Gravel Calculator

How to Use This Calculator

Enter length and width in feet. Depth depends on what you're building: 2 to 3 inches for a garden path, 4 inches for a standard residential driveway, 6 inches where trucks will drive. Select your gravel type; weight changes by material, so this affects the ton estimate. Results include 10% for settling and edge losses. For L-shaped or irregular areas, run the calculator once per rectangle and add the cubic yard totals. Use cubic yards when ordering from a landscape supplier. Use tons when calling a quarry. They price by weight, not volume.

How to Calculate Gravel

Three steps. Convert depth to feet by dividing inches by 12. Multiply length × width × depth to get cubic feet. Divide by 27. There are exactly 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard.

Formula: cubic yards = (length × width × depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27

Worked example: a 20 × 10 driveway at 4 inches deep: 20 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) = 66.7 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards. Add 10% waste: 2.72, which rounds up to 3 cubic yards to order.

Landscape suppliers sell by the cubic yard. Quarries sell by the ton. To convert, multiply cubic yards by density: crushed gravel is 1.40 tons per yard, pea gravel and river rock are 1.35, limestone and granite are 1.50. Gravel weighs more when wet. If your supplier gives you an actual per-yard weight, use that number instead of the density table.

Gravel Tips

Depth matters more than gravel type. Two to three inches works for foot-traffic paths. Four inches is the minimum for a residential driveway. Not 3, not 3.5, four. Go to 6 inches where trucks drive or in clay-heavy soil. Clay doesn't drain; gravel on saturated clay will shift no matter how much you order.

Layer your driveway if you want it to last. Use 3/4-inch crushed stone compacted to 4 inches as the base, then 1–2 inches of 3/8-inch or pea gravel on top. The angular base locks together under load. The finer top layer gives you a surface that doesn't eat shoes. Pea gravel alone as a driveway surface migrates under tire pressure. You'll be raking it back every spring.

Compact before you call the job done. Freshly delivered gravel settles 15–20% in the first few months. A plate compactor rents for about $100 per day, takes an hour on a standard driveway, and prevents every low spot that would otherwise fill with standing water by the following spring.

Get at least two supplier quotes before ordering. Bulk gravel pricing varies more than almost any other construction material. Delivered cost depends almost entirely on your distance from the quarry. Two phone calls take 20 minutes and can easily save $150 on a single driveway order.

What to Buy

Driveways and high-traffic areas: 3/4-inch crushed stone or road base. It compacts well, handles vehicle loads, and stays put under pressure. Avoid pea gravel for driveways. It migrates under tires and needs constant maintenance to keep it in place.

Paths, dog runs, and garden beds: pea gravel or river rock. River rock is also the right call for French drains and drainage channels where water needs to move freely through the material.

For anything over 1 cubic yard, order in bulk. Most landscape suppliers deliver with a 2–5 ton minimum. Call ahead to confirm truck access. A dump truck needs a clear, firm run to your project site. Ask about fuel surcharges upfront; they're common and often missing from the initial quote. Under 1 cubic yard, 50-pound bags from Home Depot or Lowe's cover roughly 0.5 cubic feet each. Buy from the same pallet to keep the stone color consistent.

Frequently Asked Questions