Yard & BuildMaterial Calculators List 0

Aisle 2, Landscape stone & block

Gravel Calculator

A 10 × 10 ft area covered 3 inches deep takes 0.93 cubic yards of gravel: about 1.2–1.3 tons of #57 stone, or 50 half-cubic-foot bags, before any extra. Enter your own shape, depth and stone below.

Shape and size
Depth
Material
Weighs about 1.25–1.45 tons per cubic yard as delivered. Clean stone barely compacts; if you plate-compact it, add about 10–15%.
Extra for waste, and price
Covers spills and ground that dips. Raise it for uneven sites.
Gravel order#57 stone
0.97cu yd
26.3 cu ft · 0.74 m³ to order
Weight1.22–1.41 tons
Finished volume0.93 cu yd
Area covered100 sq ft
If you buy bags
0.5 cu ft bags53 bags
Trips
Pickup, 8 ft bed (assumes 2,000 lb of cargo)2 (by weight)
Single-axle dump truck (about 6 cu yd)1
Tandem dump truck (12–14 cu yd)1

Weights are for loose stone as delivered and vary by quarry and moisture. Ask your supplier for their weight per yard.

10 ft10 ft
Plan view of your rectangle (not to scale when very long or narrow). Pattern shows #57 stone.

How this was calculated

  1. rectangle: 10 ft × 10 ft = 100.00 sq ft
  2. Depth 3 in = 0.2500 ft
  3. Volume = 100.00 × 0.2500 = 25.00 cu ft
  4. 25.00 cu ft ÷ 27 = 0.926 cu yd
  5. Extra for waste + 5% → 26.25 cu ft = 0.972 cu yd
  6. Weight = 0.972 cu yd × 1.25–1.45 tons/cu yd = 1.22–1.41 tons
  7. 0.5 cu ft bags: 26.25 ÷ 0.5 cu ft = 52.50 → round up to 53

How to calculate how much gravel you need

Gravel is sold by volume (cubic yards) or by weight (tons). Work out the volume first, then convert it to weight with the stone’s weight per cubic yard.

cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27
tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard

Divide the depth by 12 when you measure it in inches, because the other two sizes are in feet. Divide by 27 because a cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet.

Example: a garden path

A path 3 ft wide and 40 ft long with 3 inches of #57 stone:

  1. Area: 3 × 40 = 120 sq ft
  2. Volume: 120 × 3 ÷ 12 = 30 cu ft
  3. Cubic yards: 30 ÷ 27 = 1.11 cu yd
  4. Weight: 1.11 × 1.25–1.45 = 1.39–1.61 tons
  5. Or in bags: 30 ÷ 0.5 = 60 bags of 0.5 cu ft

Example: a driveway base that will be compacted

Crusher run (also sold as road base, #411 or dense-graded aggregate) packs down a lot when you compact it. To end up with 6 inches of compacted base on a driveway 12 ft wide and 60 ft long:

  1. Finished volume: 12 × 60 × 6 ÷ 12 = 360 cu ft = 13.33 cu yd
  2. Order loose: 13.33 × 1.4 = 18.67 cu yd
  3. Weight: 18.67 × 1.30–1.60 = 24.3–29.9 tons

The calculator does this for you: choose Crusher run and enter the finished depth.

How much gravel weighs

These are weights of loose stone as it comes off the truck. Rock type, size and moisture move them by 5–10%, so use the range and ask your supplier for their figure. Compacted base weighs much more per cubic yard (about 1.75–2.15 tons for crusher run), so don’t mix the two when you convert.[1][2]

StoneTons per cu ydPounds per cu ftCu yd per tonSources
#57 crushed stone (about ¾ in, clean)1.25–1.4593–1070.74[1][3][4][5][6]
#8 / #89 crushed stone (⅜ in, pea-size)1.15–1.4085–1040.78[3][4]
Pea gravel (rounded, about ⅜ in)1.25–1.5093–1110.73[7][8][9]
River rock (1–3 in)1.30–1.4596–1070.73[10][11]
Crusher run / road base1.30–1.6096–1190.69[1][2][12][13]
Decomposed granite1.35–1.50100–1110.70[14][11]
Lava rock0.45–0.8033–591.60[15][16][11]

“Cu yd per ton” uses the middle of the range.

How deep to spread gravel

UseDepthSource
Base under pavers, patio or walk4 in compactedICPI Tech Spec 2[17]
Base under pavers, residential driveway6 in compactedICPI Tech Spec 2[17]
Gravel driveway8 in (6 in base + 2 in top)County driveway standard[18]; local rules vary
Play area, loose pea gravel9 in after settling (install 12 in)CPSC Playground Safety Handbook[19]

Add 2–4 inches of base on wet, clay or weak soil (ICPI). For play areas, CPSC says 9 inches of pea gravel protects falls from up to 5 ft, and loose fill compresses by at least 25%, which is why you start with 12 inches.

Compacted base needs more stone than the hole

Dense-graded stone (crusher run, road base) is full of fines that pack into the gaps. A compacted base takes about 1.33 to 1.5 times its finished volume in loose stone: Penn State’s gravel road program lays 8 inches loose to get 6 inches compacted (1.33 times), Tennessee DOT’s weights imply about 1.4 times, and the Federal Highway Administration reports a volume loss of 30 percent or more on gravel roads.[13][1][12] This calculator orders 1.4 times the finished volume for crusher run. Clean stone such as #57 barely settles; if you compact it with a plate, add about 10–15%.

Bags or bulk?

