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Gravel Calculator
Gravel is ordered by the ton but spread by the cubic yard, and the conversion between them is where most orders go wrong. Enter your area and depth, pick the material, and get both numbers — plus what a ton of it covers at your depth, so you can sanity-check any quote.
Your results
Shopping list — buy this much
Order in whole or half tons as your yard sells it, and round up — settling into the base makes a 3 in layer measurably thinner within a season, and a second small delivery costs more than the extra half ton would have.
How it works
Tons = cu yd × material density
The density is the whole ballgame. A cubic yard of gravel is not a fixed weight: crushed stone with fines packs to about 1.45 tons per yard, standard driveway gravel about 1.40, and rounded river rock and pea gravel — which don't lock together — about 1.35. Suppliers know their own material; if your yard quotes a different tons-per-yard figure than the preset here, trust theirs and adjust the material choice to match.
Coverage cheat sheet (crushed gravel, 1.40 tons/yd³)
| Depth | 1 ton covers | Tons per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | ~116 sq ft | 0.86 |
| 3 in | ~77 sq ft | 1.30 |
| 4 in | ~58 sq ft | 1.73 |
| 6 in | ~39 sq ft | 2.59 |
Crushed stone, river rock, or pea gravel?
Crushed material has angular faces that lock under compaction — it's what driveways and base layers want. River rock is rounded and decorative; it looks right in beds and drainage swales but migrates under tires and feet. Pea gravel is small rounded stone for paths and play areas — comfortable, and equally prone to wandering. Same calculator, different density and very different behavior.
Worked example
A 20×10 ft driveway section at 3 in of crushed gravel: 200 sq ft × 0.25 ft = 50 cu ft = 1.85 cu yd, and at 1.40 tons per yard that's 2.59 tons — call it 3 tons ordered, about $117 in material at $45/ton before delivery. Each of those tons covers roughly 77 sq ft at this depth, the quickest check on a supplier's math you'll ever do.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons of gravel do I need for a driveway?
Multiply length × width × depth (in feet) ÷ 27 for cubic yards, then × 1.4 for crushed gravel. A standard 20x10 ft driveway area at 4 in deep is 2.47 cu yd ≈ 3.5 tons. Most residential driveways are built in two lifts: a coarse base layer plus a finer top layer.
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
About 2,700–2,900 lb (1.35–1.45 tons) depending on the stone. Crushed stone with fines is heaviest at ~1.45 tons per yard; rounded river rock and pea gravel are lightest at ~1.35. One yard is roughly a full-size pickup load — and over most trucks' payload rating, which is why delivery exists.
How much area does 1 ton of gravel cover?
At 3 inches deep, about 77 sq ft of crushed gravel per ton. At 2 in, ~116 sq ft; at 4 in, ~58 sq ft. The formula: 324 ÷ (density in tons/yd³ × depth in inches). If a quote's coverage sounds much better than this, the layer is thinner than promised.
What size gravel is best for a driveway?
Build it in layers: 2–3 in stone (#3 or #4) as the base, then 3/4 in crushed with fines (#57 or crusher run) on top — the fines are what let it compact into a hard surface. Decorative rounded stone on a driveway is a maintenance subscription: it ruts, migrates and needs topping up.
Should I put landscape fabric under gravel?
Under paths and decorative beds, yes — it slows weeds and keeps stone from sinking into soil. Under driveways, use a woven geotextile rated for the load, or skip it: cheap fabric under vehicle traffic shreds and makes regrading miserable. On clay soil, the fabric matters more than the extra inch of stone.
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About the author
Harrison Alley is a web publisher and data enthusiast based in Dallas, Texas. He built Urbarama’s remodeling calculators and maintains them.
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