This gravel coverage calculator, also used as a stone calculator, rock calculator or aggregate calculator, converts your area and depth into cubic yards, tons, bags and cost in real time.
Enter your area, depth and material
Unit system
Area shape
Compaction buffer
Your results
Volume you need
0.93 cubic yards
25.0 cu ft · 0.71 cu m
Area
100.0 sq ft
9.29 sq m
Weight
1.31 US tons
2,625 lbs · 1.19 tonnes
Bags needed
50 bags
0.5 cu ft bags, rounded up
Estimated cost
-
Add a price to see cost
You need 0.93 cubic yards of pea gravel, about 1.31 US tons, to cover 100.0 sq ft at a 3-inch depth.
Gravel is also sold in bulk bags holding roughly 850 kg to 1 tonne each, sitting between loose truckload delivery and the 0.5 cubic foot bags counted above.
Four steps
Run the calculator in under a minute: measure your space, set your depth, choose your material, and read your results. Each step feeds the next, and the figures update the moment you change a field.
Measure the length and width of the area in feet, or switch the calculator to metric and work in meters. For a round patio or fire-pit ring, measure the diameter instead. For a triangular corner bed, measure the base and the perpendicular height.
Enter how deep the gravel layer should sit, in inches or centimeters. Pathways take 2 to 3 inches, landscaping beds take 1 to 2 inches, and driveways take 6 to 9 inches across the base and surface layers combined.
Pick your aggregate from the dropdown so the calculator applies the right density, or enter a custom density if your supplier quotes a different figure. Add a 5 or 10 percent compaction buffer for any layer that will be rolled or tamped.
Read the cubic yards, tons, cubic meters and bag count straight from the result cards. Enter a price per ton or per cubic yard and the estimated project cost appears alongside them.
In prose: measure the length and width of the area in feet, or the diameter if the space is round, then enter your layer thickness in inches. Three inches suits most paths, while a driveway needs considerably more. Select the aggregate you plan to buy so the correct density is applied, since a cubic yard of Class 5 base rock weighs just over 400 pounds more than a cubic yard of crushed stone #411. The result cards then report volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters, weight in pounds, US tons and metric tonnes, the bag count, and a project total once you add a price.
The manual method
You need Length × Width × Depth ÷ 27 cubic yards of gravel. Length and width are measured in feet, depth is converted from inches to feet by dividing by 12, and the final division by 27 turns cubic feet into cubic yards because a cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet.
Gravel volume diagram. A plan view of a rectangular area labeled 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, with a side profile beneath it showing a 3 inch gravel layer over compacted subgrade.
Rectangular area
cubic yards = (length ft × width ft × depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27
Circular area
cubic yards = (π × radius ft² × depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27
Weight
US tons = cubic feet × density lb/ft³ ÷ 2,000
The diagram above measures a rectangle 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, filled with a 3-inch gravel layer sitting on compacted subgrade. Work it through: 20 × 10 gives 200 square feet of surface. Three inches converts to 0.25 feet, and 200 × 0.25 gives 50 cubic feet of material. Dividing 50 by 27 produces 1.85 cubic yards. At the standard density of 105 pounds per cubic foot, those 50 cubic feet weigh 5,250 pounds, which is 2.63 US tons.
Round areas follow the same logic with a different area step, because the shape of the footprint is the only thing that changes. Multiply pi by the radius squared, where the radius is half the diameter. A 12-foot circular fire-pit surround has a 6-foot radius, so its area is 3.1416 × 36, or 113.1 square feet. At the same 3-inch depth that comes to 28.3 cubic feet, which is 1.05 cubic yards, roughly 2,969 pounds, or 1.48 tons of standard gravel. Triangular corner beds work the same way again using half the base times the perpendicular height.
Add a compaction buffer of 5 to 10 percent to whatever the formula returns. This extra amount is also called overage, or a wastage allowance, and it covers settling, uneven excavation and small measurement errors. Loose aggregate arrives full of air voids, and rolling, tamping or simply driving over it drives those voids out, which drops the finished layer below the depth you measured for. Base materials that contain fines (crusher run, Class 5 and #411) settle the most, so give those the full 10 percent. Clean, single-sized stone such as #57 barely moves and is comfortable at 5 percent.
