Gravel calculator
Gravel yards sell by the ton or the cubic yard, and the two are not interchangeable. Enter the area and depth, choose the material, and you get both numbers plus a cost estimate.
How the gravel calculator works
The calculator multiplies length by width to get area, multiplies by depth to get cubic feet, and divides by 27 for cubic yards. It then applies a density figure for the material you chose to convert yards into tons, which is how most quarries and landscape suppliers sell loose stone.
Densities vary with moisture and stone size, so the figures here are typical mid-range values: crushed limestone and #57 stone about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, pea gravel about 1.35, and dense road base like crusher run up to 1.5 once compacted. Your supplier can give you their exact conversion if you want to fine-tune it.
Formula
cubic yards = length ft × width ft × depth in ÷ 12 ÷ 27
tons = cubic yards × density (tons per cubic yard)
Example: a 50 × 12 ft driveway at 4 inches of crusher run is 50 × 12 × 0.333 = 200 cubic feet, or 7.4 cubic yards. With 10 percent for compaction that is 8.1 yards, and at 1.5 tons per yard you should order about 12 tons.
Choosing depth and material
| Use | Material | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Walkway or patio top layer | Pea gravel or 3/8 in chips | 2 to 3 in |
| Base under pavers or a slab | Crusher run or #57 stone | 4 to 6 in, compacted |
| Gravel driveway, new | Base of #3 stone, top of crusher run | 4 in base + 4 in top |
| French drain | Washed #57 stone | Fill the trench around the pipe |
| Decorative beds | River rock or decomposed granite | 2 to 3 in over landscape fabric |
Compact base layers in lifts no thicker than 4 inches. If you are putting a slab on top, the concrete calculator handles the next step.
Common sizes, already worked out
Common questions
How many tons of gravel are in a cubic yard?
Between 1.3 and 1.5 tons depending on the stone. Crushed limestone runs about 1.4 tons per yard; dense, compacted crusher run can reach 1.5. Ask your quarry for their number if the order is large.
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
At 2 inches deep, one ton of typical crushed stone covers about 100 square feet. At 4 inches it covers about 50 square feet. Deeper layers cover proportionally less.
How much gravel fits in a pickup truck?
A half-ton pickup is rated for roughly 1,000 pounds of payload, so one load is about half a ton, or a third of a cubic yard. A full-size three-quarter-ton truck can carry around a ton. Loose gravel weighs more than it looks, so do not fill the bed level.
Should I buy gravel by the ton or by the yard?
Buy however your supplier prices it, but compare using this calculator. A yard of stone is roughly 1.4 tons, so a price of $40 per ton equals about $56 per yard. Bags are far more expensive per yard and only make sense for very small areas.