Gravel Calculator
Enter area and desired depth to get cubic yards, cubic meters, and tons of gravel. Density presets are included for common materials.
Coverage
Material
Materials Needed
How gravel is sold
Gravel is sold two ways: by volume (cubic yards or cubic meters, delivered by truck) and by weight (tons, either delivered or picked up in a truck bed). For any project big enough to matter, order in cubic yards. Bags are only cost-effective for tiny jobs — a single cubic yard is roughly 55 half-cubic-foot bags at 3–4× the delivered price.
Depth guidelines
Driveways: 4" minimum for a base layer, 3" for a finish layer over compacted subgrade. Walking paths: 2" over landscape fabric. Drainage under concrete or pavers: 4–6" of clean crushed stone. French drains: 6–12" depending on trench depth. This calculator uses your chosen depth uniformly; if depth varies (as with an uneven site), estimate the average.
Why density matters
Different gravels weigh different amounts per volume — crushed stone is denser than pea gravel is denser than river rock. That's why the tons figure changes with the material selector even though cubic yards stays the same. If your supplier only sells by ton, use the tons number; if they sell by yard, use yards.