Pickup truck loads calculator
See how much gravel, mulch, or topsoil your truck can safely haul per trip, and how many trips your job takes.
Going past your payload can lengthen stopping distances, cause brake fade, hurt steering and handling, and lead to tire failure, and the risk grows with every pound over. Repeated overloading also wears and damages the suspension, tires, brakes, frame, and drivetrain, and may affect your warranty or insurance. Never load past the payload on your door-jamb placard. These results are estimates, not scale weights.
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Never load past the payload on your door-jamb placard. Weights here lean heavy on purpose, because overloading is the risk, but they can still be off in either direction. Wet material weighs more, especially mulch. Cover and secure loose loads.
How this is estimated
Per trip, the load is limited by whichever runs out first: your payload (after people and gear) or your bed space. Gravel, sand, and topsoil usually hit the weight limit first. Mulch usually fills the bed first.
Weights per cubic yard (dry, normal, wet). Normal sits near the high end of commonly quoted ranges:
- Mulch: 500, 800, 1,500 lb (quoted 400 to 800 dry; some sources report 1,500 or more when soaked)
- Compost: 1,200, 1,600, 1,900 lb (quoted 1,000 to 1,600)
- Topsoil: 2,000, 2,700, 3,000 lb (quoted about 1,400 to 2,200 dry, 2,400 to 3,000 wet)
- Sand: 2,800, 3,000, 3,400 lb (quoted 2,600 to 3,000 dry, 3,000 to 3,400 wet)
- Gravel or crushed stone: 2,800, 3,000, 3,200 lb (quoted about 2,200 to 3,400)
The wet numbers for compost and gravel are rough allowances, because good sourced figures were hard to find. Wet mulch varies widely between sources.
The truck classes start at the low end of typical payload ranges: about 1,500 to 2,300 lb for a half-ton, 2,800 to 3,500 lb for a 3/4-ton, and 4,000 to 7,600 lb or more for a 1-ton. The old "half-ton means 1,000 lb" labels no longer match modern trucks, and payload varies by model, cab, engine, and options. Your door sticker is the number that counts.
Trip loads are rounded down so you don't end up overloaded. Trailers are not included. For exact weights, ask your supplier or use their scale.
Sources and how the numbers were checked
No single official table covers these materials, so the figures were compared against several references. They disagree with each other, which is why this tool gives estimates and leans toward the heavier end.
- Payload and the door-jamb placard: NHTSA interpretation of the vehicle placard rule and 49 CFR 571.110. The placard states that the combined weight of occupants and cargo should never be exceeded.
- Soil: undisturbed soil is typically about 1.0 to 1.4 g/cm³ according to a state soil health sheet, and higher for sandy or compacted soil. SDSU Extension gives 1 g/cm³ as 62.3 lb/ft³, which works out to roughly 1,700 to 2,400 lb per cubic yard dry, before any water is added.
- Gravel, sand, mulch, and compost: commercial references such as Inch Calculator, a trailer dealer's hauling guide, and an aggregate supplier's calculator. These are not official sources, and they differ by supplier and moisture.
- Truck class payloads: one commercial guide. Real payload varies by truck, so use your own placard.
For the most accurate weight, ask your supplier for the weight of the material you are buying, or use a scale.
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Weights and sources last reviewed October 2026.