The average stone block in the Great Pyramid weighs about 2.5 tons. This is an average for the roughly 2.3 million blocks used in the monument, not a claim that every stone is the same size.
Most of the pyramid’s core masonry consists of locally quarried limestone blocks that were roughly shaped and laid in courses. Their dimensions and weights vary considerably: blocks near the lower levels tend to be larger, while stones toward the summit are generally smaller. Mortar was used to fill gaps and bind parts of the structure together.
The 2.5-ton figure can be misleading if it is treated as a typical weight for every component. The pyramid also contains specially selected stones much heavier than the average. Granite from Aswan was used in the King’s Chamber and its roof structures, with some individual blocks weighing many tens of tons.
The average also helps explain the scale of the construction project. Moving millions of multi-ton blocks required organized quarrying, hauling and placement, probably using boats, sledges, ramps or other lifting methods. The exact construction process remains debated, but the workforce was highly coordinated rather than an improvised crowd of enslaved laborers.