Gravel Calculator - Cubic Yards, Tons & Tonnes

Work out how much gravel you need for a driveway, path, patio base or landscaping bed. Enter the area you're covering and how deep a layer you want, in feet and inches or metres and millimetres, and this calculator returns the volume and the weight in the units gravel is sold in: cubic yards and tons, or cubic metres and tonnes.

ft
ft
in

2-3 inches for a top-up layer, 4-6 inches for a new driveway base.

Cubic yards
2.04 yd³
Includes a 10% settling allowance
Weight
2.86 tons
0.5 ft³ bags
110 bags
Cubic feet
55 ft³

How it works

Multiply length by width to get the area, then multiply by depth to get the volume, converting inches to feet or millimetres to metres first. A 10% allowance is added for compaction and settling, since a freshly spread layer of loose gravel settles once it's driven or walked on. The volume is then converted to weight using an average density for the gravel type you pick. Crushed stone and river rock are denser than pea gravel, so they weigh more for the same volume. Both unit systems use the same densities, so the same job gives the same answer in either.

Formula
Imperial: cubic yards = (length x width x (depth/12) x 1.10) / 27, tons = cubic yards x density | Metric: cubic metres = length x width x (depth/1000) x 1.10, tonnes = cubic metres x density

Example. A 20 ft by 10 ft driveway at 3 inches deep needs about 2.04 cubic yards of standard gravel, which weighs roughly 2.86 tons. In metric, a 6 m by 3 m driveway at 75 mm deep needs about 1.49 cubic metres, roughly 2.48 tonnes, or 3 bulk bags.

How deep should a gravel layer be?

For topping up an existing gravel path or driveway, 2 inches (about 50 mm) is usually enough. For a brand-new driveway built from scratch, most contractors lay a 4-6 inch (100-150 mm) compacted base layer, sometimes with a coarser sub-base underneath before the finish layer of decorative gravel on top.

Buying by the ton, tonne or yard

Most gravel suppliers and quarries sell and deliver by weight: tons in the US, tonnes in the UK and most other countries. Landscaping calculators traditionally quote volume, cubic yards or cubic metres, so this calculator gives you both and you can compare quotes either way. Smaller amounts come in bulk bags, which typically hold 800 kg to 1 tonne, or in small bags from a hardware store, which are usually only cost-effective for small top-up jobs.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?

It depends on the type: standard crushed gravel is about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, pea gravel is lighter at around 1.3 tons, and denser river rock runs closer to 1.5 tons per cubic yard.

How much does a cubic metre of gravel weigh?

Standard crushed gravel is about 1.66 tonnes per cubic metre, pea gravel about 1.54 tonnes and river rock about 1.78 tonnes. They are the same densities as the cubic yard figures, converted to metric.

What is the difference between a ton and a tonne?

A US ton is 2,000 lb, about 907 kg. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, so it is about 10% heavier. Match the calculator's units to your supplier's quote: tonnes means Metric, tons means Imperial.

Why does the calculator add 10% extra?

Loose gravel settles and compacts once it's spread, walked on or driven over, so you need slightly more than the bare volume math suggests to end up with your target depth. 10% is a standard allowance for this.

Is it cheaper to buy gravel in bulk or in bags?

Bulk (by weight or volume, delivered) is almost always cheaper per unit for anything more than a small patch - bagged gravel carries a large convenience markup and is best reserved for small top-ups or projects without vehicle access.

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