Density reference
Suppliers sell by weight because a loaded truck is weighed on a scale, not measured with a ruler, so the yardage you calculated has to be converted into tons before you can place an order. The conversion needs one number: the material's density in pounds per cubic foot. Multiply that density by 27 to get the weight of a cubic yard, then divide by 2,000 to reach US tons. Every density in the table below is the same figure the calculator applies when you pick that material from the dropdown.
Two materials can fill the same cubic yard and still weigh different amounts, because density measures how much rock is packed into that volume. Class 5 base rock puts 2,970 pounds in a cubic yard where #411 puts 2,565, so when a yard prices by weight, the denser material costs more to deliver for identical coverage.
| Material | lb/ft³ | kg/m³ | lbs per cu yd | US tons per cu yd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pea Gravel | 105 | 1,680 | 2,835 | 1.42 |
| Crushed Stone #57 | 100 | 1,600 | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Crushed Stone #411 | 95 | 1,520 | 2,565 | 1.28 |
| Item #4 / Crusher Run | 105 | 1,680 | 2,835 | 1.42 |
| River Rock | 100 | 1,600 | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Decomposed Granite | 106 | 1,700 | 2,862 | 1.43 |
| Class 5 / Base Rock | 110 | 1,760 | 2,970 | 1.49 |
| Limestone (#8 / #57) | 97 | 1,550 | 2,619 | 1.31 |
| 3/4" Clean Stone | 100 | 1,600 | 2,700 | 1.35 |
Class 5 base rock is the heaviest material listed, at 110 pounds per cubic foot, 2,970 pounds, or 1.49 US tons, in a single cubic yard. Crushed stone #411 is the lightest, at 95 pounds per cubic foot, which works out to 2,565 pounds or 1.28 tons per yard. The spread between those two extremes is only about 16 percent, which is why the rough rule of "one and a half tons to the yard" survives in the trade even though it overstates most materials.
Two things move a real delivery away from these figures. Moisture is the first: aggregate stockpiled outdoors after rain carries several percent extra weight in water, so a wet load buys less stone per ton than a dry one. Screen size is the second, since finer gradations pack more tightly than the same rock crushed coarse. Ask your quarry for its tested density on large orders and enter that figure in the custom density field.
Depth guide
Depth drives your order more than area does, because doubling the depth doubles the tonnage while doubling the length only stretches it along one axis. Pick your project type below to see the depth range and the aggregate that suits it.
A driveway is built in two layers, not one. Lay 4 to 6 inches of crusher run or Class 5 base rock first and compact it in lifts of about 3 inches, then finish with 2 to 3 inches of #57 or #411 as the driving surface, 6 to 9 inches of stone in total. Soft or clay-heavy subgrade needs the upper end of that range.
Recommended material: Crusher run or Class 5 base, topped with #57 or #411
Garden and walking paths need 2 to 3 inches of gravel over a firm, weed-suppressed base. Anything shallower shows subsoil through within a season; anything deeper feels loose underfoot. Pea gravel is the comfortable choice but wanders without edging, so pair it with steel, timber or paver restraints. Decomposed granite and #8 limestone bind tighter and hold firmer for wheelbarrows and mobility aids.
Recommended material: Pea gravel, decomposed granite or #8 limestone
Decorative beds need only 1 to 2 inches of stone laid over landscape fabric. The fabric does the weed suppression, so extra depth buys nothing but cost and makes planting harder later. Larger stone such as 2-inch river rock sits at the top of the range because a single layer is already that thick. Keep the surface below the top of any edging so rain cannot wash stone onto the lawn.
Recommended material: River rock, pea gravel or decorative stone
A French drain needs 6 to 12 inches of clean, washed stone packed around the perforated pipe, typically 2 to 4 inches beneath it and 6 or more inches over it. Use #57 or 3/4-inch clean stone only, never a material containing fines, because dust and screenings clog the voids the drain relies on. Wrap the stone envelope in filter fabric so soil cannot migrate in.
