and never haul over the posted bridge weight limit on the route.