Gravel Calculator

Multiply the area you're covering by the depth, converted to feet, to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. Multiply that by the material's density and you get tons, which is the figure most suppliers actually sell and deliver by. A 200 square foot area at 3 inches deep, for example, is 50 cubic feet, or about 1.85 cubic yards, which comes to roughly 2.6 tons at a typical 1.4 tons per cubic yard density. Enter your own numbers above for an exact figure rather than scaling this example.

A 10 by 10 foot area is 100 square feet. At the common 3 inch depth, that works out to about 0.93 cubic yards, or roughly 1.3 tons at a typical 1.4 tons per cubic yard density. A decorative bed at 2 inches needs less, around 0.86 tons, while a small driveway or parking pad built to 4 inches needs closer to 1.7 tons. The depth you choose matters more than the footprint here, so confirm it before ordering.

A standard 50 pound bag of gravel holds close to 0.5 cubic feet, since most gravel weighs somewhere around 100 pounds per cubic foot loose. That covers roughly 3 square feet at a 2 inch depth, or about 2 square feet at 3 inches. Bag volume varies a little by brand and gravel type, so check the bag's printed cubic footage if precision matters, but this is a reliable planning figure for a small top-up or repair job.

Measure the driveway's length and width to get the area, then multiply by your planned depth. A 4 inch surface layer is the minimum for a residential gravel driveway, though many builds add a compacted base course of larger stone underneath for stability on soft soil or with heavier vehicles. A 12 by 36 foot driveway at 4 inches deep works out to about 5.3 cubic yards, or roughly 7.5 tons at typical density. Enter your own dimensions above for an exact figure.

Coverage depends on depth, not weight alone. At 2 inches, a ton of gravel covers roughly 115 square feet; at 3 inches, about 77 square feet; at 4 inches, around 58. Doubling the depth halves the coverage, since the same weight of material is spread over a thicker layer. These figures assume a density near 1.4 tons per cubic yard, typical for most gravel. Check your supplier's actual density for a more precise number.

Most residential driveways need at least 4 inches of surface gravel, and often more where the ground is soft or the driveway carries trucks and heavy equipment. Many contractors build in layers: a compacted sub-base of larger crushed stone, then a finer surface layer on top, which pushes total depth well past 4 inches. If you're only refreshing the top layer of an existing driveway, 2 to 3 inches is usually enough.

Two to three inches of gravel is standard for a garden path or walkway carrying foot traffic only. Lay it over compacted soil, ideally with landscape fabric underneath to slow weed growth, and keep the layer thinner than you would for a driveway since there's no vehicle weight to support. Going much deeper than 3 inches just makes the surface loose and harder to walk on without adding real benefit.

At a typical density of 1.4 tons per cubic yard, one ton works out to about 0.71 cubic yards. That ratio shifts with the material, since pea gravel runs slightly lighter and some crushed stone runs heavier, so it's really a density conversion rather than a fixed number. Enter your area and depth above, and the calculator converts between cubic yards and tons automatically using whatever density you set.

Pea gravel is small, rounded, and smooth, which makes it comfortable underfoot but prone to shifting under vehicle tires. Crushed stone has angular, fractured edges that interlock when compacted, giving it far better stability for driveways and heavier traffic. Both are estimated the same way here, using area, depth, and density. For crushed stone or river rock specifically, though, the stone calculator and river rock calculator use density defaults tuned to those materials.

For anything carrying foot or vehicle traffic, yes. A compacted base of larger, angular stone spreads weight and resists rutting far better than gravel laid directly on bare soil. Decorative beds and light-use paths can usually skip it. If your project needs a distinct base course, run this calculator once for the base layer's depth and material, then again for the finer surface gravel on top of it.

No. It calculates the loose volume and weight for the area and depth you enter. Compacted gravel settles, and real installations lose some material to spillage and uneven ground, so many contractors add roughly 10 percent to the calculated total as a buffer. If you're ordering for a driveway base course specifically, ask your supplier whether their delivery quote already builds in a compaction allowance.

For a French drain trench, plan on roughly 4 to 6 inches of angular gravel, such as #57 crushed stone, surrounding the perforated pipe so water can move freely instead of the material packing solid. Measure the trench's length and width, then use that depth here the same way you would for a driveway or path. The math doesn't change with the application; only the depth and stone size do.