Recommended material: Washed #57 or 3/4" clean stone
Stated plainly, the four depths are these. A driveway takes 6 to 9 inches of gravel in total, split into a 4 to 6 inch compacted base and a 2 to 3 inch surface course. A pathway takes 2 to 3 inches. A landscaping bed takes 1 to 2 inches spread over landscape fabric. A French drain takes 6 to 12 inches of clean #57 stone surrounding the perforated pipe. Enter whichever of those figures matches your project into the depth field at the top of this page and the tonnage follows automatically.
Material guide
Choosing the material comes down to one question: should the pieces lock together or stay loose? Angular crushed products knit into a firm, load-bearing layer and belong under anything that carries weight. Rounded natural stone stays loose and drains freely. Outside the US these aggregates are sized in millimeters rather than by grade number, so 10mm gravel roughly matches the 3/8-inch grades below and 20mm lines up with #57 stone. Each card carries the density the calculator applies to that material.
Smooth, rounded stones roughly 3/8 inch across in tan, brown and grey. It stays loose underfoot because rounded edges never lock together.
Best for: Play areas, patios, dog runs and informal walking paths.
105 lb/ft³ · 1,680 kg/m³ · 1.42 tons per cu yd
Angular washed stone from 3/4 inch to 1 inch with no fines mixed in. Water passes straight through it, which is why drainage contractors reach for it first.
Best for: Driveway base, drainage trenches, septic fields and under concrete slabs.
100 lb/ft³ · 1,600 kg/m³ · 1.35 tons per cu yd
A blend of #57 stone and stone dust. The dust fills the gaps between larger pieces, so the surface binds tightly once rolled and watered.
Best for: Compactable driveway surfaces, shed pads and paver base.
95 lb/ft³ · 1,520 kg/m³ · 1.28 tons per cu yd
Crushed rock mixed with screenings and fines, sized from about 1 inch down to dust. Usually the cheapest compactable material a yard stocks.
Best for: Sub-base under driveways, parking pads and heavy-traffic lanes.
105 lb/ft³ · 1,680 kg/m³ · 1.42 tons per cu yd
Naturally tumbled stone from 1 inch to 3 inches or larger, with polished faces and mixed coloring. Far larger per piece than pea gravel.
Best for: Dry creek beds, decorative borders, downspout splash zones.
100 lb/ft³ · 1,600 kg/m³ · 1.35 tons per cu yd
Weathered granite broken into a fine, sandy gold-brown grit. Compacted, it firms into a stable surface that still drains.
Best for: Garden paths, xeriscape ground cover and patio surfacing.
106 lb/ft³ · 1,700 kg/m³ · 1.43 tons per cu yd
A graded aggregate-and-fines mix built to a state highway specification (also sold as sub-base or Type 1 in some regions). The densest material listed here, and the one that packs hardest.
Best for: Structural road base, driveway sub-base and equipment pads.
110 lb/ft³ · 1,760 kg/m³ · 1.49 tons per cu yd
Crushed sedimentary rock in pale grey and white, sold in several screen sizes: #8 runs about 3/8 inch, #57 runs 3/4 inch to 1 inch.
Best for: Pathways, driveway top dressing and pipe bedding.
97 lb/ft³ · 1,550 kg/m³ · 1.31 tons per cu yd
Uniform 3/4-inch stone washed free of dust and fines. With nothing to bind the pieces, it stays permanently loose and free-draining.
Best for: French drains, dry wells, backfill and drainage layers.
100 lb/ft³ · 1,600 kg/m³ · 1.35 tons per cu yd
Paver base and road base are close relatives of the compactable products above. Paver base is a fine crushed blend spread 4 to 6 inches deep beneath patio pavers, then topped with a 1-inch sand setting bed. Road base is a coarser graded mix in the same family as Class 5, specified for lanes carrying vehicle loads. Both contain fines, so both compact hard and both deserve a 10 percent buffer.
Dedicated paver base estimator: coming soon.
