Gravel Calculator: How Much Gravel Do I Need?
Enter the area you are covering and how deep you want the stone. You will get the volume in cubic yards, the same order by weight in tons, and an optional cost — because suppliers quote either way.
Area and depth
Use dimensions or enter the total area if you already measured it.
Purchase quantities include a 5% allowance and round up to a quarter yard or quarter ton. Gravel also compacts, so a driveway base may take more than the allowance covers.
How much gravel do I need?
Multiply the area by the depth to get a volume, then convert it. Cubic yards is the honest unit — tons depend on how heavy the particular stone is, which is why the density is something you set rather than something buried in the calculator.
Gravel compacts under traffic. For a driveway base, plan to order the compacted depth you want and expect to add more after the first season, rather than trying to guess a compaction factor up front.
How deep should the gravel be?
| Depth | Typical use | 1 cubic yard covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | Refreshing an existing surface | about 162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | Paths and light foot traffic | about 108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | Driveways and parking areas | about 81 sq ft |
Coverage is 324 ÷ depth in inches, because one cubic yard spread one inch deep covers 324 square feet.
Tons or cubic yards?
Suppliers quote gravel either way, and the conversion is the density of the stone. Heavier stone means more tons for the same hole in the ground, so comparing a per-ton price against a per-yard price without knowing the density is comparing nothing.
| Material | Typical tons per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| Crushed stone | 1.4 |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 |
| River rock | 1.35 |
These are starting points. Density varies with the stone and with how wet it is — ask your supplier for theirs and enter it above.
How to measure
For a driveway, measure the surface you will actually drive on, not the disturbed ground around it.
Add each one as its own area. The totals are summed before rounding, so splitting never changes the order.
Depth is what you want once the stone is raked level, not the depth of the hole you dug.
Common mistakes
- Comparing a per-ton price with a per-yard price without knowing the density.
- Ordering the excavated depth instead of the finished depth.
- Forgetting that gravel compacts, especially under vehicles.
- Measuring in inches and entering the number as feet.
Laying pavers on top?
Work out the paver count and the bedding sand over this base.
Open the Paver Calculator →