Gravel Calculator
Figuring gravel by hand means juggling cubic feet, cubic yards, and tons in your head, and gravel gets sold by all three depending on the supplier. Enter your area and depth below. You'll get the volume in cubic yards, the weight in tons, a bag count for smaller jobs, and a cost estimate you can set to your own price. Driveways, paths, drainage trenches, patio bases, it handles all of them.
How much gravel you need, in the units a yard actually quotes
Gravel sells three ways: by the cubic yard from a bulk yard, by the ton off a scale, and by the bag at the home center. The amount you need doesn't change, but the number on the quote does, so this tool gives you all three at once. Enter length, width, and depth and you'll see yards, tons, and bags side by side, plus a cost you can set to your own price.
Depth drives the order more than anything else. A driveway at 4 inches needs twice the stone of a path at 2 inches over the same footprint. Get the depth right first, then the rest is arithmetic.
The math behind the number
It runs in two steps, volume then weight. Multiply length by width for square footage, multiply that by depth in feet (your inches divided by 12) for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. To get tons, multiply cubic yards by the gravel's density. Crushed gravel runs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, a figure the FHWA gravel roads guidance backs up, though it shifts a little with stone type. The tool adds your waste percentage and rounds up, because ordering the exact figure leaves you short the first time the ground dips.
How far a ton of gravel goes
Suppliers price bulk stone by the ton, so it pays to know what a ton covers before you call. These figures assume typical crushed gravel near 1.4 to 1.5 tons per yard. Pea gravel covers a touch more; dense crusher run a touch less.
| Depth | One ton covers | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | ~200 sq ft | Topping up an existing drive |
| 2 inches | ~100 sq ft | Paths, light foot traffic |
| 3 inches | ~70 sq ft | Patios, shed bases |
| 4 inches | ~50 sq ft | Standard driveways |
| 6 inches | ~35 sq ft | New drive over bare dirt, heavy loads |
Common gravel sizes and which job each suits
Yards quote stone by number, and the number is the size. Pick the wrong one and you get a path that won't pack or a driveway that won't drain. Here's what the common US grades are for.
| Grade | Size | Best for | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pea gravel | 3/8 in, rounded | Paths, patios, dog runs, easy underfoot | 2-3 in |
| #57 | 3/4 in, angular | Driveway base, drainage, French drains | 4 in+ |
| Crusher run (#411) | 3/4 in to dust | Driveway top course, packs hard | 2-4 in |
| #8 | 3/8 in, angular | Paver setting bed, fine top layer | 1-2 in |
| Riprap | 3-6 in | Erosion control, slopes, ditch lining | varies |
For a driveway that lasts, most crews run two layers: a #57 base for drainage, then crusher run on top, because the stone dust locks the surface together. Figure each layer's depth on its own and add the tons.
A real driveway example
Say you're graveling a 12 by 24 foot parking pad, 4 inches deep. That's 288 square feet times 0.33 feet, about 96 cubic feet, or 3.6 cubic yards. At 1.4 tons a yard that's roughly 5 tons. Add 10 percent for waste and you're ordering about 5.5 tons.
For two layers, a 4-inch #57 base under a 2-inch crusher run top over that same pad works out near 5 tons of base and 2.5 tons of top, about 7.5 tons before waste. Run your real dimensions through the calculator and it sizes both at once.
Bagged or bulk
A bag of gravel holds about half a cubic foot, so it takes around 54 bags to equal one cubic yard. Bags make sense for a small repair or a planter. Past roughly a dozen bags, bulk by the ton wins on price even after delivery, which usually runs $50 to $150 depending on distance and load size. The calculator shows the bag count next to the yards and tons so you can see where the line falls for your job.
Where people come up short
- Skipping the waste factor. Uneven ground and edges eat more stone than a flat calculation suggests. Add 10 percent, more on rough or sloped sites.
- Forgetting compaction. Gravel ordered loose settles when you tamp it. If your depth is the compacted depth, order about 20 percent extra volume to hit it.
- Measuring depth too thin. A driveway under 4 inches rutts and pumps mud. New construction over bare dirt wants 6.
How much does gravel cost?
Bulk gravel runs $15 to $75 a ton depending on the stone, with plain crushed limestone at the low end and decorative grades at the top. Delivery adds $50 to $150 a trip, so the per-ton price only means something once the truck fee is spread across the load. Bagged gravel at the home center works out to $150 to $250 a ton equivalent, which is why bags only make sense for the smallest jobs.
| Gravel type | Per ton, bulk | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run | $15 - $35 | Driveway surface, base layers |
| #57 crushed stone | $25 - $50 | Drainage, driveway base |
| Pea gravel | $30 - $60 | Paths, patios, play areas |
| River rock | $80 - $250 | Beds, dry creeks, accents |
Quick answers
How much gravel for a 2-car driveway? A 24 by 24 pad at 4 inches needs about 10 tons; a 12 by 50 single lane needs about 10.5. Two layers (base plus top) roughly doubles it on new construction.
How many square feet does a ton of gravel cover? Around 100 at 2 inches deep, 70 at 3 inches, 50 at 4. Deeper always beats wider when a driveway is the job.
Can I spread gravel myself? A ton is about 25 wheelbarrow loads. Most people can place 3 to 5 tons in a weekend with a rake, a barrow, and a plate compactor rental for the top course.
Common questions
For a standard driveway, plan on 4 inches of depth minimum, 6 for new construction over bare dirt. A single-car driveway around 10 by 20 feet at 4 inches works out to roughly 2.5 cubic yards, or about 3.5 tons. Enter your real dimensions above for an exact number.
About 1.4 tons for typical gravel, but it ranges from 1.35 to 1.5 depending on the stone. Crushed stone runs denser than pea gravel. The calculator lets you pick the type so the tonnage is right.
Yes. Add 10% for most jobs, more if your ground is uneven or hard to edge. Coming up short means a second delivery fee for a few bags' worth of stone.
Both. Bulk gravel is usually priced by the ton, smaller amounts sometimes by the yard, and bagged gravel by the bag. This tool gives you all three so you can match whatever your supplier quotes.
Estimates for planning. Verify against your supplier's units and your local building codes before ordering or building. For anything structural, follow your engineer or local code.