Bagged gravel and pea gravel at home centers is usually 0.5 cu ft per bag, weighing 48–50 lb (lava rock bags weigh about 17–18 lb).[9][10][15] QUIKRETE’s data sheet gives its All-Purpose Gravel as a 50 lb bag.[20] SAKRETE’s 60 lb bags hold 0.6 cu ft.[21] With 0.5 cu ft bags that is 54 bags per cubic yard (27 ÷ 0.5), so bulk delivery usually makes sense once you pass a cubic yard or two. Compare your supplier’s delivered price per ton with the bag price × the bag count.

Hauling it yourself

An 8 ft pickup bed holds about 2 cubic yards level, but gravel is heavy: a yard of #57 weighs 1.25–1.45 tons, and Ford lists 2,440 lb as the most a 2026 F-150 can carry, and only in the configuration built for maximum payload. Payload also includes the people in the cab.[22][23] The calculator counts pickup trips by weight as well as volume, assuming 2,000 lb of cargo per trip; check the payload label inside your driver’s door. Delivered loads come in single-axle dump trucks (about 6 cubic yards) and tandem trucks (12–14 cubic yards).[24]

Questions people ask

How much does a 50 lb bag of gravel cover?

A 50 lb bag holds 0.5 cubic feet. Spread 2 inches deep it covers 3 sq ft; at 3 inches it covers 2 sq ft (0.5 ÷ depth in feet).

How much will 1 ton of gravel cover?

At 1.35 tons per cubic yard (typical #57 stone), 1 ton is about 0.74 cubic yards, or 20 cubic feet. That covers about 120 sq ft at 2 inches, 80 sq ft at 3 inches and 60 sq ft at 4 inches.

How do you calculate how much gravel is needed?

Multiply length × width in feet, multiply by the depth in inches ÷ 12, and divide by 27 to get cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by the stone’s weight per cubic yard (about 1.35 tons for #57) to get tons.

How many bags of gravel are in a cubic yard?

With 0.5 cubic foot bags, 54 bags make a cubic yard (27 ÷ 0.5).

How many tons of crusher run do I need for a driveway?

Work out the finished volume, multiply by about 1.4 for compaction, then by 1.3–1.6 tons per cubic yard. A 12 × 60 ft driveway with 6 inches of compacted base needs about 24–30 tons.

Related calculators

Sources

  1. Tennessee Department of Transportation, Roadway Design Guidelines, Chapter 4 (rev. 03/20/15). Loose and compacted weights of mineral aggregate base and crushed stone. Checked 2026-09-26.
  2. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WHRP), Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates (Project 0092-22-05, 2023). Unit weights of base aggregate, and FHWA/Church loose, bank and compacted weights of topsoil, loam and clay. Checked 2026-09-26.
  3. Federal Highway Administration, Strength Characterization of Open-Graded Aggregates for Structural Backfills (FHWA-HRT-15-034). Laboratory densities of #57, #67, #8 and #89 stone. Checked 2026-09-26.
  4. Martin Marietta, Product Calculator (material density table). Checked 2026-09-26.
  5. Vulcan Materials, Aggregate Tonnage Estimator. Checked 2026-09-26.
  6. Luck Stone, Product Calculator. Checked 2026-09-26.
  7. Caterpillar, Caterpillar Performance Handbook, Edition 50: Weight of Materials. Checked 2026-09-26.
  8. U.S. Army, FM 5-434 Earthmoving Operations, Table 1-2: Material weight and swell. Checked 2026-09-26.
  9. Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft pea gravel, 48 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
  10. Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft river rock, 50 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
  11. North Bay Materials, Landscape Materials Density Chart. Supplier chart (secondary source). Checked 2026-09-26.
  12. Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP, Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-002, 2015). Volume loss of gravel on compaction; minimum lift thickness. Checked 2026-09-26.
  13. Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, Driving Surface Aggregate (DSA) Handbook (2025). 8 in loose compacts to 6 in. Checked 2026-09-26.
  14. GraniteCrete, GraniteCrete Math Sheet (2024). Decomposed granite ordering weight. Checked 2026-09-26.
  15. Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft red lava rock, 18 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
  16. Lowe’s (product listing), Kolor Scape 0.5 cu ft black lava rock, 16.5 lb. Bag weight and volume. Checked 2026-09-26.
  17. Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI), Tech Spec 2: Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (rev. 2020). Base 4 in for patios and walks, 6 in for driveways; 1 in bedding sand. Checked 2026-09-26.
  18. Whatcom County (WA) Public Works, Residential Gravel Driveway Access Approach Detail 508.D-4. 6 in base plus 2 in crushed surfacing. Checked 2026-09-26.
  19. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Public Playground Safety Handbook (Pub. 325). Loose-fill depths for pea gravel and sand. Checked 2026-09-26.
  20. QUIKRETE, Sand & Gravel Products data sheet (rev. 2020). Checked 2026-09-26.
  21. SAKRETE, All-Purpose Gravel technical data sheet. Checked 2026-09-26.
  22. Landscape Recycling Center (Champaign–Urbana), Measurements. Pickup bed capacities. Checked 2026-09-26.
  23. Ford Motor Company, 2026 F-150 specifications. Maximum payload 2,440 lb in the best configuration. Checked 2026-09-26.
  24. Texas Department of Transportation, Seal Coat and Surface Treatment Manual: Haul Trucks, Size. Single-axle about 6 cu yd; tandem 12–14 cu yd. Checked 2026-09-26.

Prepared by the Yard & Build editors. The formulas behind this calculator are checked against hand-worked answers every time the site is built. Material values checked September 26, 2026.