Read across the cards and a clear split appears. Pea gravel, river rock and decomposed granite are the natural, rounded or weathered materials, and they finish a surface rather than support one. Crushed stone #57, #411, limestone and 3/4-inch clean stone are quarried and screened to size, with #57 and clean stone kept free of fines for drainage while #411 keeps its fines for compaction. Item #4 crusher run and Class 5 base rock are the structural products. If your project means both driving on a surface and draining water beneath it, expect to buy two materials rather than one.
Pea gravel is rounded and crushed stone is angular, and that one difference decides the rest. Rounded pieces roll past each other instead of interlocking, so pea gravel never compacts and shifts underfoot, while angular faces wedge together under load and knit into a layer that holds its shape. Use pea gravel for walkways, patios and play areas, and crushed stone for driveways, parking pads and base courses.
Coverage chart
This chart shows how far a given quantity of standard gravel spreads at two common depths, and what that quantity weighs, so you can check an order without measuring anything, with metric quantities at the end for readers ordering by the cubic meter or tonne. Every figure is calculated at 105 pounds per cubic foot, or 1,680 kg/m³, the density of pea gravel and Item #4 crusher run, which sits close to the middle of the range for ordinary landscaping aggregate.
| Amount | Coverage at 2" depth | Coverage at 3" depth | Approx. weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic yard | 162 sq ft | 108 sq ft | 1.42 tons |
| 2 cubic yards | 324 sq ft | 216 sq ft | 2.83 tons |
| 3 cubic yards | 486 sq ft | 324 sq ft | 4.25 tons |
| 5 cubic yards | 810 sq ft | 540 sq ft | 7.09 tons |
| 10 cubic yards | 1,620 sq ft | 1,080 sq ft | 14.18 tons |
| 1 US ton | 114 sq ft | 76 sq ft | 1.00 tons (≈ 0.71 cu yd) |
| 2 US tons | 229 sq ft | 152 sq ft | 2.00 tons (≈ 1.41 cu yd) |
| 5 US tons | 571 sq ft | 381 sq ft | 5.00 tons (≈ 3.53 cu yd) |
| 10 US tons | 1,143 sq ft | 762 sq ft | 10.00 tons (≈ 7.05 cu yd) |
| 20 US tons | 2,286 sq ft | 1,524 sq ft | 20.00 tons (≈ 14.11 cu yd) |
| 1 cubic meter | 19.7 m² | 13.1 m² | 1.68 tonnes |
| 5 cubic meters | 98.4 m² | 65.6 m² | 8.40 tonnes |
| 1 tonne | 11.7 m² | 7.8 m² | 1.00 tonnes (≈ 0.60 m³) |
The single most requested figure on the chart is the coverage of one ton: one ton of standard gravel covers about 114 square feet at a 2-inch depth, or roughly 76 square feet at 3 inches. Working the other way, one cubic yard spreads across 162 square feet at 2 inches and 108 square feet at 3 inches, and weighs 1.42 tons. Five tons is about 3.53 cubic yards and covers 571 square feet at 2 inches; ten tons is about 7.05 cubic yards and covers 1,143 square feet. Three cubic yards weighs 4.25 tons and covers 486 square feet. In metric terms, one cubic meter covers 19.7 m² at 2 inches and weighs 1.68 tonnes, while one tonne covers 11.7 m² at the same depth. Denser base products cover slightly less per ton and lighter #411 slightly more, so confirm against your supplier's quoted density.
Budgeting
Your gravel cost is decided by one choice before anything else: loose by the truckload, or packaged by the bag. The two are priced on completely different scales, and the crossover point sits at roughly one cubic yard.
$15–$50 / ton delivered
Choose bulk for anything above one cubic yard.
$5–$8 / 0.5 cu ft bag
Choose bags for touch-ups under about half a cubic yard.
The gap is stark once you put the two side by side. A cubic yard delivered loose costs $21 to $71 at typical per-ton rates, while the same cubic yard bought as 54 bags costs $270 to $432, roughly four to twenty times as much for identical stone. Per square foot, bulk gravel works out to about $0.19 to $0.66 at a 3-inch depth: the $21 to $71 per cubic yard range divided by the 108 square feet a cubic yard covers at that depth. Bags only make sense when a delivery minimum of 5 to 10 cubic yards would leave you paying for material you cannot use, or when a truck simply cannot reach the work.
