Gravel Calculator
Gravel volume = length × width × depth, and 27 ft³ make 1 yd³; choosing the material sets the density used for the delivered weight. A 20 × 10 ft parking pad at 4 in deep needs 2.47 yd³, or 2.72 yd³ with the 10% allowance. Confirm the weight with your supplier. Layered drive: Gravel Driveway Calculator.
How it's calculated: Volume = length × width × depth, plus the waste allowance; weight = volume × the selected material's bulk density.
Result appears here
Fill in the fields and press Calculate.
Formula, calculation, assumptions and sources
Volume = Length × Width × Depth
Weight = Volume × bulk density
Run the calculation to see each step with your own numbers.
A 20 ft × 10 ft parking pad, 4 in of gravel, default 10% allowance.
Volume = 20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.7 ft³ = 2.47 yd³ exact
Weight = 2.47 yd³ × ~1.42 tons/yd³ ≈ 3.50 tons exact
With 10%: order 2.72 yd³ / 3.85 tons
- A rectangular area at one uniform depth — for an irregular driveway or bed, break it into rectangles and add the results.
- Bulk density is a typical loose figure for the selected material — confirm with your supplier, and order by their tons-per-yard figure if it differs.
- The depth you enter is treated as loose (pre-compaction). If it is the finished compacted depth, raise the waste allowance to cover compaction.
- Weight is delivered weight, not compacted-in-place density.
- Why does the calculator ask for the material?
- Because weight depends on the aggregate's bulk density, which differs between gravel, sand, road base and decorative rock. The volume is the same regardless; the tonnage is not.
- Tons or cubic yards — which do I order in?
- Most suppliers sell by weight (tons or tonnes). The calculator shows both so you can order in whichever your supplier uses and check the other.
- The density looks off for my gravel.
- It's a typical figure — for gravel, a dry density of 1,680 kg/m³ (105 lb/ft³, about 1.42 tons/yd³). Real stone varies with type, moisture and gradation, so if your supplier quotes a tons-per-yard figure, order by theirs. The volume is unaffected.
- How much gravel do I need for a 10×10 area?
- About 0.93 yd³ (25 ft³) at the 3 in default depth, or 1.02 yd³ with the 10% allowance. At 4 in it is about 1.23 yd³ — the volume scales directly with the depth.
- What depth should I enter for a gravel path or pad?
- The calculator suggests 2–3 in for a top layer and 4–6 in for a full driveway base. Enter the loose, pre-compaction depth; if you enter the finished compacted depth, raise the waste allowance.
- How many cubic yards of gravel are in a ton?
- About 0.71 cubic yards (19 ft³) per US ton at this calculator's default dry-gravel density of 1,680 kg/m³ (105 lb/ft³) — equivalently, 1 cubic yard weighs about 1.42 US tons. Actual delivered weight varies with the material, moisture, gradation and compaction, so confirm the tons-per-yard figure with your supplier.
Volume
Standard geometry: Volume = L × W × D. Unit conversions per NIST SP 811.
Bulk density (gravel/stone)
Typical dry gravel ≈ 1.42 US tons/yd³ (1,680 kg/m³; 105 lb/ft³). Engineering ToolBox. Varies with gradation, moisture and compaction.
Bulk density (sand)
Typical dry masonry/concrete sand ≈ 1,600 kg/m³ (≈1.35 t/yd³). Engineering ToolBox 'Densities of common materials'.
Bulk density (road base)
Compacted dense-graded aggregate base ≈ 2,100–2,200 kg/m³ (≈140 lb/ft³). State-DOT base-course specifications.
Bulk density (limestone / landscape rock)
Crushed limestone ≈ 1.3–1.5 t/yd³ loose (≈1,550 kg/m³). Aggregate producer data / Engineering ToolBox. / Decorative landscape rock ≈ 1.25–1.35 t/yd³ (≈1,500 kg/m³). Landscape-supply industry figures. Varies by rock type and size.
About the Gravel Calculator
The Gravel Calculator gives both the volume and the estimated delivered weight of gravel or crushed stone for a driveway, path, drainage layer or fill, from the area and depth. Weight comes from a typical built-in bulk density for the material you choose; real stone varies, so check your quarry's tons-per-yard figure before ordering by weight. For a layered driveway build see the Gravel Driveway Calculator; for a plain volume-to-yards conversion see the Cubic Yard Calculator.
What you enter
- Length
- Width
- Depth — 2–3 in for a top layer; 4–6 in for a full driveway base.
- Material — Sets the built-in density used for the weight.
- Waste allowance — Default 10%. Adjust to your own allowance — the exact figure is always shown too.
What you get back
- Volume — shown as the exact figure and, separately, a recommended figure with your waste allowance added.
- Delivered weight — Suppliers usually sell aggregate by weight. Weight uses a typical built-in density for the selected material — confirm with your supplier.
The formula, a worked example, the assumptions behind it and the sources are shown in full below the calculator.
Related calculators
- Cubic Yard Calculator — Convert a length, width and depth into cubic yards, cubic feet or cubic metres.
- Crushed Stone Calculator — Crushed stone by volume and weight. Shares the density question with the Gravel Calculator.
- Gravel Driveway Calculator — Gravel for a driveway of a given length, width and depth, by layer.
- Road Base Calculator — Road base / crusher-run quantity for a sub-base layer.
Related articles
- Exact Quantity vs Recommended Order Quantity — Every BuildNumerics calculator shows two figures on purpose — the exact geometric answer, and a separate, waste-adjusted number you can actually order.
- Gravel Sizes Explained: Which Size Do You Need? — Gravel comes in a range of standard sizes, each suited to a different job — drainage stone, base material, and decorative surface stone all differ.
- Crushed Stone vs Gravel: What's the Difference? — Crushed stone is mechanically broken into angular pieces; natural gravel is rounded by water and weathering — a difference that affects how each performs.
Part of the Landscaping & Driveway calculators.