Rock and Mineral Density Calculator
Look up density of common rocks and minerals.
Calculate mass from volume or volume from mass.
Compare granite, limestone, basalt, sandstone, and ore densities.
Why Rock Density Matters Rock density controls how rocks behave under load, how they transmit seismic waves, and how they respond to gravity surveys. Density is used in mining to estimate ore tonnage, in civil engineering for foundation design, and in geophysics for gravity modeling. Specific gravity (SG) = density of rock / density of water (1000 kg/m³) — dimensionless.
Density of Common Rocks (kg/m³) Granite: 2,640–2,760. A typical coarse-grained igneous rock. Basalt: 2,700–3,100. Dense volcanic rock. Oceanic crust is mostly basalt. Limestone: 2,160–2,560. Sedimentary; density depends on porosity. Sandstone: 2,000–2,600. Porosity greatly affects density. Shale: 2,000–2,700. Compaction increases density with depth. Quartzite: 2,600–2,700. Metamorphic, composed mainly of quartz. Marble: 2,550–2,850. Metamorphosed limestone. Obsidian: 2,350–2,550. Volcanic glass. Pumice: 400–900. So porous it floats on water.
Density of Common Minerals (kg/m³) Quartz (SiO₂): 2,650. The most common mineral in continental crust. Feldspar: 2,560–2,760. Second most common crustal mineral. Calcite (CaCO₃): 2,710. Main mineral in limestone. Pyrite (FeS₂): 4,900–5,200. “Fool’s gold” — much denser than true gold. Gold (Au): 19,300. Extremely dense — that’s why it stays in stream beds. Magnetite (Fe₃O₄): 5,100–5,200. Main iron ore mineral. Galena (PbS): 7,400–7,600. Lead ore — very heavy. Hematite (Fe₂O₃): 5,200–5,300. Main iron ore. Halite (NaCl): 2,160. Table salt mineral. Diamond: 3,500. Carbon in cubic structure — less dense than many oxides.
Porosity Effect Bulk density = grain density × (1 − porosity) + fluid density × porosity. A sandstone with 20% porosity filled with water: ρ = 2650×0.80 + 1000×0.20 = 2320 kg/m³. Porosity dramatically lowers density — important for oil and gas reservoir evaluation.
Seismic Velocity and Impedance Acoustic impedance Z = density × seismic velocity. Reflection occurs at boundaries where Z changes — this is what seismic surveys image. Denser rocks generally have higher seismic velocities (P-wave velocity 2000–8500 m/s).