Gravel Calculator
Enter your driveway, path, or base area and get real cubic yards, tons, bags, and cost -- pick your gravel type and the density updates with it.
Area & gravel type
Assumed density: 1.4 tons per cubic yard -- a standard trade estimate for this gravel type, loose and uncompacted. Real weight varies with moisture and grading.
You'll need
1.23 cubic yards
(33.3 cubic feet)
With 10% waste, order
1.36 cu yd
Estimated weight
1.90 tons
0.5 cu ft bags needed
74
Cost
Bulk, by the ton
Estimated cost: $85.56
Bagged, 74 bags
Estimated cost: $370.00
Bulk delivery is almost always cheaper per ton once you need more than a few bags -- bagged gravel is convenient for small touch-ups, not full driveways.
Keep going
- Landscaping a bed next to a gravel path or border? The mulch calculator sizes the planting bed's own material the same way, by area and depth. Mulch Calculator
- Most slabs sit on 4 inches of this same compacted gravel, not bare ground; the slab calculator already includes that base estimate alongside the concrete itself. Concrete Slab Calculator
- An asphalt driveway sits on a compacted gravel base; this calculator sizes that base layer separately from the asphalt going on top. Asphalt Calculator
- A paver patio also needs a gravel base underneath; the paver calculator adds that base and the sand bedding on top of it in one step. Paver Calculator
How it's calculated
Volume is plain rectangular geometry: cubic feet = length (ft) × width (ft) × (depth (in) ÷ 12), then divided by 27 to get cubic yards (there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard) -- gravel is sold and delivered by the yard, so that's the headline number. Waste is applied as a straight percentage before weight and bags are calculated: ordered cubic feet = raw cubic feet × (1 + waste% ÷ 100).
Weight is ordered cubic yards × density, using the density (in tons per cubic yard) for whichever gravel type is selected. Bag count is ceil(ordered cubic feet ÷ 0.5), since a standard bagged-gravel retail unit is a 0.5 cubic foot (50lb) bag.
| Gravel type | Density (tons / cu yd) |
|---|---|
| Crushed stone (3/4in) | 1.4 |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 |
| River rock (1-2in) | 1.45 |
| Decomposed granite | 1.3 |
| Crusher run / road base | 1.5 |
Standard trade rule-of-thumb figures for loose, uncompacted material -- not lab measurements. Real weight varies with moisture content and exact grading, so treat these as solid planning estimates.
Worked example
Using the calculator's own defaults -- a 10×10 ft area, 4 inches deep, crushed stone, 10% waste, $45/ton and $5/bag pricing:
- Raw volume: 10 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) = 33.33 cubic feet = 1.23 cubic yards.
- With 10% waste, order 1.36 cubic yards (36.67 cubic feet).
- At 1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone, that's about 1.90 tons -- roughly $85.56 at $45/ton.
- 36.67 cubic feet ÷ 0.5 cu ft bags = 73.3 → 74 bags, about $370 at $5/bag.
Standard trade advice is to order 5-10% extra to cover spreading loss, compaction, and an uneven base -- running short mid-job is a bigger problem than a little leftover gravel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep should a gravel driveway be?
A common trade recommendation is 4" for a base layer on an existing driveway, or up to 8-12" total (in multiple compacted layers) for a new driveway built from bare ground -- check your own soil conditions since heavier clay soils often need a deeper base.
How much does gravel weigh?
It depends on the type: this calculator uses 1.3-1.5 tons per cubic yard depending on which gravel you pick, standard trade estimates for the common landscaping and driveway types. Real weight varies further by moisture content, so treat the result as a solid planning estimate, not an exact figure.
Do I need to compact gravel after spreading it?
Yes, for anything load-bearing (a driveway, walkway base). Uncompacted gravel settles unevenly over time. This calculator estimates the volume you need to spread, not the compacted depth -- loose gravel typically compacts down 10-20%, so some contractors order slightly extra to account for that.
Should I buy gravel in bulk or in bags?
Bulk, delivered by the ton, is almost always cheaper once you need more than roughly a cubic yard or two -- most landscape suppliers have a delivery minimum well under a full truckload. Bagged gravel (this calculator assumes a standard 0.5 cubic foot / 50lb bag) makes sense for small repairs or areas a delivery truck can't reach.
What's the difference between the gravel types in the calculator?
They're different products with different bulk densities: crushed stone and crusher run are angular, quarried stone; pea gravel and river rock are smooth, rounded stone in different size ranges; decomposed granite is a fine, compactable material often used for paths. Pick the one you're actually buying -- the ton estimate changes with it, the cubic yard estimate doesn't.