Aggregate tonnage calculator

Zero or negative volume and density are rejected with invalid_input instead of inventing a delivery ticket.

How aggregate tonnage is computed from volume and bulk density

The response always includes metric_tons, short_tons, and long_tons so a single call can feed both European and North American order forms. All numeric inputs must be strictly positive and finite within published absolute limits so intermediate products stay finite in IEEE double precision on the Worker and in the browser.

How to call the API and read the response

String forms of numbers are accepted when they match a strict finite numeric pattern without unit suffixes or thousand separators. POST a JSON body with two required fields: volume (aliases vol, v, qty, quantity, cubic) as a finite positive number, and material as gravel, sand, or crushed_stone (spaces and hyphens are accepted, for example crushed stone). Optional density (aliases rho, bulk_density, mass_density, kg_m3) overrides the material preset and must also be positive when present. Optional volume_unit defaults to m3 and also accepts yd3 and ft3 with common aliases such as cubic yard or cu ft. Optional ton_unit defaults to metric and also accepts short or long with aliases such as us, short_ton, imperial, or tonne. On success the body echoes rounded volume, material, density, density_source (preset or override), volume_unit, and ton_unit; publishes volume_m3, mass_kg, tons for the primary unit, plus metric_tons, short_tons, and long_tons; and includes formula, message, and steps as an ordered substitution log you can assert in tests or show on a quote. Failed validation—missing material or volume, non-finite numbers, zero or negative values, unknown material or unit tokens, or values outside absolute limits—returns invalid_input and is never charged. Pricing is a flat $0.002 per successful request with unit item. Prefer sending bare numbers when you control the client; convert mixed unit drawings to one volume unit before the call rather than mixing cubic feet of volume with a density that was quoted per cubic yard without conversion.

Practical tips, limits, and when to use this calculator

rather than “how many cubic metres for this pad?” Keep volume and density inside the published absolute range so products cannot overflow into non-finite results the solver must reject. Prefer sibling area-and-depth calculators when you still need volume from footprint and thickness; prefer this capability when volume is already known and procurement needs tonnage in one or more ton definitions. Round-trip checks are easy: convert volume to cubic metres by hand, multiply by density, divide by the ton factor, and confirm the published tons fields match within the same twelve-decimal rounding used for all numeric outputs. Measure or estimate bulk volume from drawings, stockpile surveys, or a prior area-times-depth take-off, then call this endpoint when the question is already “how many tons for this cubic quantity?” Use the supplier’s bulk density whenever the quote sheet lists one; fall back to the material preset only for early ballpark estimates and note density_source in your paperwork. If the contractor requires five or ten percent extra for compaction or waste, multiply tons yourself after the call so the geometric mass stays transparent. When teaching or writing tests, pair a metric cubic-metre gravel case with a cubic-yard sand case and a deliberate zero volume to prove the invalid_input path. This landing targets people searching for an aggregate tonnage calculator, volume to tons for gravel sand or crushed stone, or bulk density tonnage conversion online; it is not a plan-area gravel depth tool, not a concrete bag estimator, not a soil swell calculator, and not a structural rebar weight check. Failed tasks that return invalid_input do not consume prepaid balance, which keeps exploratory scripts cheap when you deliberately send a bad material string to verify error handling.