How Much Does 12 Yards of Concrete Weigh?

12 yards of concrete weighs about 48,600 lb, which is 24.30 US tons or 22,045 kg, for normal concrete at 150 lb per cubic foot. That is 2 ready-mix trucks of around 10 yards.

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Weight

48,600 lb

24.30 US tons, at 150 lb/ft³

What to buy

Bags of 80 lb mix one payload carriesPayload ÷ dry bag weight, rounded down. That is 1,440 lb of bags; the driver and other cargo count against the payload18 bags
Bags of 80 lb mix this slab would needAt about 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 ft³ per 40, 60 and 80 lb bag (Quikrete data sheets)540 bags

In US tons: 24.30 tons
In kilograms: 22,045 kg
Weight per square foot: 150.0 lb/ft²
Volume: 324.00 ft³
Volume in cubic yards: 12.00 yd³

Bagged mix in a truck

Truck trips for those bags: 30 trips

Concrete weighs about 150 lb per cubic foot (4,050 lb per cubic yard), or 12.5 lb per square foot for every inch of thickness. Plain concrete with no steel is about 145 lb per cubic foot and reinforced concrete about 150 (FHWA Lightweight Concrete Bridge Design Primer, 2021, report FHWA-HIF-19-067). Lightweight concrete is much lighter, and the 115 and 160 lb per cubic foot choices are rough figures that are not from that source: ask your supplier for the real density of the mix. A 4 inch slab weighs about 50 lb per square foot. Check that a deck, roof or the ground can carry the weight.

Before you buy: round up to whole packs, check the size printed on the label, and add a little spare. Your supplier has the final say.

Blueprint

12.00 yd³ · 540 bags

12 yards of concrete by type

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 12 yards is 324 cubic feet. Multiply by the weight of a cubic foot of the concrete you are using.

Type of concrete	Density	Weight	US tons	Kilograms
Lightweight concrete, a rough figure	115 lb/ft³	37,260 lb	18.63	16,901
Plain concrete, no steel	145 lb/ft³	46,980 lb	23.49	21,310
Reinforced concrete, and the usual rule of thumb	150 lb/ft³	48,600 lb	24.30	22,045
Heavily reinforced, a rough figure	160 lb/ft³	51,840 lb	25.92	23,514

The slab 12 yards makes, and what it weighs per square foot

The total stays at 48,600 lb. A thinner slab spreads it over more ground.

Slab thickness	Area from 12 yards	Weight per sq ft	Total weight
3 in	1,296 sq ft	37.5 lb	48,600 lb
4 in	972 sq ft	50.0 lb	48,600 lb
5 in	778 sq ft	62.5 lb	48,600 lb
6 in	648 sq ft	75.0 lb	48,600 lb
8 in	486 sq ft	100.0 lb	48,600 lb

Twelve yards: one truck and a bit

12 yards is more than one 10-yard truck carries, so it comes as 2 loads: a full one of 40,500 lb and a second with the remaining 2 yards, 8,100 lb. Together that is 48,600 lb, 24.30 tons.

At 4 inches it covers 972 square feet, and at 5 inches 778 square feet. Agree the gap between the two trucks with the plant, so the first load is placed before the second arrives.

Worked example

12 × 27 = 324 cubic feet. 324 × 150 lb = 48,600 lb. 48,600 ÷ 2,000 = 24.30 US tons.

Nearby amounts

Concrete	Cubic feet	Weight	US tons	Truck loads
6 yards	162 ft³	24,300 lb	12.15	1
8 yards	216 ft³	32,400 lb	16.20	1
10 yards	270 ft³	40,500 lb	20.25	1
12 yards	324 ft³	48,600 lb	24.30	2
15 yards	405 ft³	60,750 lb	30.38	2
20 yards	540 ft³	81,000 lb	40.50	2

For a slab, wall or footing of your own size use the concrete weight calculator, and the concrete calculator for how many yards to order. The guide how much does concrete weigh has the weights per square foot. Hauling bagged mix yourself? See how many 80 lb bags a pickup can carry.

Want to change anything else? The calculator above is the full Concrete Weight Calculator: edit any number and the results update instantly.

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