Gravel Calculator
This gravel calculator turns your area's length, width, and depth into the amount to order — tons with 5% waste included, plus cubic yards and 50 lb bag counts.
Your project
Your materials
Standard industry formulas with waste included. Always confirm quantities with your supplier.
How much gravel do I need?
Gravel is quoted by the ton or the cubic yard. Compute the volume of your area in cubic yards, then multiply by 1.4 — the typical weight of a cubic yard of crushed stone. The hero number adds 5% for compaction and settling, which loose gravel always does. Quarries deliver by the ton, so that's the number to give them; bags only make sense for very small patch jobs.
Worked example. For a 20 ft × 10 ft path at 3 inches deep: volume is 20 × 10 × (3 ÷ 12) = 50 ft³, which is 50 ÷ 27 ≈ 1.85 cubic yards. At 1.4 tons per yard that's about 2.59 tons; adding 5% for settling gives roughly 2.72 tons to order. In 50 lb bags that's about 104 bags — clearly a job for bulk delivery, not bags.
| Depth | Coverage per ton | Coverage per yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | ~108 ft² | ~162 ft² |
| 3 in | ~72 ft² | ~108 ft² |
| 4 in | ~54 ft² | ~81 ft² |
| 6 in | ~36 ft² | ~54 ft² |
Coverage assumes crushed stone at ~1.4 tons per cubic yard, before compaction; deeper bases cover less area per ton.