Gravel is sold two ways — by the cubic yard (volume) and by the ton (weight) — which is why "how much gravel do I need" trips people up. Here's how to get both numbers and order with confidence.
Start with cubic yards
Volume is length × width × depth. Keep everything in feet (so 4 inches = 0.33 ft), multiply, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 20 × 10 ft area at 4 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.33 ÷ 27 ≈ 2.5 cubic yards. The gravel calculator does this instantly and also gives the tons.
Converting cubic yards to tons
Most crushed stone weighs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, so to convert cubic yards of gravel to tons, multiply by 1.4. Our 2.5-yard example is about 3.5 tons. The exact figure shifts with the stone — pea gravel, crushed limestone, and river rock vary by roughly ±15%, and wet gravel weighs more — so ask your supplier for their tons-per-yard on a big load.
How deep should gravel be?
- Driveways: a 3–4 inch top layer over a compacted base; a solid driveway is often built up 8–12 inches in layers.
- Walkways & paths: 2–3 inches over landscape fabric.
- Paver base: 4–6 inches of compacted crushed stone under patios and walkways.
- French drains: fill the trench around the pipe to the depth you need.
How much gravel for a driveway?
Measure the length and width, pick a 3–4 inch surface depth, and run the numbers. A 30 × 12 ft driveway at 4 inches is about 4.4 cubic yards — roughly 6.2 tons. Add about 10% for compaction and spreading, and use angular crushed stone (not rounded pea gravel) so the surface locks together.
Yard or ton — which do I order?
Either works; suppliers quote both. Use cubic yards to picture how much space it fills, and tons for the delivery ticket. Run your dimensions through the gravel calculator and you'll have both numbers to compare quotes.