How this gravel calculator works
Gravel is sold by weight (tons) or volume (cubic yards), and the difference between the two is density. The calculator computes the volume from your area and depth, applies the material’s estimating density, then adds a compaction allowance and rounds up to the quarter ton or quarter yard a supplier will actually load:
tons = yd³ × density × (1 + compaction%) → rounded up to ¼ ton
At the defaults — a 20 × 10 ft pad, 3 in of crushed stone, 10% compaction — that’s an order of 3 tons or 2.25 yd³, about $135 in bulk. The full line-by-line math is in the worked example below, and every table on this page is generated by the same engine.
What type of gravel do I need?
Angular stone locks together and carries load; rounded stone stays loose and looks good — that one distinction sorts almost every gravel decision. The main types below all run through this calculator; the gravel size chart decodes the #8-to-rip-rap screen numbers on the quarry board.
Crushed stone (#57 and friends)
Quarried rock crushed angular and screened to size — the workhorse for drainage layers, concrete prep and driveway topping. Clean ¾ in #57 is the default order. In most of the country it’s crushed limestone; the limestone calculator carries the grade-specific densities.
Crusher run and road base
Crushed stone with the fines left in, so it compacts into a near-solid crust — the correct base under driveways, sheds and pavers. It estimates denser than clean stone once compacted; the road base calculator runs the dense-grade numbers and lift thicknesses.
Pea gravel
River-worn rounds about ⅜ in across: kind to bare feet and paw pads, self-leveling around stepping stones, and never structural — it rolls instead of locking. Contain it with edging or it migrates. Estimates at 1.3 tons per yard, the lightest on the menu.
River rock
The same rounded stone in bigger sizes — ¾ in to 5 in — used as ground cover, dry creeks and drainage swales. Bigger stone needs a deeper layer to hide the fabric underneath, which is why the river rock calculator ties depth to stone size.
Recycled crushed concrete
Demolition concrete re-crushed into base — compacts like dense-grade at roughly half the price, and the greenest ton on the list. Fine under driveways and slabs, not for show surfaces; the crushed concrete calculator prices the budget driveway.
Stone dust and screenings
The powder-to-⅛-in leftovers from crushing, used as the final setting bed under pavers and as a path topping that packs hard. Order it through the stone dust calculator when the job calls for a screeded bed rather than a drainage layer.
How deep should gravel be?
Two to three inches for looks, four-plus for load — depth is set by what the gravel has to do, and it’s the input that moves your tonnage most:
- Paths & decorative beds: 2–3 in over landscape fabric keeps stone from disappearing into the soil.
- Patio & paver base: 4 in of compacted crushed base under the bedding sand — compacted in lifts, never dumped full-depth.
- Driveways: 4–6 in of base for cars; new construction over soft ground often runs 8 in+ in two layers (larger stone below, finer above). The gravel driveway calculator prices all three lifts from one driveway size.
- Drainage (French drains): the pipe wants 12 in of washed round stone, not crushed fines.
Gravel prices: bulk vs bagged
Bulk gravel runs $35–60 a ton for common crushed stone in 2026; the same ton carried home as half-cubic-foot bags costs three to five times that. On the default pad the gap is $135 bulk against $550 in bags — about four times the money for the same stone. Bags earn their keep only under roughly half a yard (about 30 bags), where a bulk delivery fee would eat the savings.
| Material | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Crushed stone #57 | $35–60 |
| Crusher run / road base | $30–50 |
| Recycled crushed concrete | $20–40 |
| Pea gravel | $45–75 |
| River rock | $60–120 |
| Bagged, any (0.5 ft³) | $4–7 / bag |
Prices swing with hauling distance more than with stone: the closer the quarry, the cheaper the ton. Delivery is usually a flat $50–150 per load on top, sometimes waived over a minimum tonnage — ask when you call.
How much does a ton of gravel cover?
One ton of crushed stone occupies about 19.3 ft³, so coverage is that volume spread over your depth — 77 ft² at 3 in. Table 2 gives the engine’s coverage figures; Table 3 turns common projects straight into order quantities.
| Depth | Coverage |
|---|---|
| 2 in | ≈ 116 ft² |
| 3 in | ≈ 77 ft² |
| 4 in | ≈ 58 ft² |
| 6 in | ≈ 39 ft² |
| Project | Tons | yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft path, 3 in | 1.5 | 1.25 |
| 20 × 10 ft pad, 3 in | 3 | 2.25 |
| 20 × 20 ft patio, 3 in | 5.75 | 4.25 |
| 50 × 10 ft driveway, 4 in | 9.75 | 7 |
| 60 × 12 ft driveway, 4 in | 13.75 | 10 |
How to measure for gravel
A tape, a depth decision, and a phone call for pricing — that’s the whole survey. Dimension fields take feet-inches (20, 20 ft 6 in) or metric (6 m) and convert on the fly.
- Measure length and width of the area. Odd shapes break into rectangles — run each through the calculator and add the orders, or total the area first with the square footage calculator.
- Curves and circles: measure the bounding rectangle a touch generously and let the compaction allowance absorb the trim — quarries don’t sell part-tons of precision.
