Work out how much gravel, stone, sand, or any bulk material you need: enter the area and depth, and get cubic yards, tons, and an estimated cost. To calculate by hand: area (ft²) × depth (ft) ÷ 27 = cubic yards; multiply by density for tons.
Area shape
Material needed
1.9yd³
Tons
2.6
Coverage
200ft²
Order 5–10% extra for settling and uneven grade. Delivered loads are usually sold by the ton or by the yard, and this gives you both.
yd³ = (length × width × depth-in-feet) ÷ 27 · tons = yd³ × density ÷ 2,000
Depth is the number people get wrong most often: it's entered in inches but computed in feet (3 inches = 0.25 ft). The calculator handles that for you, along with circular areas: π × (diameter ÷ 2)² for the footprint.
For driveways: a 4-inch compacted base of larger stone, topped with 2–3 inches of smaller gravel, is the standard build. For paths and pads, 2–3 inches over a weed barrier is typical. Drainage applications usually spec by the engineer's detail, not rules of thumb.
Working with piles instead of areas? Use the stockpile volume calculator for cones, windrows, and bunkers, or the cubic yards to tons converter with the full material density chart.
Multiply your area's square footage by the depth in feet to get cubic feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by density (about 2,800 lb/yd³ for gravel) and divide by 2,000 for tons. A 20×10 ft area at 3 inches deep needs about 1.9 cubic yards, or roughly 2.6 tons.
A 2–3 inch top-up layer suits existing driveways and paths. A new gravel driveway needs a 4-inch base lift (often two lifts of different stone sizes). Decorative and landscape gravel is usually laid 2 inches deep.
At 2 inches deep, one ton of gravel covers roughly 80–100 square feet. At 4 inches, figure 40–50 square feet per ton.
Suppliers sell both; trucks are weighed, so tons is what you're billed for. Order 5–10% extra for settling and uneven grade. Coming up short costs a second delivery fee.
Rebulk measures whole sites automatically: every pile, bay, and silo on one live dashboard, with phone scanning for the piles your sensors don't watch.
