Gravel Calculator

Find how much gravel or crushed stone you need for a path, patio base, bed or driveway. See cubic yards and tons.

Shape of the area

Length

Width

Length unit

How many areas this size

Depth

Depth unit

Extra for settling and waste (%)

Tons per cubic yard

Gravel needed

Cubic feet
Cubic meters
Weight (tons)
Weight (lb)
Area
1 cu yd covers

By the Mulch Calculator team · Depth and spacing advice from university extension services · Math covered by unit tests · Last updated October 24, 2026 · Our method

Before you order. Results are estimates. Bulk material settles, and loads vary by supplier, so check the bag label or ask your supplier for the real volume and weight. Call 811 before you dig. Keep mulch off tree trunks and away from your house foundation, as UC extension advice explains.

How much gravel do I need?

Multiply length by width in feet, then by depth in inches, and divide by 324 to get cubic yards. Multiply yards by the weight per yard to get tons. A path 30 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 inches deep is 90 x 4 / 324 = 1.11 cubic yards, or about 2.06 tons at 1.85 tons a yard.

Tons = square feet x depth (inches) / 324 x tons per cubic yard

Weight changes from one stone to the next, so the tool lets you edit the tons per yard. The default of 1.85 comes from the Wisconsin DOT, which uses it to turn packed, in place base stone from yards into tons (WisDOT Section 305). Loose stone in a pile weighs less per yard than packed stone, so treat 1.85 as a high guess.

Convert tons and pounds

The New Hampshire DES sheet gives the rule for turning yards into tons: cubic yards x pounds per yard / 2,000 = tons (NH DES). A US ton is 2,000 pounds.

Cubic yards	Tons at 1.85 t/yd	Pounds
0.5	0.93	1,850
1	1.85	3,700
2	3.70	7,400
5	9.25	18,500
10	18.50	37,000

How far a cubic yard of gravel goes

Depth	Sq ft per cubic yard	Yards per 100 sq ft
1 in	324	0.31
2 in	162	0.62
3 in	108	0.93
4 in	81	1.23
6 in	54	1.85

Gravel as mulch

Stone can work as a mulch in beds. The University of Maryland Extension suggests a layer of about 1 inch of gravel or stone (UMD Extension). The USDA NRCS mulching standard is stricter for its own projects: stone at least 0.75 inches in size, spread at least 2 inches deep (USDA NRCS). Stone does not break down, so it does not feed the soil like bark or compost. Use the mulch calculator for wood mulch.

Tips before you order

Ask the supplier for the tons per yard of the exact stone and size you want.
Most loads are sold by the ton or by the yard. Round up to what they sell.
A pickup can carry far less weight than it can hold in volume. Ask Extension notes a standard pickup carries about 1,000 pounds, which is less than one third of a yard of packed stone.
Call 811 before you dig a base for a path or patio.

More tools

Related guides

FAQ

How many tons is a yard of gravel?

It depends on the stone, its size and how wet it is. For packed road base, the Wisconsin DOT uses 1.85 tons per cubic yard. Loose stone is often lighter, so ask your supplier for the weight of the exact product and type it into the tool.

How many square feet does a ton of gravel cover?

First turn tons into yards: divide tons by the tons per yard. Then multiply yards by 324 and divide by the depth in inches. At 1.85 tons a yard, one ton is 0.54 yards. At 2 inches deep, that covers about 88 square feet.

How deep should gravel mulch be around plants?

The University of Maryland Extension suggests about 1 inch of gravel or stone when you use it as a mulch around plants. Paths and driveways need more, so follow the plan from your contractor or supplier for those jobs.

Should I order gravel by the ton or by the yard?

Use whichever unit your supplier sells by. Many quarries sell by the ton, while some yards sell by the cubic yard. The tool shows both, so you can order in either unit. Ask the supplier what tons per yard figure they use for that stone.