Gravel Calculator

Cubic yards and tons of gravel for a driveway, path, drainage trench or patio base. Handles rectangles and circles.

Dump truck tipping gravel and a plate compactor on a driveway base A single-axle dump truck raises its bed and tips crushed stone onto a growing pile, which is then spread. Beside it a plate compactor makes passes over a new lift of gravel inside timber edging, pressing the loose stone down to the string line that marks finished grade.

Prefer your local store? Enter its prices for a cost estimate.

Base reference

2″4–6″ EDGING, STAKEDCROWN, ¼″ FALL PER FT2″ #57 TOP STONECRUSHER RUN BASE, COMPACTEDGEOTEXTILE FABRICCOMPACTED SUBGRADE
Typical section, not to scale. Coverage figures assume about 1.4 tons per cubic yard; check the product with your supplier.

Depth by use

Walkway or path
2–3 in
Patio or shed base
4–6 in, compacted
Driveway base
4–6 in crusher run
Driveway top
2–3 in #57
Soft or clay soil
add 2 in + fabric

Which gravel

#57 crushed, ½–1 in
drains, top coat
Crusher run, ¾ in minus
base, packs hard
Pea gravel, ⅜ in
paths, stays loose
River rock, 1–3 in
beds, dry creeks
Not for drains
crusher run, fines

Weight and coverage

#57 crushed stone
≈ 1.4 t / yd³
Crusher run
≈ 1.5 t / yd³
Pea gravel, river rock
≈ 1.3–1.4 t / yd³
1 ton at 2 in
≈ 115 ft²
1 ton at 3 in
≈ 77 ft²
1 ton at 4 in
≈ 58 ft²

Hauling and placing

Half-ton pickup
≈ ½ t per trip
Single-axle dump
≈ 5–7 t
Tandem dump
≈ 12–15 t
Wheelbarrow
≈ 9 loads / yd³
Compaction lifts
2–4 in each

Safety A cubic yard of gravel weighs close to 3,000 lb: check your truck or trailer payload before loading. Call 811 before you dig, and wear eye and hearing protection with a plate compactor.

Full notes
  • Quarries and yards sell gravel by the ton; crushed stone weighs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard (pea gravel and river rock are closer to 1.3-1.5).
  • Driveways need 4-6 inches of compacted stone. Walkways and patio bases need 3-4 inches.
  • Add 5-10% for compaction. Compacted stone settles about 15-20% from loose depth.
  • Put landscape fabric under gravel to stop weeds and keep the stone from sinking into soft soil.

Planning a bigger project?

Concrete CalculatorHow many cubic yards of concrete, or how many 40, 60 and 80 lb bags, you need for a slab, patio, walkway, footing pad or round pier.Mulch CalculatorHow many cubic yards, or 2 cubic foot bags, of mulch you need for flower beds, tree rings and borders.Project: Build a PatioAll the calculators for this job in order.

Common sizes

Drag to change the size
12 × 16 ft192 ft²
3 in deep1.87 yd³ · 101 × 0.5 cu ft bag4 in deep2.49 yd³ · 135 × 0.5 cu ft bag
4 × 8 ft24 × 24 ft

Drag the corner of the shape or the slider. Grid squares are 2 ft. Tap a result to load it into the calculator.