Decomposed Granite Calculator

Decomposed granite is granite weathered down to small particles and fines. Wetted and compacted, it forms a firm, natural-looking surface for paths and patios. Plain DG stays a little dusty and can wash on slopes; stabilized DG has a binder mixed in and sets much harder.

Plan about 3 inches for a path and 4 for a patio, compacted in thin lifts. The calculator adds about 20 percent for compaction. For a full path with fabric, base, and edging, use the gravel path planner.

Measure the length and width in feet, multiply for square feet, then decide the depth in inches. For odd shapes, split the area into rectangles, circles, and triangles and add them up; the calculator lets you add as many areas as you need and subtract cut-outs like a tree ring or an air-conditioner pad.

No tape measure? Open the Draw on satellite map tab, find your address, and trace the outline. Or use Pace it off: count steps along each side. Measure depth in a few spots, because ground is rarely flat.

Want the area on its own first? The lawn size calculator measures any part of your yard and carries it into the other calculators.

One cubic yard covers about 108 sq ft at 3 in compacted, before the compaction allowance.

DG packs down hard when wetted and rolled. About 20 percent extra gets you the finished depth. The calculator adds this for you; the table does not.

A cubic yard of dg weighs 2,700 to 3,000 lb (about 1.43 tons typical). Moisture is the big swing: the same pile weighs more after rain.

See every material side by side on the material weights chart.

It takes 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft to make one cubic yard, and each bag weighs about 50 lb. Bags cost more per yard but skip the delivery fee and the minimum order. Bulk is cheaper per yard once the delivery fee is spread over enough material.

With example prices of $7 a bag, $60 a yard in bulk, and $100 delivery, bulk starts winning at about 0.4 cubic yards. These are examples, not your local prices: type your own into the Order Ticket above and it recalculates the break-even.

Do not forget the labor. One cubic yard in bags means lifting 54 bags, about 2,850 lb in total, twice: into the cart and out of the car.

One cubic yard of dg weighs about 2,850 lb. A full-size half-ton pickup typically carries 1,500 to 2,300 lb, and a midsize pickup 1,100 to 1,700 lb. Your exact number is on the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the driver's door jamb.

That means weight runs out first. At the low end of a half-ton's payload, you can carry only about 0.53 cubic yards per trip, even though a 6.5 ft bed holds about 2.1 level full. A bed that looks half empty can already be over the limit.

The Haul Check in the calculator does this math for your truck and your load, and tells you how many trips it takes.

• Plain DG gets tracked indoors. A stabilizer binder makes a firmer path that resists erosion. (Kafka Granite)
• Wet and compact DG in thin lifts. One thick layer stays soft in the middle. (Kafka Granite)

• Compacting it dry. Wet it, then compact.
• Laying 4 inches in one lift.
• Skipping edging, so the edges crumble.