Enter your dimensions, get tons and cubic yards in seconds, then order that exact amount delivered to your door.
One cubic yard of gravel weighs anywhere from 600 lb (hardwood mulch) to 3,200 lb (compacted road base). That spread is why a generic calculator sells you the wrong tonnage: the math has to know the material. This one does. Pick a material, enter length, width and depth, and you get cubic yards plus tons at that material’s real density, with our recommended cushion already added.
Know your material already? The dedicated calculators above give you depth presets and the matching product.
The formula, with a worked example
cubic yards = (Length ft × Width ft × Depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27
tons = cubic yards × material density (see the table below)
A 12 × 50 ft driveway refreshed with 3 inches: 12 × 50 × 0.25 = 150 cubic feet. Divide by 27 and you get 5.6 cubic yards. At 1.36 tons per yard that is 7.6 tons. Order 8.5 and you are covered.
How much does gravel weigh?
Typical gravel runs 2,800 lb per cubic yard. Mulch is the outlier at about 600 lb, sand matches gravel at 2,800, and road base runs about 2,700 loose, heavier once compacted. Wet material weighs up to 10% more. We sell by the ton, so moisture never shorts your coverage. Do your project math in cubic yards and let the calculator convert.
Gravel calculator FAQs
How do I calculate how much gravel I need?
Multiply length by width in feet, multiply by depth in inches divided by 12, then divide by 27. That gives cubic yards. Multiply by the material density (about 1.4 tons per cubic yard for typical gravel) and you have tons. The calculator above runs the same math and adds a recommended overage.
How much will 1 ton of gravel cover?
At a 2-inch depth, 1 ton of typical gravel covers about 115 square feet. At 3 inches it covers about 80. At 4 inches, about 60. Denser materials like road base cover slightly less per ton.
How much is 1 truckload of gravel?
A standard tandem dump truck carries 10–15 tons. The cost depends on the material and your delivery zip code. Pick your material in the shop to see your live per-ton price with delivery, and coupon FIRSTTIMER50 takes $50 off a first order.
How much gravel do I need to cover a 10×10 area?
A 10 × 10 ft area at 3 inches deep needs 25 cubic feet, which is 0.93 cubic yards or roughly 1.3 tons. Order 1.5–2 tons to allow for grading and settling.
Should I order gravel in cubic yards or tons?
Tons. Bulk aggregate is priced and weighed by the ton in most of the US. Cubic yards is what your project math produces, so the calculator shows both, converted at the correct density for each material.
