Gravel calculator.
Measure your project. Plan your gravel. Get quantities you can work with.
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Every estimate shows its assumptions. Adjust waste, material density, and delivery rules to match your job. Use your supplier’s actual prices for a more useful comparison.See how we calculate
How to calculate gravel quantities
Calculate the volume of the gravel layer from its length, width and depth. If those dimensions describe the finished compacted layer, use a supplier-confirmed volume-loss allowance to estimate loose material before adding waste.
- Measure the gravel layer. Measure length and width of the area and the depth of the gravel layer. Use finished compacted depth or loose delivered depth, not both.
- Convert the volume to cubic yards. With feet and inches, use length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. In metric, metres × metres × (centimetres ÷ 100) gives cubic metres; one cubic yard is 0.764554857984 m³.
- Add compaction and waste only once. If the depth is compacted, divide by (1 − volume-loss fraction), then multiply by (1 + waste fraction). Skip compaction loss when the entered depth is already loose.
- Convert yards to tons or bags. Weight equals loose cubic yards times density in US short tons per cubic yard. Bags equal purchase cubic feet divided by bag yield, rounded up. Confirm density and bag yield for the product you will buy.
- Compare bagged and bulk orders. Use your supplier’s prices, delivery rules and order increment. A blank price is unknown, not free.
With length and width in feet and depth in inches, use length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27 to get cubic yards. In metric, length in metres × width in metres × (depth in centimetres ÷ 100) gives cubic metres. One cubic yard is 0.764554857984 m³.
Worked example: 20 ft × 12 ft × 4 in
20 × 12 × (4 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 2.963 yd³ before allowances.
This example assumes 20% volume loss and 5% waste: divide the measured volume by 0.80, then multiply by 1.05. Dividing by 0.80 adds 25% loose volume; it is not the same as adding 20%. Use zero loss when the entered depth already describes loose material.
- Volume with allowances
- 3.8889 yd³
- Whole 0.5 ft³ bags
- 210 bags
- Bulk at 0.25 yd³ increments
- 4 yd³
At the illustrative density of 1.4 US tons/yd³, the volume with allowances weighs approximately 5.44 US tons before bulk-order rounding. One US short ton is 2,000 lb.
Fixed teaching example, independent of your inputs above. Dimensions, allowances and order increments are illustrative. Calculations retain precision until final bag and bulk rounding; displayed volumes are rounded.
Turn volume into an order
Weight equals loose cubic yards multiplied by density in US short tons per cubic yard. The example’s 1.4 US tons/yd³ is illustrative, not a verified product density. Confirm the actual product, moisture conditions and supplier’s unit before ordering by weight.
Compare bags and bulk using your quote
Multiply whole bags by the price per bag. For bulk, multiply the rounded order quantity by the supplier’s price in matching units; convert to weight only with a product-appropriate density. Compare both options with their delivery or collection costs, minimum charges and taxes. Include handling, equipment and labor separately when relevant.
Enter actual quotes in the calculator above. A blank price is unknown, not zero, and a material subtotal is not a complete delivered cost.
Density table for yards and tons
Weight = loose cubic yards × density in US short tons per cubic yard. Reverse that to go from tons back to yards. Confirm the product and moisture condition; these figures are not a universal gravel density.
- Planning default in this calculator
- 1.4 US tons/yd³
- Ottr Gray Granite ¾ inch
- 1.25–1.35 US tons/yd³
- Flex Base — Large, crushed concrete
- Confirm with supplier
- Fines Base — Small, 3/8-inch-minus crushed concrete
- Confirm with supplier
The planning default is illustrative only. Reviewed product notes and sources: Ottr Gray Granite ¾ inch · checked 2026-09-15. Supplier gives an approximate 2,500–2,700 lb per cubic yard range. A chosen density is a planning assumption, not an exact measured conversion. Confirm actual density and payload before a ton-priced order. No numerical compaction allowance was verified. Flex Base — Large, crushed concrete · checked 2026-09-14. Supplier lists approximately 1.25 tons per cubic yard. The ton definition and actual loose density need confirmation before converting to US short tons. No density value or compaction allowance is applied automatically. Match the specified product grade; this is crushed concrete base, not clean drainage aggregate. Fines Base — Small, 3/8-inch-minus crushed concrete · checked 2026-09-14. Supplier lists approximately 1.25 tons per cubic yard. The ton definition and actual loose density need confirmation before converting to US short tons. No density value or compaction allowance is applied automatically. Match the specified product grade; this is crushed concrete base, not clean drainage aggregate.
Yards ↔ tons
At the example volume of 3.8889 yd³ and 1.4 US tons/yd³, the material weighs about 5.44 US tons. One cubic yard at 1.25 tons/yd³ is 1.25 US tons; at 1.4 tons/yd³ it is 1.4 US tons. Divide tons by the same density to return to cubic yards.
Bags vs bulk
At 0.5 ft³ per bag, one cubic yard is 54 bags before rounding. This example needs 210 whole bags, or 4 yd³ after the 0.25 yd³ bulk increment. Switch to bulk when bag count or handling weight becomes impractical, then include delivery and minimums from your quote.
Read the calculation methodology for shape formulas and assumptions, or choose a project guide for measurement instructions. Measure area first with the square footage calculator, then convert a driveway, paver base or French drain with the driveway, paver-base and French drain estimators. Compare reviewed supplier examples on local prices.
Gravel calculator FAQ
How much gravel do I need?
Multiply length by width by depth in matching units, convert to cubic yards, then add your waste and any volume-loss allowance. For a rectangle in feet and inches, use length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. If the depth is a finished compacted layer, divide by (1 − compaction fraction) before adding waste. Confirm the product, moisture and supplier increment before ordering.
How many tons in a cubic yard?
Tons equal cubic yards multiplied by density in US short tons per cubic yard. One US short ton is 2,000 lb. The calculator’s 1.4 tons/yd³ default is an illustrative planning value, not a verified product density. Reviewed crushed-granite listings on this site use about 1.25–1.35 tons/yd³. Use the supplier’s density for the exact aggregate and moisture condition when you buy by the ton.
What depth for driveway vs path?
Enter the compacted depth from your project specification. Many residential gravel driveways are planned around 4 inches of compacted stone and garden paths around 2–3 inches; those are starting points, not a structural or drainage design for your site. Add each area with a different depth as its own section.
Bags vs bulk — when to switch?
Bags suit small patches you can lift and place by hand. At the calculator’s 0.5 ft³ bag yield, one cubic yard is 54 bags before rounding. When bag count, total weight or handling time becomes impractical, compare a bulk delivery using the same purchase volume, then include delivery, minimums and tax from your quote.
Compacted or loose depth?
If you measured the finished compacted layer, keep a supplier-confirmed volume-loss allowance so the estimate converts that layer into loose material. If you already entered loose delivered depth, set compaction loss to zero. Dividing by 0.80 to recover 20% loss adds 25% loose volume; it is not the same as adding 20%. Do not apply the same loss twice.