Gravel calculator

Enter the shape and the depth. We work out the cubic yards, add extra for compaction, convert to tons at the weight of your stone and count the bags for a small job.

120 sq ft at 4 in deep is 1.48 cu yd of gravel. Order 1.63 cu yd with 10% extra, about 2.3 tons, or 88 bags of 0.5 cu ft.

Cubic feet: 40.0 cu ft before the extra
Tons to order: 2.3 at 1.4 tons per cu yd
Bags of 0.5 cu ft: 88, $569.36 at $6.47 a bag of paver base
Bulk price: $45.63 to $68.44 at $20.00 to $30.00 a ton of crushed limestone, before delivery

The bag price is Pavestone paver base at Home Depot, Hamilton Mill, read Nov 6, 2026, before tax. The bulk range is This Old House, Landscape rock cost (updated Jun 8, 2026), crushed limestone per ton before delivery, read Nov 7, 2026. Past a cubic yard or so, bulk from a stone yard is the usual buy; ask for its delivery fee too.

Laying pavers on it? Paver calculator

Pavers, gravel base, bedding sand, edging and polymeric sand for a patio, counted together.

Planning figures. Stone weights vary by product and moisture, so confirm the weight per cubic yard with the yard before you order. Call 811 before you dig.

How the gravel calculator works

Enter the shape, the depth and the extra to order. The gravel calculator turns the area and depth into cubic feet and cubic yards, adds the extra for compaction, converts to tons at the weight you set, and counts the 0.5 cu ft bags for small jobs. Rectangles, L-shapes and circles all work.

Cubic yards

Length times width in feet gives square feet; times the depth in inches over 12 gives cubic feet; divided by 27 gives cubic yards. The 10x12 ft example at 4 in is 120 x 4 / 12 = 40 cu ft, which is 1.48 cu yd.

Tons

Stone yards often sell by the ton. Multiply the cubic yards to order by the weight of the stone per cubic yard. The calculator starts at 1.4 tons, the figure for loose crushed stone our other calculators use. Pea gravel, river rock, crusher run and decomposed granite each weigh differently, so ask the yard for the weight of the product you buy and enter it.

Bags

For a small area, bags are easier to carry home. Divide the cubic feet to order by the size of the bag and round up. A 0.5 cu ft bag of paver base is $6.47, or $349.38 per cubic yard in bags. The bag count climbs fast: 440 bags for a 10x40 ft strip at 6 in, so price bulk delivery from a yard before you buy bags for a big area.

Gravel by area and depth

Area and depth	Cubic yards	To order, +10%	Tons at 1.4	0.5 cu ft bags
10x10 ft, 2 in	0.62	0.68	1.0	37
10x10 ft, 4 in	1.23	1.36	1.9	74
10x12 ft, 4 in	1.48	1.63	2.3	88
12x14 ft, 4 in, a 10x12 shed with 12 in all round	2.07	2.28	3.2	124
12x16 ft, 4 in	2.37	2.61	3.7	141
20x20 ft, 4 in	4.94	5.43	7.6	294
10x40 ft, 6 in	7.41	8.15	11.4	440

Gravel under a patio, a slab or a shed

A gravel base drains water away and gives pavers or concrete a firm bed. If you are laying pavers, the paver calculator counts the base together with the pavers, the bedding sand and the edging. Under a poured slab, the concrete slab calculator counts it with the concrete, and the concrete slab cost calculator prices both. Compact the base in lifts with a plate compactor rather than all at once.

Where the numbers come from

One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. The 1.4 tons per cubic yard default is an editorial figure for loose crushed stone, about 2,800 lb per cubic yard, and the 10% order allowance is editorial; both are the figures our paver and concrete slab calculators use. The bag price is Pavestone 0.5 cu ft paver base at the Home Depot Hamilton Mill store (ZIP 30011), read Nov 6, 2026, before tax. The bulk range, $20.00 to $30.00 a ton, is This Old House, Landscape rock cost (updated Jun 8, 2026), crushed limestone per ton before delivery, read Nov 7, 2026; delivery is extra and local.

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Questions

Anything else? Write to us or see every calculator.

Questions people ask

Multiply the length by the width in feet, then by the depth in inches divided by 12, for cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards and add about 10% because gravel compacts. A 10x12 ft area at 4 in is 40.0 cu ft, 1.48 cu yd, and 1.63 cu yd to order.

Multiply the cubic yards by the weight of the stone. At about 1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone, the 10x12 ft example at 4 in is 2.3 tons to order. Pea gravel, river rock and crusher run weigh a little differently, so ask your yard for its figure and type it into the calculator.

At 4 in deep, 1.23 cu yd, or 1.36 cu yd and about 1.9 tons with 10% extra. In 0.5 cu ft bags that is 74 bags.

Compare the two for your job. A 0.5 cu ft bag of paver base is $6.47 at Home Depot, so the 88 bags for a 10x12 ft base at 4 in come to $569.36, which is $349.38 per cubic yard. By the ton, crushed limestone runs $20.00 to $30.00 (This Old House), so the same 2.3 tons come to $45.63 to $68.44 before the delivery fee, which decides the small jobs.