Pea Gravel Calculator: Coverage Area, Bags, Tons & Cost
This pea gravel calculator locks in the material's standard density so you only need to enter your area and depth. Cubic yards, bags, tons and cost update as you type.
Enter your area and depth. Density is fixed at 105 lb/ft³
Depth
Your results
Pea gravel needed
0.62 cubic yards
16.7 cu ft
Area
100.0 sq ft
Weight
0.87 tons
1,750 lbs
Bags needed
34 bags
0.5 cu ft bags, rounded up
Estimated cost
-
Add a price to see cost
You need 0.62 cubic yards of pea gravel, about 0.87 tons, to cover 100.0 square feet at a 2-inch depth.
Material guide
Pea Gravel Properties
Pea gravel is small, naturally rounded stone, roughly 3/8 inch across, worn smooth by water rather than mechanically crushed. That rounding is its defining feature: it's what makes it comfortable to walk and sit on, and also what keeps it permanently loose, since rounded stones roll past each other instead of interlocking the way angular gravel does. At 105 pounds per cubic foot, it's neither especially heavy nor light among landscaping aggregates. That is 1,680 kg/m³ in metric terms, or 1.42 tons per cubic yard.
It's typically sold in tan, brown, and grey tones, sometimes as a natural mix and sometimes sorted to a single shade, and the color has no effect on density or coverage, only on appearance. If you already have a volume in cubic yards and just need the delivery weight, the cubic yards to tons converter applies this same 105 lb/ft³ figure without requiring you to re-enter your dimensions.
Uses
Where Pea Gravel Works Best
Pea gravel suits patios, walking paths, play areas, and dog runs, anywhere the priority is comfort underfoot rather than load-bearing strength. It also drains well and resists freeze-thaw heaving better than solid paving in cold climates, which is part of why it's a common choice for informal outdoor living spaces.
It's a poor choice for driveways or anywhere vehicles will drive, precisely because it never compacts. A car's tires will push it into ruts and track it onto adjacent surfaces. For a surface that needs to bear weight, an angular material is the better fit; the crushed stone calculator covers the graded stones built for exactly that.
Comparison
Pea Gravel vs. Angular Stone: Pros and Cons
Pea gravel's advantages are comfort, drainage, and low cost relative to paving. It's pleasant to walk on barefoot, water passes straight through it, and it's one of the cheaper landscaping materials per square foot. Its disadvantages are exactly the flip side of its rounded shape: it migrates without edging, it never forms a firm surface, and it can be uncomfortable for wheelchairs, strollers, or bare feet on uneven ground compared to a compacted path.
Angular crushed stone trades that comfort for stability. It compacts into a surface firm enough for driveways and heavy foot traffic, but it's rougher underfoot and doesn't drain quite as freely once fines fill the gaps between pieces. Choosing between the two is really a choice between a soft, low-maintenance surface and a firm, load-bearing one; few projects need both properties from the same material.
Upkeep
Maintaining a Pea Gravel Surface
Rake pea gravel periodically to redistribute stone that migrates toward edges or low spots, and plan to top it up every year or two as material settles into the soil beneath it, especially without landscape fabric underneath. Fabric slows weed growth substantially but doesn't stop it entirely over time, and leaves are genuinely harder to clear from gravel than from a solid patio, so plan on a leaf blower or a fine rake in autumn.
If you're weighing pea gravel against a larger decorative stone for a bed rather than a path, the landscape rock calculator covers river rock, decomposed granite and four other decorative options with the same real-time coverage math used here. For the full site, every material, a coverage chart, and cost comparisons, see the gravel coverage calculator homepage.
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much pea gravel do I need?
Multiply your area in square feet by your depth in feet, then divide by 27, to get cubic yards. A 10 ft by 10 ft patio at a 2-inch depth needs about 0.62 cubic yards, which weighs roughly 0.87 tons at pea gravel's standard density of 105 lb/ft³. This calculator does that math for you the moment you enter your dimensions.
How deep should pea gravel be for a patio or path?
Most patios and paths use 2 inches of pea gravel over a firm, weed-suppressed base. Play areas and dog runs often go a little deeper, up to 3 inches, for a softer, more cushioned feel underfoot. Anything shallower than 1 inch tends to expose the base beneath it within a season.
What is the difference between pea gravel and crushed stone?
Pea gravel is naturally rounded, which is what makes it comfortable to walk on but also why it never compacts into a firm surface. It stays loose indefinitely. Crushed stone is mechanically fractured with angular faces that lock together under a roller, so it compacts hard. That's why pea gravel suits patios, paths and play areas, while crushed stone suits driveways and anywhere that needs to bear weight without shifting.
Does pea gravel need edging?
Yes, in almost every case. Because the rounded stones roll rather than lock together, pea gravel migrates outward under foot traffic and rain unless it's contained by a physical edge. Steel, timber, or paver edging all work. Skipping edging is the single most common reason a pea gravel path or bed needs regular top-ups.
How many bags of pea gravel do I need?
Divide your volume in cubic feet by 0.5 to get the number of standard 0.5 cubic foot bags, rounded up to the next whole bag. A 10 ft by 10 ft area at a 2-inch depth is about 16.7 cubic feet, which needs 34 bags. Past roughly one cubic yard (54 bags), bulk delivery is almost always cheaper than buying bagged material.
Is pea gravel low maintenance?
Pea gravel needs very little upkeep beyond occasional raking to redistribute stones that migrate toward the edges, and topping up every year or two as some material settles into the soil beneath it. It doesn't need mowing or watering, but weeds can grow through it over time unless it was laid over landscape fabric, and leaves and debris are harder to blow or rake out of gravel than off a solid surface.