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Gravel Calculator

Enter your area and depth to get gravel in cubic yards, tons, and bags.

01 / PROJECT DIMENSIONS↙
Length
Width
Waste %%

Change any measurement to update your estimate.

02 / YOUR MATERIAL ESTIMATE
You need approximately
0.93 cubic yards
25 ft³ of gravel
With 5% waste: 0.97 cubic yards (recommended when ordering)
Cubic feet
25 ft³
Weight
1.25 tons
0.5 ft³ bags
50 bags

Most crushed gravel weighs about 100 lb/ft³, so one cubic yard is roughly 1.35 tons — enough to cover 100 ft² about 3 inches deep.

Why order extra? The headline number is the exact material your project needs. When you actually order, add about 5–10% on top — the “with 5% waste” figure in the result is a safe starting point. That margin covers what you lose to compaction, cuts around edges and corners, and ordinary spillage during handling. It is cheaper to have a little left over than to stop mid-job and wait on a second delivery.

Field notes

Buy about 20% over on any driveway — crushed stone compacts hard, and the number you calculate is the finished volume, not the loose delivery. Use angular crushed stone, not rounded river rock, anywhere tires roll; round stone shifts and ruts. Build it in layers with a plate compactor between each, and set edging first or the gravel migrates into the lawn within a season.

How the gravel calculator works

The math behind the tool:

cubic yards = (length ft × width ft × depth ft) ÷ 27
tons = cubic feet × 100 lb/ft³ ÷ 2000

Material density

MaterialDensityPer cubic yard
Crushed gravel 100 lb/ft³ 1.35 tons

Sources: Oregon State University Extension (soil and compost volume guidance).

Frequently asked questions

How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?

A cubic yard of crushed gravel weighs approximately 2,700 lb (1.35 tons) at 100 lb/ft³. Denser rock like #57 stone can reach 1.4–1.5 tons per cubic yard.

How much gravel do I need for a driveway?

For a gravel driveway, plan a compacted depth of about 4 inches. Multiply length × width in feet by 0.333 ft, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by 1.35 for tons.

How do you calculate how much gravel I need?

Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. Gravel runs about 100 lb per cubic foot, so a cubic yard weighs roughly 2,700 lb, or 1.35 tons. Order 20% over — gravel compacts noticeably under traffic and settles into the subgrade.

How do you calculate yards of gravel?

Take the area in square feet, multiply by the depth in feet, divide by 27. A 50 by 12 driveway at 4 inches is 600 × 0.333 ÷ 27, about 7.4 cubic yards. Most suppliers sell gravel by the ton, so multiply cubic yards by 1.35 to get the ordering figure.

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Step-by-step guides

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