Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Loose gravel weighs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard (2,800 lb), so multiply the yards by 1.4 for tons. A 10 × 20 ft area 3 in deep is 50 cu ft: 1.85 cu yd, about 2.6 tons, or 104 bags of 50 lb.
How to measure for gravel
You need the area and the depth of the gravel layer. Measure what will be filled, inside any edging.
- Path, patio or parking pad: measure the length and the width between the edges. For a path that changes width, use the average.
- Round bed or fire pit area: measure straight across the middle and pick Circle.
- Odd shapes: split them into rectangles and circles, run each one and add them up, or enter the area if you already know it.
- Depth: the thickness of this layer of gravel, not the depth of the hole. A path with a crushed stone base and a pea gravel top is two layers: run the calculator once for each.
The math, with your numbers
These lines follow whatever you typed into the calculator above.
A circle is 3.1416 × radius² for the area. Bags are rounded up, because a store won’t sell part of one.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
Gravel is sold by the ton or by the cubic yard, so you need its weight to go from one to the other. The weight depends on the stone, the mix of sizes, the moisture and above all whether it is loose or packed down. Road agencies publish the figures they use to estimate:
| Material | Tons per cu yd | Pounds per cu yd | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockpiled crushed concrete | 1.35 | 2,700 | Nebraska DOT |
| Uncompacted gravel, as loaded | 1.4 | 2,800 | FEMA (104 lb per cu ft) |
| Chip seal stone | 1.4 | 2,800 | Nebraska DOT |
| Road aggregate with fines, loose | 1.62 | 3,240 | Penn State |
| Aggregate base, compacted in place | 1.88 | 3,760 | Nebraska DOT |
| Class A crushed stone, placed | 1.89 | 3,780 | Iowa DOT (140 lb per cu ft) |
| Road aggregate with fines, compacted | 2.16 | 4,320 | Penn State |
FEMA’s figure comes from an appeal decision in which the quarry agreed 1.4 tons a yard suits dry aggregate. Nebraska’s base figure is our arithmetic from its 0.2222 tons per square yard at 4¼ in; Penn State’s from its ordering rule below. Pounds use the 2,000 lb US ton.
So a yard of loose gravel is about 1.4 tons, and the same stone packed into a base weighs closer to 1.9. The calculator uses 1.4 for loose stone and Penn State’s 1.62 for base you will compact; type your supplier’s number into the Weight box if it differs.
At 1.4 tons a yard, a cubic yard of loose gravel weighs 2,800 lb, the same as a pallet of QUIKRETE All-Purpose Gravel: 56 bags of 50 lb.
Compacted gravel needs more than its finished depth
Gravel that gets tamped or rolled ends up thinner than it was spread. The federal gravel roads manual says ordinary compaction from traffic and rain makes most gravels shrink “a minimum of 20 percent.” Penn State’s Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies spreads its road aggregate 8 in deep and rolls it to 6 in with a 10-ton vibratory roller, or 6 in to 4½ in: a quarter of the depth goes.
That is why the calculator’s compacted base option asks for the finished depth and spreads a third more: 4 in finished means about 5⅓ in spread. It matches Penn State’s ordering rule, which is width × length in feet × 0.04 tons for 6 in finished, or × 0.03 for 4½ in.
Round stone works differently. Pea gravel and river rock don’t lock together the way crushed stone does; the gravel roads manual notes that rounded particles tend to shift and move under loads. Pick Loose stone for them and enter the depth you want to see.
How deep should gravel be?
- Garden path: This Old House digs a 4 in trench for its path, tamps about 2½ in of crushed stone pack in the bottom, lays landscape fabric and fills with gravel to ½ in below the edging.
- Under a concrete patio: QUIKRETE’s slab guide puts 3 in of gravel under 4 in of concrete; the concrete calculator does the slab.
- Under a house slab: the residential code asks for a 4 in base of clean graded sand, gravel or crushed stone where the slab is below grade (IRC R506.2.2).
- Gravel road or long driveway: Penn State finishes its road aggregate at 6 in, spread 8 in, or 4½ in, spread 6 in.
How much does a ton or a yard of gravel cover?
A cubic yard is 27 cu ft, and at 1.4 tons a yard, a ton of loose gravel is about 19.3 cu ft. Spread at a given depth:
| Depth | 1 cu yd covers | 1 ton covers | 50 lb bag covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 231 sq ft | 5.8 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 116 sq ft | 2.9 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 77 sq ft | 1.9 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 58 sq ft | 1.4 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 39 sq ft | 1.0 sq ft |
Our arithmetic for loose stone at 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Heavier stone covers less per ton.
Bags or a bulk delivery?
Bagged gravel is sold by weight. QUIKRETE’s All-Purpose Gravel comes in 50 lb bags, with stones up to about ⅜ in, and 56 bags to a pallet. That is about 1.4 tons, or one cubic yard of loose gravel at the typical weight, so anything much bigger than a 100 sq ft path at 3 in means a lot of bags to lift.
Landscape yards and quarries sell bulk stone by the ton or the cubic yard. When you call, ask what their stone weighs per yard, whether there is a minimum order and what delivery costs, and tell them where the truck can tip it.
Spread from the far end back toward the pile, and rake each section to depth as you go. A few depth stakes marked at the finished level make it easy to see where you are short before the last load is gone.
Questions people ask
How much gravel do I need?
Multiply length × width × depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, and multiply by 1.4 for tons of loose gravel. A 10 × 20 ft area 3 in deep needs 1.85 cu yd, about 2.6 tons.
How much does a yard of gravel weigh?
About 1.4 tons (2,800 lb) loose. Packed into a base, crushed stone weighs about 1.9 tons a yard; Iowa DOT estimates with 140 lb per cubic foot.
How many yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.7 cu yd, or 19 cu ft, at 1.4 tons per yard.
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
About 77 sq ft at 3 in deep, 116 sq ft at 2 in and 58 sq ft at 4 in.
How many bags of gravel are in a yard?
About 56 bags of 50 lb at 1.4 tons a yard, which is one pallet of QUIKRETE All-Purpose Gravel.
How deep should a gravel driveway be?
Penn State finishes the aggregate on gravel roads at 6 in, spread 8 in deep and rolled, or 4½ in from 6 in. Ask a local supplier or contractor about your soil.
Sources
- FEMA, Appeal decision, Road Repair, Appanoose County, Iowa (1930-DR-IA) (104 lb per cu ft for uncompacted gravel, 1.4 tons per cubic yard)
- Iowa Department of Transportation, Design Manual 1B-4, Densities for Use in Estimating Quantities
- Nebraska Department of Transportation, Estimating Quantities in English & Metric (June 2024)
- Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, Driving Surface Aggregate tech bulletin (2025)
- Skorseth and Selim, Gravel Roads Maintenance and Design Manual, South Dakota LTAP for the Federal Highway Administration (copy hosted by the EPA)
- QUIKRETE, Sand & Gravel Products data sheet, pouring concrete slabs
- This Old House, How to lay a budget-friendly gravel path
- International Code Council, 2021 IRC R506 as adopted in the 2021 Seattle Residential Code, chapter 5
Checked October 12, 2026. Metric values are converted from feet, inches and US tons.