Gravel Calculators
Gravel Calculators
Cubic yards, tons, and bags for driveways, pathways, drainage, and landscaping. Six gravel types with accurate density data.
Why Gravel Quantities Are Tricky
Gravel is sold three different ways depending on where you buy it: by the cubic yard, by the ton, and by the bag. A landscape supply yard quotes tons. A concrete company quotes yards. Home Depot sells 50 lb bags. Converting between these units requires knowing the density of the specific gravel type — and crushed limestone weighs about 30% more per cubic yard than pea gravel. Get the density wrong, and your tonnage estimate is off by hundreds of pounds.
These calculators handle the conversions for six common gravel types, using density data from industry-standard material specifications. Enter your project dimensions and gravel type, and you'll get cubic yards, tons, and bag counts — whichever unit your supplier uses.
Depth matters more than most people think. A 2-inch gravel layer on a driveway will compress and scatter within a season. The standard recommendation for a gravel driveway is 4–6 inches of base material topped with 2–3 inches of surface gravel — and that's after compaction, which reduces the layer by about 30%. The calculators factor this in when you select a driveway application.
Which Calculator Do I Need?
General landscaping or fill projects? The main Gravel Calculator handles any rectangular area. Pick your gravel type, enter dimensions and depth, and get yards, tons, and bags.
Building or resurfacing a driveway? Use the Driveway Calculator. It accounts for the layered construction most gravel driveways need — a compacted base layer of crushed stone under a finer surface layer.
Your supplier quotes in tons? The Tons Calculator converts volume to weight using the correct density for each gravel type. Crushed limestone runs about 1.35 tons per cubic yard; pea gravel is closer to 1.30 tons.
Specifically using pea gravel? Pea gravel has different depth requirements than crushed stone — it doesn't compact the same way and migrates without edging. The Pea Gravel Calculator includes depth recommendations by use case.
Gravel Density Quick Reference
Weight per Cubic Yard
Crushed limestone: ~2,700 lb (1.35 tons)
Pea gravel: ~2,600 lb (1.30 tons)
River rock: ~2,700 lb (1.35 tons)
Decomposed granite: ~3,000 lb (1.50 tons)
Crushed concrete: ~2,500 lb (1.25 tons)
Lava rock: ~1,500 lb (0.75 tons)
Related Materials
Gravel is often a base layer under another material. If you're pouring a concrete slab, plan for 4 inches of compacted gravel beneath it. For a pea gravel patio, you'll want sand as a leveling layer between the compacted base and the surface gravel. And if the gravel borders garden beds, you'll likely need mulch for those areas too.