How Much Is a Yard of Gravel? Price & Coverage
Quick answer: A cubic yard of bulk gravel typically costs $15 to $75 for materials alone, with basic crusher run and crushed concrete near the bottom of that range and decorative river rock and pea gravel near the top. Add delivery and a full yard usually lands between $65 and $250 total, depending on distance and load size.
Material type drives most of the price gap. Angular crushed stone is cheaper to produce and haul than rounded, decorative rock, and that difference shows up directly on the invoice.
Yard of Gravel Price by Material
A cubic yard of gravel runs from about $15 for crusher run up to $75 or more for river rock, and the stone you choose matters more than anything else in the price. Browse gravel prices by product to compare current options.
| Material | Price per Yard | Price per Ton |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run | $15-$35 | $12-$25 |
| #57 crushed stone | $30-$55 | $25-$45 |
| 3/4 inch crushed gravel | $30-$55 | $25-$45 |
| Pea gravel | $35-$65 | $30-$55 |
| River rock | $45-$75 | $40-$65 |
| Crushed concrete | $15-$30 | $12-$22 |
What Exactly Is a Cubic Yard?
A cubic yard of gravel is a cube 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and 3 feet tall, equal to 27 cubic feet of material. Picture a large chest freezer packed solid with stone and you have roughly the right scale.
In real-world terms, a yard of loose gravel fills about two-thirds of a standard full-size pickup bed loaded level with the sides. Piling it higher than the rails can get closer to a full yard, but most drivers stop well short to keep the load legal and the suspension in one piece.
How Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh?
A cubic yard of gravel weighs 2,400 to 2,900 pounds, or roughly 1.2 to 1.45 tons, depending on the stone type and how much moisture it’s holding. Dry, uniform crushed stone sits toward the lighter end; wet material or stone with lots of fine particles packs heavier.
- Crusher run: about 2,700 lbs per yard
- #57 crushed stone: about 2,500 lbs per yard
- Pea gravel: about 2,600 lbs per yard
- River rock: about 2,650 lbs per yard
For a material-by-material breakdown with moisture notes, see our full yard-weight breakdown.
Is 1 Yard of Gravel 1 Ton?
No. A cubic yard of gravel is usually closer to 1.4 tons than a flat 1 ton, so treating the two as equal will leave your order short. To convert, multiply cubic yards by 1.4 to get tons, or divide tons by 1.4 to get cubic yards.
| Yards | Tons (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.4 |
| 2 | 2.8 |
| 3 | 4.2 |
| 4 | 5.6 |
| 5 | 7.0 |
How Far Does a Yard Spread?
One cubic yard of gravel covers about 162 square feet at 2 inches deep, and only about 54 square feet at 6 inches deep. Coverage shrinks as depth grows because the same 27 cubic feet has to stretch over less ground.
| Depth | Coverage per Yard |
|---|---|
| 2 inches | ~162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | ~108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | ~81 sq ft |
| 6 inches | ~54 sq ft |
The math behind these figures is simple: divide 324 by the depth in inches to get square feet per yard. Run your own project dimensions through the gravel calculator to get an exact number before you order.
Bags vs a Bulk Yard
Fifty-four bags of gravel at 0.5 cubic feet each add up to one cubic yard, and bagged gravel almost always costs more per unit volume than bulk material. Bags earn their keep on small jobs where hauling a truckload doesn’t make sense.
- Cost comparison: bags typically run $4 to $6 each, working out to $215 to $325 for a yard-equivalent, versus $15 to $75 per yard bought in bulk.
- When bags make sense: projects under about half a yard, potholes, container gardens, or spots a wheelbarrow can’t reach.
- When bulk wins: driveways, patios, drainage beds, and anything covering more than a few hundred square feet.
Delivered Price: What Changes the Total
Delivered price for a yard of gravel depends mainly on load size, hauling distance, and material class, and any one of those can move the total by 50% or more. Aggregates are a low unit value, high haul cost commodity, according to the USGS National Minerals Information Center, which is why a nearby quarry with poor road access can end up costing more delivered than a farther one on a highway route.
- Load size: small orders under 5 yards usually carry a higher delivery fee per yard than full truckloads.
- Distance: every extra mile from the quarry adds fuel and drive time that the material price alone doesn’t cover.
- Material class: decorative stone often ships from farther away than basic crushed stone, adding to the delivered total.
For a broader look at current pricing, see our 2026 gravel prices per ton, yard and truckload guide, or check how much is a full load of gravel before you schedule delivery.
FAQs
What does 1 yard of gravel cost?
A cubic yard of gravel typically costs $15 to $75 for materials alone, depending on the stone type, plus delivery fees that usually add $50 to $200 or more based on distance and load size.
Is 1 yard of gravel 1 ton?
No, a cubic yard of gravel weighs closer to 1.4 tons than a flat 1 ton in most cases. Moisture and stone type shift that figure slightly, but 1.4 tons per yard is the standard number to plan around.
How many 50-lb bags of gravel are in a yard?
It takes about 54 bags of gravel at 50 pounds each to fill one cubic yard, since each bag holds roughly half a cubic foot and a yard holds 27 cubic feet. Buying that many bags usually costs significantly more than ordering the same volume in bulk.
How much can 1 yard of gravel cover?
One cubic yard of gravel covers about 162 square feet at a 2 inch depth or about 81 square feet at a 4 inch depth. A driveway base laid at 4 to 6 inches needs noticeably more material per square foot than a thin decorative topping.
How many yards fit in a pickup truck?
A standard full-size pickup bed holds about 2 to 3 cubic yards of gravel when loaded level with the rails, though most drivers keep it closer to 1.5 to 2 yards to stay within the truck’s payload rating. Overloading a light truck with heavy gravel can exceed its weight limit even if the bed still looks half empty.