Delivery is charged separately by most yards, usually $50 to $150 per load inside a 10 to 20 mile radius, and often folded into the per-ton price once the order passes a few tons. Because that fee is per trip rather than per ton, ordering one full load is materially cheaper than two half loads: a standard tandem truck carries 10 to 14 cubic yards.
These are typical U.S. price ranges as of 2026. Actual costs depend on your location, supplier, and delivery distance.
Answers
Twenty-one answers, grouped into four themes: what the tool does, how the math works, which material to buy, and what it all costs. Every figure quoted here matches the calculator and the coverage chart on this page.
Filter questions by category
A gravel coverage calculator converts the length, width and depth of an area into the amount of gravel that fills it, reported in cubic yards, tons and bags. You supply three measurements and a material; the tool handles the conversions (square feet to cubic feet, cubic feet to cubic yards, and cubic yards to weight) that a supplier expects you to have finished before you call. The same tool doubles as a stone calculator or rock calculator, because only the density value changes.
You need your area in square feet multiplied by your depth in feet, divided by 27, to get cubic yards. A 10 ft by 10 ft patio at a 3-inch depth needs 0.93 cubic yards, which weighs about 1.31 tons of standard gravel. A 200 square foot path at the same depth needs 1.85 cubic yards. Order 5 to 10 percent extra whenever the material will be compacted or raked out unevenly.
Gravel is measured three ways: by volume in cubic yards, by weight in US tons, and by bag in 0.5 cubic foot units. Bulk yards price by the ton or the cubic yard and deliver by truck, while home centers sell bags off the shelf. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet, weighs roughly 2,835 pounds for standard gravel, and matches 54 half-cubic-foot bags.
Gravel, rock and stone describe the same aggregate at different sizes and shapes. Gravel usually means loose pieces under about 2.5 inches across. Stone normally refers to quarried material crushed to a graded size such as #57 or #411. Rock generally means larger decorative pieces like river rock. Suppliers use all three words interchangeably in conversation, so order by the grade number and size rather than the name.
Multiply length by width to get square feet, multiply that by your depth in feet, then divide by 27. A 20 ft by 10 ft area is 200 square feet; at a 3-inch depth, which is 0.25 feet, that comes to 50 cubic feet; divided by 27 it is 1.85 cubic yards. For a circular area, substitute pi times the radius squared. Multiply cubic feet by the material density to reach pounds and tons.
One ton of gravel is about 0.71 cubic yards at the standard density of 105 pounds per cubic foot. A ton occupies roughly 19 cubic feet, and 19 divided by 27 gives 0.71. Denser base products such as Class 5 pack closer to 0.67 cubic yards per ton, while lighter #411 runs nearer 0.78. Five tons works out to about 3.53 cubic yards, and ten tons to about 7.05.
One cubic yard of gravel weighs about 1.42 US tons. A cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet, and at 105 pounds per cubic foot that totals 2,835 pounds, or 1.42 tons. Lighter crushed stone #411 works out to 1.28 tons per yard, and heavier Class 5 base rock to 1.49 tons per yard, so confirm the density with your supplier whenever you order by weight rather than volume.
You need your volume in cubic feet divided by 0.5 to get the number of standard bags, always rounded up to the next whole bag. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so a yard takes 54 bags. A 10 ft by 10 ft area at a 3-inch depth is 25 cubic feet and needs 50 bags. Past roughly one cubic yard, bulk delivery costs far less than the equivalent stack of bags.
A ton of gravel is 0.71 cubic yards for standard material weighing 105 pounds per cubic foot. Ordering by the ton while picturing yards is the most common cause of a short delivery: three tons is only 2.12 cubic yards, not three. To convert quickly, divide tons by 1.42 to get cubic yards, and multiply cubic yards by 1.42 to get tons.