- Pick the depth by the job — 2–3 in decorative, 4 in patio base, 4–6 in driveway, 12 in French drain — per the depth guide above.
- Pick the material. The density loads automatically: 1.4 t/yd³ crushed, 1.3 pea gravel, 1.35 river rock or sand (the sand calculator handles bedding-depth specifics).
- Set the compaction allowance. 10% covers settling and spillage on loose stone; go 15% for crushed base you’ll plate-compact under a driveway or pavers.
- Enter the quarry’s price per ton (delivered, ideally) — or the bag price if the job is small enough to haul yourself.
- Order in the unit your supplier sells. Quarries sell tons, landscape yards often sell cubic yards — the calculator shows both, rounded up to the quarter unit.
Worked example: gravel for a 20 × 10 ft pad
The defaults, worked line by line — 20 × 10 ft, 3 in of crushed stone at 1.4 t/yd³, 10% compaction, $45 a ton, $5 bags:
volume = 200 × (3 ÷ 12) = 50 ft³ = 50 ÷ 27 = 1.85 yd³
weight = 1.85 × 1.4 = 2.59 tons
compaction = 2.59 × 1.10 = 2.85 → order 3 tons (¼-ton rounding)
cost = 3 × $45 = $135 bulk
bag check = (50 × 1.10) ÷ 0.5 = 110 bags ≈ $550
Cross-check it from the coverage direction: 200 ft² ÷ 77 ft²-per-ton ≈ 2.6 tons before compaction — same answer either way. And the $135-versus-$550 line is the whole bulk-or-bags argument settled in one pad.
The volume order works the same: 1.85 yd³ × 1.10 = 2.04, rounded up to 2.25 yd³ — what you’d ask a landscape yard to load if they sell by the bucket instead of the scale.
What this gravel estimate doesn’t include
The calculator prices the stone itself. The rest of a gravel job is site work — small money individually, real money forgotten together:
- Delivery. Typically a flat $50–150 per load; short-load fees apply under a supplier’s minimum.
- Landscape fabric / geotextile. Commonly $0.15–0.50 per ft² — under decorative stone it stops sinking, under driveways it separates base from subgrade.
- Edging. Steel, aluminum or paver restraint to keep loose stone where you put it.
- Compactor rental. A plate compactor runs about $90–120 a day — non-negotiable for base layers.
- Excavation and haul-off. Digging out sod and spoil, and paying to dump it, often costs more than the stone.
- Spreading labor. A delivered pile is not a finished surface; hired spreading commonly runs $10–20 per ton.
Gravel FAQ
How many tons of gravel are in a cubic yard?
About 1.4 tons for crushed stone and gravel, 1.3 for pea gravel, and 1.35 for river rock or sand — the standard estimating figures. Your quarry weighs the truck, so their ticket is the final word; these densities get the order right.
How much gravel do I need for a driveway?
A 50 × 10 ft driveway at 4 in deep needs 7 yd³, or about 9.75 tons of crushed stone with 10% compaction. New driveways want 4–6 in of base placed in compacted lifts — double the depth and the tonnage roughly doubles with it.
How much gravel do I need for a 20x20 patio?
At the 4 in base depth a 20 × 20 ft patio takes 7.75 tons of crushed stone (or 5.5 yd³) with 10% compaction — about $349 at $45 a ton. At a 3 in landscaping depth the same square drops to 5.75 tons.
How much does a ton of gravel cover?
At 3 in deep, one ton of crushed stone covers about 77 ft²; at 2 in, about 116 ft²; at 4 in, 58 ft². The calculator shows the live coverage figure for whatever depth and material you set.
How many bags of gravel make a ton?
About 39: a ton of crushed stone occupies roughly 19.3 ft³ and the common bag holds half a cubic foot. At $4–7 a bag that ton runs $156–273 bagged against $35–60 in bulk — which is why bulk wins everything past a touch-up.
What is the difference between pea gravel and crushed stone?
Pea gravel is rounded, so it stays loose underfoot and rolls — good for paths and drainage, bad under anything structural. Crushed stone is angular and locks together when compacted, which is why driveway and paver bases specify it. It is also slightly denser: 1.4 vs 1.3 tons per yard.
What size gravel is best for a driveway?
Dense-graded crusher run for the base — its fines lock the layer tight — topped, if you like, with clean ⅜–¾ in crushed stone for looks. Rounded pea gravel and river rock roll underfoot and never compact, so keep them decorative. The gravel size chart decodes the screen numbers.
Should I buy gravel in bags or bulk?
Bulk wins fast: the default 20 × 10 ft pad is 3 tons — about $135 delivered in bulk versus $550 as 110 half-cubic-foot bags. Bags only make sense for touch-ups and small paths under roughly half a yard.
Sources and standards
The gradations and densities behind this gravel calculator come from the standards quarries actually screen to:
- ASTM C33: the standard specification for aggregates — gradation limits and quality requirements.
- AASHTO M43: the source of the #8, #57, #3 size designations on the quarry board.
- ASTM D2940: graded aggregate bases — why dense-grade compacts the way it does.
- State DOT base courses: the 95%-compaction, 2–3 in lift practice this page’s depth guide follows.
- The scale ticket: densities here are standard estimating figures — the weight your quarry prints governs the invoice.
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