Enter the area and depth to see how many cubic yards and tons of gravel, crushed stone, pea gravel or sand to order, plus an optional cost estimate.
Quick answers
Dry gravel weighs about 105 lb per cu ft, so one cubic yard is about 2,835 lb, roughly 1.4 tons (Engineering ToolBox).
One cubic yard covers about 162 sq ft at 2 in deep, 108 sq ft at 3 in and 81 sq ft at 4 in.
Unilock's guide calls for 6 to 8 in of compacted base under patios and walkways, and 10 to 14 in under paver driveways.
How to use the gravel calculator
Measure the length and width of the area in feet, or the diameter for a round bed.
Enter the finished depth in inches. For a compacted base, enter the depth after compaction and keep the extra at 10% or more.
Pick the material. If your supplier gives you a weight per cubic yard or per ton, choose Custom weight and enter it in pounds per cubic foot.
Add a price per ton or per cubic yard to estimate the cost.
The formula
Volume in cubic feet is area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12. Divide by 27 for cubic yards. Weight is cubic feet times the material's weight per cubic foot, and tons are pounds divided by 2,000.
Default weights come from Engineering ToolBox: about 105 lb per cubic foot for dry gravel, 125 for wet gravel, 97 for dry sand and 119 for wet sand. Real loads vary with rock type and moisture, which is why the custom field exists.
Worked example: a 20 × 10 ft area, 3 inches deep
200 sq ft × 3 ÷ 12 = 50 cubic feet, or 1.85 cubic yards. At 105 lb per cubic foot that is 5,250 lb, or 2.6 tons. With 10% extra, order about 2.9 tons (2.04 cubic yards).
Gravel needed for common projects
Dry gravel at 105 lb per cubic foot, no extra added.
Project
Cubic yards
Tons
10 × 10 ft area, 2 in deep
0.62
0.87
10 × 20 ft patio base, 4 in deep
2.47
3.5
3 × 50 ft path, 3 in deep
1.39
1.97
12 × 40 ft driveway, 4 in deep
5.93
8.4
12 × 60 ft driveway, 6 in deep
13.33
18.9
Common questions
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
Dry gravel weighs about 105 lb per cubic foot, so one cubic yard (27 cubic feet) is about 2,835 lb, or roughly 1.4 tons. Wet gravel is heavier, about 125 lb per cubic foot. Stone size and rock type change this, so ask your supplier for the weight of their product.
How many square feet does a ton of gravel cover?
At 2 inches deep, one ton of dry gravel (about 0.7 cubic yards) covers roughly 114 square feet. At 4 inches it covers about 57 square feet.
How deep should gravel be for a driveway?
Driveways are usually built in layers: a thick compacted base of larger crushed stone and a thinner top layer. Unilock's installation guide calls for 10 to 14 inches of base under paver driveways and 6 to 8 inches under patios and walkways. For a simple top-up on an existing gravel driveway, 2 to 3 inches is common.
Should I order by the ton or by the yard?
Use whatever your supplier sells by. This calculator shows both, so you can compare quotes. If they sell by the ton, the weight of their specific material matters, so enter it in the custom weight field for a closer answer.