Gravel Calculator
Estimates only. Confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.
Most gravel weighs about 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so a typical single-car driveway (10 × 20 ft at 4 inches deep) needs roughly 3.3 tons of crushed stone, or about 3.7 tons once you add a compaction allowance. Set your area, depth, and stone type below for exact tons, cubic yards, bag count, and truckloads.
Gravel density and coverage by type
| Gravel type | Density (tons/yd³) | Density (lb/ft³) | Coverage at 2" (sq ft/ton) | Coverage at 4" (sq ft/ton) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone (¾") | 1.35 | 100 | 120 | 60 | Driveways, base course |
| Crushed stone #57 | 1.22 | 90 | 133 | 66 | Clean drainage, free-draining base |
| Pea gravel | 1.40 | 104 | 116 | 58 | Walkways, patios, play areas |
| Crusher run / road base | 1.50 | 111 | 108 | 54 | Compacted driveway base |
| Dense-graded aggregate (DGA/QP) | 1.69 | 125 | 96 | 48 | Hard-compacting base |
| River rock | 1.30 | 96 | 125 | 62 | Decorative beds, dry creek |
| Decomposed granite | 1.39 | 103 | 117 | 58 | Pathways, xeriscaping |
| Marble chips | 1.28 | 95 | 127 | 63 | Decorative beds, borders |
| Riprap | 1.35 | 100 | 120 | 60 | Erosion control, slopes |
| Sand | 1.28 | 95 | 127 | 63 | Paver bedding, leveling |
| Recycled concrete | 1.35 | 100 | 120 | 60 | Budget base material |
| Lava rock | 0.75 | 55 | 216 | 108 | Lightweight decorative cover |
How to estimate gravel
Gravel is estimated by volume, then converted to weight for ordering. Multiply your area in square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324 to get cubic yards, or use the shortcut this calculator runs: length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. Multiply cubic yards by the stone's density — about 1.35 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone — to get tons. Suppliers sell by the ton or the cubic yard, so having both figures lets you match whichever unit they quote.
Depth is the input people get wrong
Coverage changes with depth, not just area. The same ton of stone that covers about 120 square feet at 2 inches covers only about 60 square feet at 4 inches. Use 4–6 inches for a driveway, 2–3 inches for a walkway or decorative bed (for organic beds, the mulch calculator sizes bark and wood chips the same way), and 3–6 inches for drainage. Build depths over 6 inches in separate compacted lifts rather than one deep pour, in line with Ohio DOT aggregate practice, and add depth over soft or clay soil rather than removing it.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the compaction allowance. Loose gravel settles to roughly 85–90% of its delivered volume, so order 10–15% extra — the overage field above builds this in. If you're laying gravel as a driveway base under pavement, use the asphalt calculator to size the top layer, or the concrete calculator if you're pouring a slab over it instead.
- Using one density for every stone. Pea gravel, crusher run, and lava rock differ enough that a single default throws the tonnage off. Pick the actual type you're buying; note that rounded pea gravel can run slightly lighter than angular crushed stone depending on the source.
- Irregular areas. This calculator handles rectangles and circles. For an L-shape or curve, split it into simple sections, run each, and add the cubic yards together.
Gravel types and grades
"Gravel" covers a range of grades that behave differently underfoot and weigh different amounts per yard, which is why the type selector changes your tonnage. Pick the one you're actually buying — this works as a pea gravel calculator, a 57 stone calculator, and a landscape rock coverage calculator in one, because each type carries its own density rather than a single blanket default.
Pea gravel
Rounded stones about ⅜ inch across, at roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard. It's comfortable for walkways, patios, and play areas but rolls underfoot, so it won't hold a driveway surface without an edge and a firmer base beneath it. Use a 2–3 inch depth for foot traffic.
Crushed stone #57
Washed, roughly 1-inch angular stone with the fines screened out, near 1.22 tons per cubic yard. The clean gaps make it the go-to for drainage and free-draining base, but with no fines to bind it, #57 stays loose and won't compact into a hard surface on its own.
Crusher run and road base
Angular stone mixed with fines (also sold as dense-graded aggregate or QP), around 1.5 tons per cubic yard. The fines let it lock up hard when rolled, which is why it's the standard base for a gravel driveway — as a gravel driveway calculator, set the type to crusher run and a 4–6 inch depth. It's the heaviest common material here, so the same volume costs more in tonnage than clean stone.
Landscape and decorative rock
Decorative stone is chosen by look rather than compaction — river rock, marble chips, decomposed granite, and lava rock all sit in the type list. Lava rock is the outlier at about 0.75 tons per cubic yard, so it covers far more ground per ton than any crushed stone. For a bed of smooth, rounded stone specifically, the river rock calculator is tuned to that use, and the stone calculator covers denser landscape and patio-base stone.
Gravel cost
Bulk gravel is cheap by the ton and expensive to move, so the material price and the delivery are worth pricing separately. The ranges below are national bulk figures for material alone; enter your local price per ton in the calculator to turn tonnage into a dollar total, which doubles as a gravel driveway cost calculator once you've set driveway depth.
| Gravel type | Per ton | Per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Crushed stone / base | $10–$30 | $15–$45 |
| Pea gravel | $25–$55 | $30–$80 |
| River rock / decorative | $35–$90 | $45–$100 |
Delivery is the swing factor. A tandem-axle dump truck load of 12–15 tons typically runs $300–$1,000 delivered, so per-ton cost falls as the load grows and rises fast for small part-loads that still owe a full trip charge. Bagged gravel costs several times more per ton than a bulk drop — worth it only where a truck can't reach.
