Gravel Calculator

“Gravel” covers a lot of different stone. Clean, angular stone like #57 drains well and is the middle layer of most driveways. Crusher run has stone dust mixed in, so it packs hard and makes a firm top or base. Pea gravel is rounded, pretty, and comfortable for paths, but it rolls under tires. Pick the material in the calculator and the weight, compaction, and bag sizes change with it.

Depth depends on the job: about 2 inches for decorative cover, 3 to 4 inches for paths and patios, and 8 inches or more across several layers for a driveway. For a full driveway, the gravel driveway planner builds all the layers and the fabric in one bill of materials.

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 81 sq ft at 4 in deep.

A cubic yard of #57 stone weighs 2,400 to 2,800 lb (about 1.3 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 $6 a bag, $50 a yard in bulk, and $100 delivery, bulk starts winning at about 0.5 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 2,600 lb in total, twice: into the cart and out of the car.

One cubic yard of #57 stone weighs about 2,600 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 0.58 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.

• #57 is the drainage layer. It does not lock together on its own, so most driveways cap it with crusher run or screenings. (Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies)
• Stone names vary by state. Ask for the size (about 3/4 in to 1 in, clean) if your yard does not use the # numbers. (Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies)

• Ordering by bed size instead of weight. A yard of gravel is often more than a half-ton pickup can legally carry.
• Forgetting compaction on crusher run, DG, and paver base. You end up 15 to 20 percent short after the plate compactor.
• Using pea gravel on a driveway or slope. It rolls, ruts, and migrates into the lawn.
• Skipping fabric on soft soil. Stone pressed into mud is stone you paid for and cannot see.