Gravel Calculator
Estimate how much gravel you need for any project. Enter your area and depth to get cubic yards, tons, bags, and an estimated cost — for gravel, pea gravel, crushed stone, sand, and common numbered stone sizes.
Popular gravel calculators
Dedicated tools for specific materials and units. Each one runs the same fast, private math as the calculator above, pre-set for its own material and use case.
Pea Gravel Calculator
Yards, tons, bags, and cost, pre-set for pea gravel and common walkway and landscape depths.
Crushed Gravel Calculator
Crushed stone, crush and run, and road base quantities, with grading-code guidance.
Gravel Calculator (Yards)
Cubic yards of gravel for any area and depth, with common square-footage examples.
Gravel Calculator (Tons)
Tons of gravel for your project, with lb and kg equivalents and bag counts.
Gravel Weight Calculator
Convert gravel volume to weight — and weight back to volume — with a density reference table.
Application calculators
Different projects need different depths and materials. These tools are tuned per application — a driveway's base layer is not the same job as a French drain trench or an aquarium substrate.
Gravel Driveway Calculator
Two-layer driveways: compacted base plus clean top, each with its own material and depth.
Paver Base Calculator
Compacted gravel base for paver patios and walkways — the layer that carries the load.
French Drain Gravel Calculator
Trench-based volume for drainage runs, sized for the washed stone a French drain needs.
Retaining Wall Gravel Calculator
Drainage backfill behind a wall — why free-draining gravel matters structurally.
Aquarium Gravel Calculator
Substrate by tank size or dimensions, reported in pounds or kilograms — the right units for fishkeepers.
Cost tools
Gravel pricing varies enormously by region, so these tools treat your supplier's price per ton or per yard as the input — no misleading "national averages".
Gravel Cost Calculator
Total material cost from your volume and your local price per ton or per cubic yard.
Gravel Driveway Cost Calculator
Price out a full driveway, including base and top layers at different rates.
Pea Gravel Cost Calculator
Bag-versus-bulk pricing for walkways, beds, and patios at pea gravel depths.
Why use this gravel calculator
- Fast and frugal. Plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — no frameworks, no sign-up, no popups. It works on a slow phone at the supply yard.
- Private by design. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser. The dimensions you enter are never sent to a server, logged, or shared — the site has no backend to send them to.
- Shows its work. Every result displays the formula and density figure it used, so you can check the math yourself.
- Honest about limits. An estimate is an estimate. Compaction, moisture, uneven ground, and supplier rounding mean real orders differ from calculated figures — the tools say so plainly instead of pretending otherwise.
How gravel volume and weight are calculated
Gravel quantity comes down to two simple formulas:
Volume = Length × Width × Depth
Weight = Volume × Material Density
The area depends on the shape: rectangles use length × width, circles use π × radius², and triangles use ½ × base × height. Depth must be converted to the same unit — 3 inches is 0.25 feet. Cubic feet divide by 27 to give cubic yards, and cubic yards multiply by the material's density to give tons.
Gravel types and densities used
Densities below are typical loose (uncompacted) figures used by the calculator. Gravel generally weighs roughly 1.4–1.7 tons per cubic yard depending on type and compaction — always confirm with your supplier, since gradation and moisture change the number.
| Material | Weight | Tons per yd³ | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel (loose, dry) | ≈ 105 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.42 | General fill, driveways, drainage |
| Pea gravel | ≈ 110 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.49 | Walkways, playgrounds, decorative beds |
| Crushed stone | ≈ 106 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.43 | Driveway base, paver base, backfill |
| Crusher run / road base | ≈ 119 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.60 | Compacted bases, road surface |
| Sand (dry) | ≈ 100 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.35 | Bedding layers, mixing with aggregate |
| #57 stone (¾") | ≈ 100 lb/ft³ | ≈ 1.35 | Driveway top, French drains, septic fields |
Gravel calculator FAQ
How do I calculate how much gravel I need?
Multiply length × width to get the area, then multiply by the depth converted to feet. That gives cubic feet; divide by 27 to get cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by the material's density (typically 1.4–1.5 tons per cubic yard for gravel) to get tons. The calculator above does this for you and shows the formula it used.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
Most gravel weighs about 1.4–1.5 tons per cubic yard, so one ton is roughly 0.7 cubic yards. The exact figure depends on the stone type, gradation and moisture, which is why this calculator lets you pick the material and shows the density it used.
How deep should gravel be for a driveway?
A light-use residential driveway is typically 4–6 inches of gravel total, often built as a 4–6 inch compacted base of larger crushed stone plus a 2–3 inch top layer. Heavier vehicles need a deeper base. Our gravel driveway calculator covers layered driveways in detail.
How many bags of gravel do I need?
Divide your total cubic feet by the bag size. Most retail gravel bags hold 0.5 cubic feet, so a project needing 20 cubic feet takes about 40 bags. The calculator reports bag counts automatically, but bulk delivery is usually much cheaper past roughly half a cubic yard.
Does the calculator account for compaction?
No. The result is the loose volume and weight of the material as specified. Crushed bases compact by roughly 10–15%, so a common practice is to order 5–10% more than the calculated amount, and more if the base will be heavily compacted.
Is my project data sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. The dimensions you enter are never sent to a server, logged, or shared.
Related guides
Plain-language explanations that support the tools — written to be honest about what an estimate can and cannot tell you.
How Much Gravel Do I Need?
The formula, depth guidance by project, and common area examples in yards and tons.
Gravel Types and Sizes Explained
What numbered stone sizes and grading codes mean, and which size fits which job.
Are Online Gravel Calculators Accurate?
What calculators can and cannot account for — compaction, moisture, waste, and load rounding.