You need about 84 kg of gravel per square metre at a 50 mm depth, 126 kg at 75 mm, and 168 kg at 100 mm. By volume that is 0.05 cubic metres per square metre at 50 mm, 0.075 at 75 mm, and 0.1 at 100 mm. Multiply the volume by your material density (1,680 kg/m³ for pea gravel) to reach the weight a supplier will quote.
Multiply your volume in cubic metres by the material density in kg/m³, then divide by 1,000. A 10 m by 4 m area at 75 mm is 40 square metres, or 3 cubic metres; at 1,680 kg/m³ that is 5,040 kg, or 5.04 tonnes. One cubic yard of standard gravel is about 1.29 tonnes and one US ton is 0.91 tonnes, so check which unit your supplier quotes.
#57 stone is used for driveway base, drainage trenches, septic leach fields and bedding under concrete slabs. It is washed angular stone between 3/4 inch and 1 inch with the fines screened out, so water drains straight through it and it never turns to mud. It weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot, or 1.35 tons per cubic yard. Because it will not compact, avoid using it as a finished driving surface.
Pea gravel is naturally rounded and stays loose, while crushed stone is mechanically fractured and locks together. That single difference decides where each one belongs. Rounded pea gravel shifts under feet and tires, which suits play areas and patios but not driveways. Angular crushed stone knits into a stable surface, which suits base layers and driving lanes. Pea gravel weighs 105 pounds per cubic foot, and crushed #57 about 100.
Class 5 is a graded base aggregate built to a state highway specification, mixing crushed rock from about one inch down to fine dust. The fines fill every void, so the material compacts into a hard load-bearing layer. At 110 pounds per cubic foot it is the densest material in this calculator, weighing 2,970 pounds, or 1.49 tons, per cubic yard. Use it as sub-base under driveways, sheds and equipment pads.
River rock is not the same as pea gravel. Both are naturally rounded and water-worn, but size is the separator: pea gravel measures around 3/8 inch, while river rock runs from 1 inch to 3 inches or larger. River rock is decorative and too coarse to walk on comfortably, whereas pea gravel is small enough for paths and play areas. River rock weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot against pea gravel at 105.
Crusher run is used as a compactable sub-base beneath driveways, parking pads, patios and shed foundations. It combines crushed rock up to about one inch with stone dust, so rolling and watering binds it into a firm layer that sheds water rather than absorbing it. Sold as Item #4 in some regions, it weighs 105 pounds per cubic foot, or 2,835 pounds per cubic yard, and is usually the cheapest compactable product a yard stocks.
Gravel costs roughly $15 to $50 per ton delivered, depending on the material, the haul distance and the size of the load. Crusher run and base rock sit at the low end of that band, while decorative river rock and washed pea gravel sit at the top. Because one cubic yard weighs about 1.42 tons, a yard of gravel works out to approximately $21 to $71 at those rates.
One ton of gravel covers about 114 square feet at a 2-inch depth, 76 square feet at 3 inches, and 57 square feet at 4 inches. A ton is roughly 19 cubic feet of standard material, and dividing that volume by the depth in feet gives the coverage. Deeper layers cover proportionally less area, so doubling the depth from 2 inches to 4 inches halves what a single ton spreads across.
You need 6 to 9 inches of gravel in total for a driveway: a 4 to 6 inch compacted base of crusher run or Class 5, topped with 2 to 3 inches of #57 or #411. A 20 ft by 12 ft driveway at a 4-inch depth takes 2.96 cubic yards, which is about 4.2 tons. Add 10 percent for compaction, because base layers lose height as they are rolled.
Bulk is far cheaper for any project above roughly one cubic yard. A single cubic yard equals 54 bags at $5 to $8 each, so $270 to $432, against $21 to $71 for the same yard delivered loose. Bags only win on small repairs and touch-ups, where a delivery minimum of 5 to 10 cubic yards would leave you paying for material you cannot use.
Delivery costs about $50 to $150 per load within a typical 10 to 20 mile radius, and many yards fold that fee into the per-ton price on larger orders. Most suppliers set a minimum of 5 to 10 cubic yards per trip. A standard tandem truck carries 10 to 14 cubic yards, so ordering one full load beats splitting the same material across two deliveries.