Construction & Trades
Gravel Calculator
Quarries sell gravel by the ton, but you measure your project in feet and inches. Enter the area’s length and width, the depth you want, the material density and a waste or compaction allowance to get cubic yards, tons and the cost at your supplier’s price. Use it for driveways, walkways, patio base, drainage beds and equipment pads.
Estimates only. Verify important figures against your own records before acting on them. See our disclaimer.
How to use the Gravel Calculator
- Enter the length, width, depth, material density and waste & compaction allowance.
- Optionally add price per ton — leave blank to skip.
- Read the highlighted result first, then the breakdown below it. Load the worked example to check the math by hand.
What this calculator includes
What you enter
- Length
- Width
- Depth
- Material density
- Waste & compaction allowance
- Price per ton (optional)
What you get back
- Gravel needed
- Volume
- Area covered
- Estimated material cost
How this calculation works
Gravel volume is length × width × depth. Converting to cubic yards and multiplying by density gives the weight suppliers price by.
- Cubic feet = length × width × (depth ÷ 12)
- Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27 × (1 + allowance)
- Tons = cubic yards × density
- Cost = tons × price per ton
What the result means
Tons is what you order from the supplier; cubic yards is the volume it fills after the allowance.
Common mistakes and assumptions
- Entering depth in feet instead of inches.
- Using one density for every material.
- Skipping the compaction allowance.
Worked example
A 50 × 12 ft driveway, 4 inches deep, at 1.4 tons/yd³ with 10% allowance and $40/ton.
- 150 × 12 × 0.333 = 200 cubic feet.
- 2200 ÷ 27 × 1.10 = 8.15 cubic yards.
- 38.15 × 1.4 = 11.41 tons; at $40 that is about $456 before delivery.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tons of gravel are in a cubic yard?
- Roughly 1.4 tons for typical gravel or crushed stone, but it ranges from about 1.2 to 1.7 depending on rock type, size and fines.
- How deep should driveway gravel be?
- Commonly 4–6 inches of surface gravel over a compacted base layer; heavy traffic or soft soil needs more.
- Why add a waste or compaction allowance?
- Gravel settles when compacted and some is lost at edges. 5–15% is typical.
- How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
- At 4 inches deep and 1.4 tons/yd³, one ton covers about 58 square feet.
Disclaimer
This calculator returns estimates based only on the values you enter. It does not account for taxes, financing terms, local regulations, or conditions specific to your operation, and it is not accounting, legal, tax, or investment advice. Confirm any figure that carries real cost before you rely on it.
Calculations run entirely in your browser and the numbers you type are never sent to us or stored. Read how Answerivo calculators are built or report a correction. About Answerivo.