How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?

Most dry crushed stone and gravel weighs about 1.4 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard. The exact figure depends on the material and moisture. This tool multiplies your volume by the chosen material's bulk density to estimate tonnage.

What depth should I use for a driveway?

A residential gravel driveway typically needs 4 to 6 inches of compacted aggregate, often in two layers over a sub-base. Paths can be 2 to 3 inches. Drainage trenches are filled to whatever depth the design calls for. Enter the finished depth you want.

Does this account for compaction?

Loose delivered aggregate compacts roughly 10 to 20 percent when rolled. To hit a finished compacted depth, order a little extra. A 15 percent allowance is a safe rule of thumb on top of the calculated volume.

Why do materials weigh different amounts?

Sand is denser and packs tighter than open crushed stone, and decomposed granite sits in between. The tool uses a representative dry bulk density for each material, so switching the material changes the tonnage even when the volume stays the same.

Can I get the answer in metric?

Yes. The result shows cubic metres alongside cubic yards. One cubic yard is about 0.765 cubic metres. Tonnage shown is US short tons; multiply by 0.907 for metric tonnes.

Gravel & Aggregate Volume Calculator

Order too little aggregate and the job stops; order too much and you pay to haul it away. This calculator turns an area and a depth into the volume and weight of gravel, crushed stone, sand, or decomposed granite you actually need, in both imperial and metric units.

How it works

Volume is area times depth, converted to cubic yards, and weight comes from the material’s bulk density:

volume (cu ft) = length ft × width ft × (depth inches / 12)
cubic yards    = volume cu ft / 27
cubic metres   = cubic yards × 0.7646
tons           = cubic yards × density (tons per cubic yard)

Each material carries its own bulk density, so changing the material changes the tonnage even when the footprint is identical.

Example and tips

A 30 ft by 12 ft driveway at 4 inches of crushed stone is 360 sq ft times one third of a foot, or 120 cubic feet, which is about 4.4 cubic yards. At roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard that is around 6.2 tons. Add about 15 percent if the depth is a compacted target, and split deep driveways into a coarse sub-base layer and a finer top layer rather than one thick lift.