How much gravel do I need?
One ton of crushed stone covers roughly 100 square feet at 2 inches deep, 65 square feet at 3 inches, or 50 square feet at 4 inches. One cubic yard covers 162 square feet at 2 inches and 81 square feet at 4 inches.
Depth is set by what drives on it. A garden path needs 2 inches. A walkway over landscape fabric needs 3. A residential driveway needs a 4-inch compacted base of crusher run plus a 2–3 inch wearing course of #57 — that is two separate orders of two different stones, and skipping the base is why gravel driveways turn into potholes in one winter. French drains and drywells need 6–12 inches of clean stone with no fines at all.
Worked example: a 40 ft × 12 ft driveway at 4 inches is 480 sq ft × 0.333 ft = 160 cubic feet = 5.93 cubic yards. Add 20% for compaction and you order 7.1 yards, which at 2,700 lb per yard is 9.6 tons.
How the calculation works
Cubic yards = length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. Tons = cubic yards × pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2,000.
The pounds-per-yard figure is where estimates diverge. Clean angular stone such as #57 runs about 2,700 lb per cubic yard loose. Crusher run, which carries stone dust in the voids, is denser at roughly 2,900. River rock is lighter at about 2,600 because rounded stone stacks with more air in it. Wet material can be 10% heavier again, and if the quarry sells by weight you pay for that water.
Compaction is the allowance people forget. Crusher run and decomposed granite lose 15–25% of their loose volume once plated or rolled, because the fines migrate into the voids. Clean stone with no fines barely moves — 10% covers it. Ordering a 20% allowance on #57 just leaves you with a pile.
For a circle, area is π × (diameter ÷ 2)². For an irregular yard, break it into rectangles and add them rather than averaging, which always under-reads.
Typical gravel cost, mid-2026
| Material | Unit | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run / #411Base course — compacts hard | per ton | $18.00 – $40.00 |
| #57 stone (¾" clean)Drainage and driveway top | per ton | $25.00 – $55.00 |
| #8 chip (⅜") | per ton | $30.00 – $60.00 |
| Pea gravel | per ton | $35.00 – $75.00 |
| Decomposed granite | per ton | $40.00 – $90.00 |
| River rock (1–2")Decorative — priced accordingly | per ton | $60.00 – $140 |
| Bagged gravel | per 50 lb bag | $4.00 – $9.00 |
| Delivery | per load | $75.00 – $200 |
| Spread and compact | per ton | $20.00 – $45.00 |
Quarry prices are per ton at the scale. Delivery is usually a flat trip charge, so a half load costs nearly what a full load does — round up to the truck, not to the yard.
What goes wrong on this job
- Buy by the ton, not the yard, and get the conversion in writing. A yard of #57 is about 1.35 tons; a yard of crusher run is closer to 1.45. Suppliers quote whichever unit makes the number look smaller.
- A gravel driveway is two stones, not one. Crusher run compacted to 4 inches for the base, then #57 or #8 on top. One layer of clean stone straight onto soil will pump into the subgrade and be gone in a season.
- Put fabric down under the base on anything soft. Non-woven geotextile costs a few hundred dollars over a driveway and stops the stone migrating into clay, which is the single most expensive failure on this job.
- Do not order pea gravel for anything a vehicle turns on. Rounded stone cannot interlock, so tyres push it into windrows and you rake it back every month for the rest of your life.
- Check whether the truck can actually get in. A tandem needs about 12 feet of width and 14 feet of overhead clearance, and it cannot back up a soft lawn in March.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
About 2,700 lb (1.35 tons) for clean crushed stone, 2,900 lb for crusher run with fines, and around 2,600 lb for rounded river rock. Wet material adds up to another 10%.
How many square feet does a ton of gravel cover?
Roughly 100 sq ft at 2 inches deep, 65 sq ft at 3 inches and 50 sq ft at 4 inches. Divide 100 by half the depth in inches for a quick field check.
How deep should gravel be on a driveway?
Six to eight inches total on residential ground: a 4-inch compacted crusher-run base plus 2–3 inches of #57 or #8 as the wearing course. Soft or clay subgrade wants geotextile fabric underneath and closer to 10 inches.
What is the difference between #57 stone and crusher run?
#57 is washed ¾-inch stone with the fines screened out, so it drains freely but stays loose. Crusher run keeps the stone dust, which lets it compact into a hard, near-solid base but also holds water. Use crusher run below and #57 above or around drains.
How many 50 lb bags of gravel are in a cubic yard?
About 54 bags, since a 50 lb bag holds roughly half a cubic foot. Above a third of a yard, bulk delivery costs less even after the trip charge.