Gravel Calculator
Cubic yards and tons of gravel for a driveway, path, or pad.
2 to 3 in per layer for paths, 4 in or more total for driveways.
Sets the tons per cubic yard used below. Pick Custom to enter a supplier's figure.
Delivered price per unit. Leave at 0 to skip the cost estimate.
You need
1.85 cubic yards
Round up when ordering. Most suppliers sell in half-yard or half-ton increments.
- Approximate weight
- 2.59 tons
- Volume
- 50.0 cu ft
- Coverage area
- 200 sq ft
Estimates only. Verify quantities before ordering.
How this is calculated
Volume = length (ft) x width (ft) x depth (in) / 12, converted to cubic yards by dividing by 27. Tons = cubic yards x density (tons per cubic yard). Cost = price x whichever unit the price is quoted in.
Enter the length and width of the area in feet and the depth of gravel in inches. The calculator returns volume in cubic yards, which is how landscape yards sell in bulk, and converts it to tons, which is how quarries and dump-truck deliveries are usually priced.
The cubic-yard figure is pure geometry, but the ton figure depends on density. Pick your material and the calculator uses its typical weight: about 1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone, crusher run, and pea gravel, 1.45 for crushed limestone, 1.35 for river rock, and 1.6 for decomposed granite. If your supplier quotes their own figure, choose Custom density and enter it.
Enter a delivered price to get a cost estimate as well. Quarries usually quote per ton and landscape yards per cubic yard, so switch the price unit to match the quote you were given rather than converting it yourself.
Gravel for common project sizes
Rows assume typical crushed stone at 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Round up when ordering, since most suppliers sell in half-yard or half-ton steps.
| Area and depth | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 3 x 50 ft, 3 in (garden path) | 1.39 cubic yards | 1.94 tons |
| 10 x 10 ft, 2 in (pad top-up) | 0.62 cubic yards | 0.86 tons |
| 12 x 12 ft, 4 in (patio base) | 1.78 cubic yards | 2.49 tons |
| 10 x 20 ft, 4 in (parking spot) | 2.47 cubic yards | 3.46 tons |
| 12 x 40 ft, 4 in (driveway) | 5.93 cubic yards | 8.30 tons |
| 12 x 100 ft, 4 in (long driveway) | 14.81 cubic yards | 20.74 tons |
Gravel types and what each one is for
Gravel is sold by grade, and the grade matters more than the price difference between them. Clean stone has been screened so the fines are removed: it drains freely and stays loose, which is what you want around a pipe or under a shed. Dense-graded stone keeps the fines in, and those fines are what let a layer lock together into a hard crust when you compact it. Using the wrong one is the most common gravel mistake, and no amount of extra material fixes it.
#57 stone (about 3/4 to 1 inch, clean) is the general-purpose choice for drainage, French drains, and the top layer of a driveway. Crusher run, also sold as #411 or road base, mixes stone with fines and is the correct material for a compacted base under pavers, a shed, or a driveway. #2 and #3 stone (2 to 4 inches) is the large base rock that goes on soft subgrade before the finer layers. Screenings, sometimes called #10 or stone dust, are fine material used for leveling.
The decorative grades behave differently. Pea gravel and river rock are rounded rather than crushed, so the pieces roll past each other instead of interlocking. They look good in beds and on paths, but they will not hold a shape under load and they migrate out of an unedged area. Decomposed granite compacts into a firm surface and is popular for paths in dry climates, though it tracks indoors and washes in heavy rain.
How much does gravel cost?
Delivered crushed stone commonly runs about $30 to $70 per ton, which works out to roughly $40 to $100 per cubic yard at typical density. Decorative grades cost more: pea gravel and river rock often run $60 to $130 per ton. These are wide ranges because gravel is heavy and cheap to make, so haul distance from the quarry drives the price far more than the rock does. A quote 20 miles further out can cost noticeably more for identical material.
Delivery is usually a separate line, often $50 to $150 per load, and many suppliers set a minimum. Because the delivery fee is per trip rather than per ton, ordering slightly more in one load is almost always cheaper than a second delivery for a shortfall. Enter your quoted price above to get a total, and switch the price unit to match how you were quoted rather than converting the figure yourself.
Order a little more than the math says
Gravel is delivered loose and then compacted, and it loses roughly 10 to 20 percent of its volume in the process. The calculator returns the finished, in-place volume, so the loose material you order has to exceed it. Suppliers sell in half-yard and half-ton steps anyway, so rounding up to the next step usually covers compaction without a deliberate waste factor.
Two other things quietly consume material: a subgrade that is not level, since gravel fills every low spot before it starts building depth, and edges without restraint, since a path or driveway without a defined border keeps spreading sideways for years. If either applies, add 10 percent on top of rounding up. Running short is the expensive outcome, because a second delivery costs another full delivery fee for a fraction of a load.
Common questions
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
At a 2 inch depth, one ton of typical crushed stone covers roughly 100 square feet. At 3 inches it covers about 70 square feet, and at 4 inches about 50. Exact coverage depends on the material's density and how much it compacts.
How deep should gravel be for a driveway?
A proper gravel driveway is built in layers: about 4 inches of large base stone, then 3 to 4 inches of medium stone, topped with 2 to 3 inches of a smaller surface gravel like crusher run or #57 stone. For a light-duty refresh of an existing driveway, a 2 inch top-up layer is common.
Should I buy gravel by the yard or by the ton?
It is the same material either way, so compare the delivered price per cubic yard. Landscape yards usually price by the yard, quarries by the ton. Use the density figure to convert: at 1.4 tons per yard, a $50 per ton quote equals about $70 per cubic yard.
Which gravel type should I pick in the calculator?
Pick the material your supplier sells. Crusher run and #411 mix stone with fines and compact into a hard base, so they suit driveways and paver bases. #57 and other clean crushed stone drain freely, which suits French drains and surface layers. Pea gravel and river rock are rounded and decorative; they do not lock together, so they are a poor structural base. The choice changes the ton figure slightly, but it changes how the material performs a great deal.
How much does a ton of gravel cost?
Delivered crushed stone commonly runs about $30 to $70 per ton, or roughly $40 to $100 per cubic yard, with wide regional variation and a delivery fee that can add $50 to $150 per load. Enter your own quoted price in the calculator to get a total. Prices here are only a starting point, so confirm with a local supplier before budgeting.
Do I need landscape fabric under gravel?
For paths and decorative beds, fabric helps keep gravel from sinking into the soil and slows weeds. Under driveways, a woven geotextile is worth it on soft or clay soils because it keeps the base layer from pumping into the subgrade. Skip fabric under a compacted paver base, where it can interfere with drainage.