Gravel Calculator

Measure the area and depth; get the yards and tons to order.

Sources checked 9 November 2026

Rectangle 50′ 0″ × 12′ 0″, 4″ deep, gravel, dry, 10% extra

Fig. 1 The example rectangle, drawn to scale at its depth. Top area 600 sq ft. The circle shows the depth at about 8× size.

Example: rectangle 50′ 0″ × 12′ 0″, 4″ deep. Type your sizes

8.15cubic yardswith 10% extra

Before the extra: 200.00 cu ft = 7.41 cu yd

Bulk: 8.15 8.5; cu yd, in half yards
Weight: 11.0 to 12.2; tons of gravel, dry

Your own sizes need scripts turned on. Without them the page shows the worked example.

Filled in with an example. Type your sizes over it.

Gravel

Sets the tons. Loose weight per yard: gravel and sand from FM 5-434, crushed rock as hauled from WSDOT.

Length

Width

Depth

Unilock: base under a paver patio or walk 6 to 8 in; Unilock: base, diy guide: walkways; driveways 4 to 6 in; 8 to 12 in.

Extra to order

A landscape supplier’s rule: 5 to 10% for gravel. A base you compact needs more: a loose yard of gravel packs down to 0.86 yd (FM 5-434).

To order

Rectangle 50′ 0″ × 12′ 0″, 4″ deep: 8.15 cu yd with 10% extra. Order by the yard or by the ton.

Item	Count	Note
Volume	7.41 cu yd	200.00 cu ft, before the extra.
Extra	+0.74 cu yd	10% on its own line.
Bulk	8.15 8.5 cu yd	With 10% extra, rounded up to the next half yard.
Weight	11.0 to 12.2 tons	gravel, dry at 2,700 to 3,000 lb a cubic yard, loose.

How much gravel do I need

To estimate the amount of gravel you need, multiply the length, width and depth in feet for cubic feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then add the extra. For tons, multiply the yards by the weight of a yard of your gravel and divide by 2,000. A 12 × 50 ft gravel driveway, 4 in deep is 200 cubic feet, or 7.41 cubic yards; with 10% extra that is 8.15 cubic yards, or 11.0 to 12.2 tons of gravel, dry.

The calculator takes a driveway, path or pad of any shape in feet and inches, with pieces added or taken away. Pick the gravel to set the tons: dry gravel weighs 2,700 to 3,000 lb a yard loose, so a yard is 1.35 to 1.50 tons. Type the sizes once and the answer shows how much gravel you need in cubic yards and in tons, the two ways landscape yards sell it.

Read the tape into feet
50′ 0″ = 50 ft. 12′ 0″ = 12 ft. 4″ = 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
Area times depth for each piece
- 50.00 × 12.00 = 600.00 sq ft; × 0.333 ft deep = 200.00 cu ft
Divide by 27 for cubic yards
200.00 ÷ 27 = 7.41 cu yd
Add the extra
7.41 × 1.10 = 8.15 cu yd. That is the number to order.
Weight: yards × pounds per yard ÷ 2,000
8.15 × 2,700 to 3,000 ÷ 2,000 = 11.0 to 12.2 tons of gravel, dry

Cubic yards = length × width × depth ÷ 27 × (1 + extra)

50.00 × 12.00 × 0.333 = 200.00 cu ft; ÷ 27 = 7.41 cu yd; × 1.10 = 8.15 cu yd

All sizes in feet.

Gravel for a driveway

Measure the driveway's length and width and pick a depth. 1,000 square feet at 4 inches deep is 12.35 cubic yards, or 16.7 to 18.5 tons of dry gravel. Depth is set locally, by your county or the job: the table gives what one Ohio county and a paver maker ask for. Ask your county before you order.

How deep to spread it
Job	Depth	Who says so
Gravel driveway apron, first 10 ft from the road	6 in aggregate base under 3 in asphalt; 9 in behind it	Franklin County (OH) Engineer
Base under a paver patio or walk	6 to 8 in	Unilock
Base under a paver driveway	10 to 14 in	Unilock
Base, DIY guide: walkways; driveways	4 to 6 in; 8 to 12 in	Unilock
Pea gravel under a playground	9 in at least	U.S. CPSC

From each guide as written: Franklin County (OH) Engineer, Unilock, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Pea gravel, crushed stone and road base

Pea gravel is small, rounded gravel for paths and play areas; the federal playground handbook lists it among loose-fill surfaces. Crushed stone is quarried rock broken to size, with faces that lock together under a drive. Road base is crushed rock graded from coarse to fine, the layer that highway departments use in road construction under the surface.

Pick the closest type in the calculator: for pea gravel and river rock use Gravel, dry, at 2,700 to 3,000 lb a cubic yard; for crushed stone and road base use crushed rock, top course, at 2,850 lb, or base course, at 2,950 lb. The calculator also gives the surface in square yards. Read the size and type on the quote before you place a gravel order: the same name can mean different stone at different yards.

Gravel in tons by area and depth

Gravel yards sell by the ton or by the yard. This table gives tons of dry gravel, no extra added; the tons to cubic yards calculator converts any amount.

Tons of gravel, dry by area and depth
Area	2 in deep	3 in deep	4 in deep	6 in deep
100 sq ft	0.8 to 0.9	1.3 to 1.4	1.7 to 1.9	2.5 to 2.8
200 sq ft	1.7 to 1.9	2.5 to 2.8	3.3 to 3.7	5.0 to 5.6
500 sq ft	4.2 to 4.6	6.3 to 6.9	8.3 to 9.3	12.5 to 13.9
1,000 sq ft	8.3 to 9.3	12.5 to 13.9	16.7 to 18.5	25.0 to 27.8

Tons of gravel, dry at 2,700 to 3,000 lb a cubic yard: area × depth ÷ 27 for yards, then × pounds ÷ 2,000. No extra added.

Square feet one ton covers
Depth	Sq ft per ton
2 in	108 to 120
3 in	72 to 80
4 in	54 to 60
6 in	36 to 40

Gravel, dry: yards in a ton × 27 ÷ (depth in inches ÷ 12).

How much a yard of gravel weighs

Loose gravel weighs 2,700 to 3,000 lb a yard dry and a little more wet. Crushed rock as a highway department hauls it is in the same range; wet sand is close to wet gravel.

Weight of a cubic yard, loose
Material	Pounds per cu yd	Tons per cu yd	Cu yd per ton
Gravel, dry	2,700 to 3,000	1.35 to 1.50	0.67 to 0.74
Gravel, wet	2,800 to 3,100	1.40 to 1.55	0.65 to 0.71
Crushed rock, top course	2,850	1.43	0.70
Crushed rock, base course	2,950	1.48	0.68
Sand, dry	2,600 to 2,900	1.30 to 1.45	0.69 to 0.77

Loose weights as hauled, from U.S. Army FM 5-434 and WSDOT Design Manual M 22-01.23. Tons per yard: pounds ÷ 2,000; yards per ton: 2,000 ÷ pounds. Wet material is heavier.

How much extra to order

The calculator adds 10% on its own line. One landscape supplier advises 5 to 10% extra for gravel. A base you compact needs more: the Army's earthmoving manual puts a loose yard of sand or gravel at 0.86 cubic yards once compacted, so a compacted yard takes 1.17 loose yards. Set the extra to about 17% for a compacted base.