Gravel Calculator
Tons, cubic yards, and cost for a driveway, walkway, or landscape bed. Works for pea gravel, crushed stone, road base, and decorative river rock.
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Driveway base is 4 to 6 inches. Walking paths are 2 to 3 inches. Decorative beds are 1 to 2 inches.
Bulk gravel runs $20 to $60 per ton picked up. Add $50 to $100 for local delivery.
Your result
At $40.00 per ton
- Area to cover
- 300sq ft
- Volume needed75 cubic feet
- 2.78cubic yards
- Weight needed7,778 lbs
- 3.89tons
Example. A 30 ft by 10 ft driveway at 3 inches deep needs 2.78 cubic yards, or about 3.9 tons of crushed stone. At $40 per ton, that is $156.
Save this as a free estimateHow deep should the gravel be?
- Driveway base layer (compacted)Plus 2-3 in of finer gravel on top.4-6 in
- Driveway surface (over compacted base)2-3 in
- Walking paths2-3 in
- Decorative beds, mulch substituteOver landscape fabric.1-2 in
- French drain beddingAround the pipe.4 in
- Retaining wall drainage12 in
Gravel types and what they weigh
Different stones pack differently. The calculator uses these conversion factors:
- Pea gravel: ~1.4 tons per cubic yard. Good for paths and dog runs. Moves underfoot.
- Crushed stone (#57): ~1.5 tons per cubic yard. Contractor default for driveways.
- Road base / crusher run: ~1.5 to 1.7 tons per cubic yard. Mixed sizes with fines that bind.
- Decorative river rock: ~1.35 tons per cubic yard. Premium look.
- Sand: ~1.3 tons per cubic yard.
If a supplier sells by the ton, ask for the conversion to yards so you can sanity check the order.
Gravel types and how much they weigh
Different stones pack differently. Tonnage conversion factors used in the calculator:
- Pea gravel: small rounded stones, ~1.4 tons per cubic yard. Good for walking paths, dog runs, and decorative use. Cheaper but moves underfoot.
- Crushed stone (#57 stone): the contractor default for driveways and french drains, ~1.5 tons per cubic yard. Locks together when compacted.
- Road base / crusher run: mixed sizes with fines that bind, ~1.5 to 1.7 tons per cubic yard. Use under driveways and patios as a structural base.
- Decorative river rock: rounded, larger stones, ~1.35 tons per cubic yard. More expensive, used for landscape accents.
- Sand (for comparison): ~1.3 tons per cubic yard.
If a supplier sells you gravel by the ton, ask for the conversion to yards so you can sanity check the order.
Gravel prices per ton
If you can move a pickup truck through your supplier's yard, hauling a ton or two yourself saves the delivery fee.
Pricing the job for a client
Material cost is just one line. To bill the customer, add your labor (loading, hauling, spreading, compacting), equipment time, disposal, and your contractor markup. The markup calculator handles the cost-to-selling-price math, and the labor cost calculator gives you a defensible labor rate including overhead. For driveway and grading work, use the construction estimate template or the landscaping estimate template as the bill format. See our guide on estimating construction costs for a fuller breakdown.
Going to pour concrete on top of the base? Run the concrete calculator next. Paving asphalt over it? Use the asphalt calculator.
How many tons of gravel do I need per cubic yard?
About 1.4 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, depending on the gravel. Pea gravel is around 1.4 tons per yard. Crushed stone and road base are 1.5 tons per yard. Larger decorative river rock packs less densely, closer to 1.35 tons per yard.
How much gravel do I need for a 1,000 sq ft driveway?
For a typical residential driveway at 4 inches deep, 1,000 sq ft of gravel is 12.35 cubic yards. That is about 18.5 tons of crushed stone. At $30 to $50 per ton plus delivery, expect $700 to $1,200 in materials. Most contractors layer 4 inches of crusher run as a base and top it with 2 inches of #57 stone.
What is the cheapest gravel for a driveway?
Crusher run (also called road base or dense-grade) is usually the cheapest gravel for a driveway base, at $20 to $35 per ton. It compacts well because it contains fines. For the surface, #57 crushed stone at $30 to $50 per ton is the contractor standard. Avoid pea gravel for driveways. It moves under tires.
Send this gravel estimate to your client
InvoiceOwl converts your calculation into a professional, branded estimate. Email it, get the client to e-sign, then turn it into an invoice with one tap. Free to start.