Gravel Calculator
Measure the footprint, choose the depth, and get gravel in cubic yards — with a whole-yard ordering figure, an optional cost line, and tons only when you supply the density your quarry or landscape yard actually quotes.
Footprint and depth
Example: a 30 × 10 ft path at 3 in deep with 5% cushion → order 3 cu yd.
Treat the output as an ordering estimate — base preparation, drainage, and anything load-bearing or permit-related needs a qualified contractor or engineer.
The arithmetic under the pile
cu yd = length ft × width ft × (depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27. The worked path: 300 sq ft × ¼ ft = 75 cu ft = 2.78 cu yd. A 5% cushion lifts it to 2.92 cu yd, ordered as 3
whole yards. At a supplier-quoted 1.4 tons per cu yd that load weighs about 4.08
tons — a figure the tool prints only because the example supplies a density, exactly as the form
does.
Yards are measured; tons are quoted
Volume is geometry — it cannot be wrong if the tape measure was right. Weight belongs to the material: the same yard of rock can vary by hundreds of pounds between products and moisture states. That is why this page never embeds a density. When a supplier quotes “about 1.4 tons to the yard”, type that in and the conversion is theirs, not ours.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t the calculator just tell me the tons?
Because there is no single honest number. Crushed limestone, pea gravel, river rock, and recycled concrete all have different densities, and moisture shifts the weight further. Suppliers sell by weight using THEIR material’s figure — enter the density they quote and the tool converts; leave it blank and you still get exact cubic yards.
How deep should a gravel layer be?
It depends on the use, which is a judgment this tool deliberately does not make. Common practice layers driveways in multiple lifts and walkways shallower — pick the depth for your project (or your contractor’s spec) and the tool computes the volume for it.
What does rounding to whole cubic yards mean for my order?
Bulk aggregate is typically sold by the cubic yard, so the tool rounds the waste-adjusted volume up to a whole-yard order and shows the spare. Some yards sell half-yard scoops — if yours does, the unrounded figure is right there to order from.
Does the tool account for compaction?
No — compaction is a settlement judgment that varies with material and use. The waste percentage is a simple cushion you control. For a compacted base course, ask your supplier how much extra loose material their product needs.
Nothing you type leaves your device. See how estimates are constructed and tested on the methodology page, and measure irregular footprints with the square footage calculator first.