Basic Tonnage Calculation
When volume is expressed in cubic metres and bulk density in
tonnes per cubic metre, the calculation directly produces
metric tonnes.
Tonnage = Volume × Bulk Density
For example, 1,000,000 m³ of material with a bulk density of
2.5 t/m³ has an estimated tonnage of 2,500,000 metric tonnes.
Metric Density Units
Grams per cubic centimetre and tonnes per cubic metre are
numerically equivalent density units.
1 g/cm³ = 1 t/m³
A bulk density of 2.7 g/cm³ can therefore be entered as
2.7 t/m³ without changing the numerical value.
Imperial Volume
Volumes reported in cubic feet or cubic yards must be converted
before they can be combined with metric density units.
1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³
One cubic yard is equal to 27 cubic feet, or approximately
0.764555 cubic metres.
Imperial Bulk Density
Bulk density expressed in pounds per cubic foot is converted to
tonnes per cubic metre before the tonnage calculation is
performed.
1 lb/ft³ ≈ 0.0160185 t/m³
This allows imperial volume and density measurements to be
compared consistently with metric tonnage estimates.