Calcs4All

APR 23 · 2026

Gravel calculator

Estimate gravel volume and tonnage from bed dimensions.

What this calculator covers

Estimate the amount of gravel a bed, path, or base layer needs from its dimensions and a representative material density.

This page focuses on practical ordering math: convert depth, compute volume, and translate bulk volume into tons.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the calculator output tons instead of cubic yards?
Bulk gravel and crushed stone are typically sold and delivered by the ton rather than by volume, so converting to tons makes the estimate directly usable when requesting a supplier quote.
How deep should gravel be for a driveway versus a path?
Driveways generally need at least 4 inches of compacted gravel base to handle vehicle weight, while decorative walking paths are commonly done at 2–3 inches. Local conditions and subgrade quality affect the right depth for your project.
What density should I choose for my material?
Pea gravel runs around 95 lb per cubic foot, standard crushed stone around 105 lb, and river rock around 110 lb. When in doubt, check with your supplier — actual bulk density varies by stone size and moisture content.
Should I add extra to my order?
A common rule of thumb is to add 10–15% to account for settling, edges, and uneven subgrade. The calculator gives a geometric estimate of the flat bed volume, not a compacted-depth figure.

Tool

Run the calculation

ft
ft
in

RESULT · GRAVEL

â„–013

Primary result

2.63 tons

A 20 ft by 10 ft gravel bed at 3 in deep needs about 2.63 tons of material at the selected density.

Volume
1.85 cu yd
Weight
5,250 lb
Tons needed
2.63 tons

Step-by-step solution

  1. 1.Convert the depth to feet: 3 in ÷ 12 = 0.25 ft.
  2. 2.Multiply length × width × depth to get a volume that displays as 50 cubic feet.
  3. 3.Multiply the exact volume by 105 lb/cu ft and convert pounds to tons to get 2.63 tons.

Walkthrough

Visual walkthrough

Gravel planning starts with bed volume, then turns that volume into weight using the selected material density.

  1. 01

    Convert bed depth into feet

    3 ÷ 12 = 0.25 ft

    Depth must match the length and width units before volume can be computed correctly.

  2. 02

    Find the bed volume

    20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cu ft

    That gives the gravel-bed volume as displayed after rounding.

  3. 03

    Convert volume into tons

    Bulk material is usually ordered by weight, so the exact bed volume is multiplied by density and then converted from pounds to tons.

    2.63 tons needed