A bushel is a volume, so its weight depends on the grain
The bushel is a unit of dry volume, about 35.24 liters. To turn bushels into pounds you multiply by that crop's legal test weight — the standard pounds a full bushel holds. There is no single number.
Standard bushel weight by crop
| Crop | lb per bushel | kg per bushel |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 60 lb | 27.2 kg |
| Soybeans | 60 lb | 27.2 kg |
| Corn (shelled) | 56 lb | 25.4 kg |
| Rye | 56 lb | 25.4 kg |
| Grain sorghum | 56 lb | 25.4 kg |
| Barley | 48 lb | 21.8 kg |
| Rice (rough) | 45 lb | 20.4 kg |
| Oats | 32 lb | 14.5 kg |
These are the US legal test weights. Corn is quoted at 56 lb when shelled and dried to 15.5% moisture; ear corn and wetter grain weigh more per bushel but carry less usable grain.
Same bushel, very different weight
The gap between crops is large. One bushel of wheat weighs almost twice as much as one bushel of oats, even though both fill the identical volume.
All four bushels hold the same volume of grain. The weight differs only because the kernels pack at different densities.
Common questions
How many pounds are in a bushel?
It depends on the crop, because a bushel is a measure of volume, not weight. A bushel of corn is 56 pounds, wheat and soybeans are 60 pounds, barley is 48, and oats are just 32. The number is set by a legal standard weight for each grain.
Why is a bushel of corn 56 pounds but oats only 32?
A bushel is a fixed volume of about 35.24 liters. Corn kernels pack denser than the light, husked oat grain, so the same container holds more weight of corn. Each crop has its own legal test weight set to reflect that density.
How do I convert bushels to tons?
Multiply bushels by the crop's pounds-per-bushel, then divide by 2,000 for US short tons. For example, 1,000 bushels of wheat is 1,000 times 60 = 60,000 pounds, or 30 short tons.
