Gravel calculator
Length, width, depth, and the stone. Yards and tons out, since the quarry sells by the ton and the truck is sized by the yard.
Your numbers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How it is figured
Area times depth in feet is cubic feet; divide by 27 for yards and add five percent for compaction and the low spots. Multiply yards by the stone's density in tons per yard for the quarry order. Crushed stone and road base are about 1.4 tons per loose yard; pea gravel is lighter, dense grade compacts heavier.
A new gravel driveway is usually two lifts: 4 to 6 inches of larger base stone, then 2 to 3 inches of a finer top course, each compacted. Run the calculator once per lift with its own depth and density.
Dump trucks carry 10 to 15 tons on a tandem and 20 or more on a tri-axle. Order by the full load where you can; the delivery fee is the same for a half load.
From the quantity to the bid
The calculator gives you the material count. The bid gives the customer one price and the scope in plain words, and keeps the count as your cost math. The how to bid concrete jobs guide works the whole price with example numbers, and the concrete / masonry proposal template is the layout. Materials at cost plus markup, labor at your rate, then the job price calculator adds them up and sets the deposit.
Questions contractors ask
How many tons of gravel for a 60x12 driveway?
At 4 inches deep: about 9.3 cubic yards, 13 tons of crushed stone with five percent for compaction. A single tandem load.
How many yards in a ton of gravel?
About 0.7 cubic yards per ton for crushed stone, since a loose yard weighs about 1.4 tons. Pea gravel is closer to 0.75, dense grade about 0.67.
How deep should a gravel driveway be?
Six to eight inches total for a new driveway on soil: a 4 to 6 inch base of larger stone, compacted, then 2 to 3 inches of a finer top course. A top-up on an existing drive is 2 inches.
How do I put gravel on a bid?
By the ton delivered and spread, with the lift depths named and compaction as a line. The <a href="/guides/how-to-bid-concrete-jobs">concrete guide</a> covers base under a slab; the <a href="/guides/how-to-bid-landscaping-jobs">landscaping guide</a> covers drainage and paths.
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