Gravel Calculator

Choose the material, then type the length and width of a bed, path or driveway (or the width of a round bed, or an area you already know) and how deep it should be. The calculator gives the volume in cubic yards and cubic feet, the weight in tons from a typical figure you can change, the number of bags of the size you choose, and the cost by the yard, the ton or the bag. Metric works too, in cubic metres, tonnes and litre bags.

How it works

Gravel Calculator is a web page that does its work on your own device. Everything you type or choose is worked out by your browser and never sent to a server, so nothing is stored and there is nothing to delete. There is no account, no sign-up and no limit on how often you use it.

Straight to one job

Mulch Calculator · Topsoil Calculator

How the amount is worked out

Gravel, stone, soil and mulch are sold by volume, so the sum is area times depth. A bed 10 feet by 10 feet is 100 square feet. At 4 inches deep, that is 100 × 4 ÷ 12 = 33.3 cubic feet. A cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet (3 × 3 × 3), so the bed needs 33.3 ÷ 27 = 1.23 cubic yards. Suppliers sell bulk material by the cubic yard or by the ton, and garden centres by the bag, so the calculator gives all three.

Cubic yards to tons

Stone is heavy and its weight varies with the rock, the size of the pieces and how wet it is. As a rough guide, a cubic yard of gravel or crushed stone weighs about 1.3 to 1.5 tons, sand about the same, topsoil about 1 to 1.1 tons, and mulch only 400 to 800 pounds. The calculator starts from a typical figure for each material; replace it with your supplier's if they quote by the ton. A ton here is the US short ton of 2,000 pounds; in metric the answer is in tonnes of 1,000 kg.

Bags or bulk

Bagged gravel and sand usually come in 0.5 cubic foot bags, which is 54 bags to the cubic yard. Mulch bags are usually 2 or 3 cubic feet, 13.5 or 9 to the yard. For more than about a cubic yard, a bulk delivery is usually cheaper and much less lifting, but there may be a delivery charge and a minimum order. A pickup truck bed holds roughly 1 to 2 cubic yards, though gravel can exceed a small truck's weight limit long before the bed looks full.

Shapes and extra

For an irregular bed, split it into rectangles and circles and add them up, or measure the area another way and choose Known area. Gravel settles and compacts once it is spread and driven on, and edges are never perfectly straight, so many people order 5 to 10 percent extra; type it in the Extra box.

What it does

• Gravel, crushed stone, pea gravel, river rock, sand, topsoil and mulch
• Rectangle, circle or a known area
• Cubic yards, cubic feet and tons
• Bags of 0.5 to 3 cubic feet
• Cost by the yard, the ton or the bag
• Extra for settling and edges
• Feet and inches or metres

Questions

How much gravel do I need?

Multiply the length and width in feet by the depth in inches, divide by 12 to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. A 10 by 10 foot area 4 inches deep needs 1.23 cubic yards, about 1.7 tons of gravel.

How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?

Usually about 1.3 to 1.5 tons, depending on the stone and how wet it is. The calculator starts at 2,800 pounds, 1.4 tons; use your supplier's figure if they quote one.

How many bags of gravel make a cubic yard?

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 54 bags of 0.5 cubic feet, the usual size for bagged gravel and sand.

How many square feet does a yard of gravel cover?

At 2 inches deep, about 162 square feet; at 3 inches, 108; at 4 inches, 81; and at 6 inches, 54.

How deep should gravel be?

Paths and patios usually take 2 to 4 inches, and a driveway 4 to 6 inches over a compacted base. Pea gravel is usually laid 2 to 3 inches deep.

Should I order extra gravel?

Many people add 5 to 10 percent, because gravel settles and compacts and edges are never exact. Type it in the Extra box.

Is anything sent anywhere?

No. The sums run in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us or stored.

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