About these figures: per-type densities and coverage follow the bulk aggregate references cited below (Vertigraph, USGS, and CalculatorSoup). The price ranges are national 2025–2026 material estimates from published cost guides (HomeGuide and industry pricing data) and swing heavily by region and delivery distance — always confirm with a local supplier quote before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?
Most gravel runs about 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so one cubic yard weighs roughly 2,600 to 3,000 pounds. Crushed stone is about 1.35 tons per cubic yard, pea gravel about 1.4, and dense crusher run closer to 1.5. Lightweight lava rock is the exception at well under a ton per yard. The exact figure depends on moisture, particle size, and the parent rock, so ask your supplier for their tested density on large orders.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.67 to 0.77 cubic yards make up one ton of gravel, since a cubic yard weighs 1.3 to 1.5 tons. To convert cubic yards to tons, multiply yards by the stone's density — around 1.35 for crushed stone — and to go from tons back to yards, divide by the same number. For example, 5 cubic yards of crushed stone is about 6.75 tons, and 10 tons is about 7.4 yards. The calculator above shows both units at once so you can order in whichever one your supplier quotes.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
A cubic yard of typical gravel weighs about 2,700 to 3,000 pounds, or 1.35 to 1.5 tons. That is the loose, as-delivered weight; once compacted the same stone occupies less space, which is why ordering by weight is more reliable than by loose volume for base work.
How much gravel do I need for a driveway?
A single-car driveway of about 10 by 20 feet at 4 inches deep needs roughly 3.3 tons of crushed stone, or about 3.7 tons once you add a 10 percent compaction allowance; a two-car driveway of similar length needs about 7 tons. Enter your real dimensions above for an exact figure. Driveways over soft or clay soil need a deeper base course, which raises the total, so measure the depth you actually plan to build to rather than the finished surface alone.
How much does gravel cost per ton, per yard, and per load?
Bulk gravel runs roughly $10 to $60 per ton or $15 to $75 per cubic yard for the material alone, with plain crushed stone at the low end and decorative river rock at the top; the Gravel cost section above breaks the range down by type. A delivered dump-truck load of 10 to 13 tons typically runs $300 to $1,000 including haulage, so per-ton delivered cost drops as the load grows. Enter a price per ton in the calculator to turn your tonnage into a dollar figure. Bagged gravel costs several times more per ton than a bulk drop, so reserve bags for small jobs a truck can't reach.
What area does 1 ton of gravel cover?
One ton of crushed stone covers roughly 120 square feet at 2 inches deep, about 80 square feet at 3 inches, or 60 square feet at 4 inches. Coverage drops as depth increases because you are spreading the same weight over a thicker layer. Lighter stone like lava rock covers far more area per ton, while dense crusher run covers a little less.
How many 50 lb bags of gravel are in a cubic yard?
About 54 fifty-pound bags of crushed stone make up one cubic yard, since a cubic yard weighs roughly 2,700 pounds. That is around 40 bags of the heavier 80-pound size. Bagged gravel costs several times more per ton than bulk delivery, so bags only make sense for small jobs where a bulk drop is impractical.
How deep should gravel be?
Use 4 to 6 inches for a driveway, 2 to 3 inches for a walkway or decorative bed, and 3 to 6 inches for drainage. Keep any single compacted lift to 6 inches or less and build deeper sections in layers, per Ohio DOT aggregate practice. Depth over soft ground should go up, not down, because the base has to spread the load.
Should I order gravel by the ton or by the cubic yard?
Order by whichever unit your supplier prices in, and use this calculator to convert so the two match. Bulk yards are common for landscape suppliers while quarries often sell by the ton. Ordering by weight is more precise for compacted base because loose volume shrinks once the stone is rolled.
How many tons of gravel fit in a dump truck?
A standard tandem-axle dump truck — the most common size for home deliveries — carries about 12 to 15 tons of gravel, or roughly 10 to 12 cubic yards. A smaller single-axle truck holds about 5 to 7 tons (4 to 5 yards), which suits tight access or small jobs. So one ton of gravel is only a fraction of a load; suppliers usually price a full truckload rather than deliver a single ton, and part-loads still pay the same delivery fee. Once your estimate above passes 10 to 12 tons, plan on more than one tandem load or a larger tri-axle.
How much extra gravel should I order for waste and compaction?
Add 10 to 15 percent to the bare calculated volume. Loose gravel settles to about 85 to 90 percent of its delivered volume once compacted, and you also lose material to spillage, uneven subgrade, and slightly over-thick spots. The overage field above applies this allowance for you; use the higher end for base courses that will be heavily compacted.
Related calculators
Sources
- Gravel Roads: Maintenance and Design ManualU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Surface and base-course guidance for aggregate roads and drives, including layer function and depth.
- How to Calculate Gravel Tonnage — Depth, Density, OrderingVertigraphPer-material loose bulk densities (tons per cubic yard) and compaction/overage guidance used for the type table.
- Crushed Stone — Statistics and InformationU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Minerals Information CenterAuthoritative material reference for crushed stone used to sanity-check density ranges.
- Gravel Calculator — Material Weights and DensitiesCalculatorSoupPublished per-material densities (lb/yd³) for the specialty types — #57 stone, DGA/QP, decomposed granite, marble chips, and riprap — converted here to tons per cubic yard.
- How Much Does Crushed Stone or Gravel Cost?HomeGuideNational bulk price ranges (per ton, per cubic yard, and per truckload) used for the gravel cost table; regional rates vary widely.