CalcQuarry
Menu

Gravel Driveway Calculator

Updated How we build and test

Enter the size of your driveway and the depth of each layer to see how many tons of gravel to order for the base and for the surface.

in

Larger crushed stone that carries the load.

in

Smaller surface gravel.

tons/yd³

Crushed stone is usually 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard. Ask your quarry for theirs.

%
$ per ton

Gravel to order

Enter the length and width of the driveway.

How to use the gravel driveway calculator

  1. Enter the length and width. A single-car driveway is usually 10 to 12 ft wide and a double is 20 to 24 ft.
  2. Enter the depth of the base layer and of the top layer. Set the base to 0 if you are only topping up an existing driveway.
  3. Check the weight per cubic yard with your supplier and change it if theirs is different.
  4. Keep some extra: gravel settles when it is compacted and the subgrade is never perfectly flat.

Formulas

Area (ft²) = length × width
Cubic yards per layer = area × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27
Tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard
To order = tons × (1 + extra % ÷ 100)

Quarries sell by the ton and landscape yards often sell by the cubic yard, so both are shown. The two layers are listed separately because they are different products and usually arrive as separate loads.

Worked example: a 50 × 12 ft driveway

  1. Area: 50 × 12 = 600 ft².
  2. Base, 4 in: 600 × 4 ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = 7.41 yd³.
  3. Top, 2 in: 600 × 2 ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = 3.70 yd³.
  4. Total: 11.11 yd³ × 1.4 = 15.56 tons.
  5. Add 10%: 15.56 × 1.10 = 17.1 tons, about 11.4 tons of base and 5.7 tons of surface gravel.

Quick reference

Driveway Area Tons at 4 in base + 2 in top
10 × 30 ft 300 ft² 8.6
12 × 50 ft 600 ft² 17.1
12 × 100 ft 1,200 ft² 34.2
20 × 50 ft 1,000 ft² 28.5

At 1.4 tons per cubic yard, including 10% extra.

Questions

How deep should gravel be for a driveway?

A new driveway on firm soil is commonly built 4 to 6 in deep in total: a base of larger crushed stone with 2 in or so of finer gravel on top. Soft or wet ground needs a thicker base. A top-up on an existing driveway is usually 1 to 2 in.

How many tons of gravel do I need for a 100 ft driveway?

At 12 ft wide and 6 in deep in total, a 100 ft driveway needs about 31 tons before extra and about 34 tons with a 10% allowance.

How much does a ton of gravel cover?

At 1.4 tons per cubic yard, one ton covers about 116 ft² at 2 in deep or 58 ft² at 4 in deep.

Related calculators