How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?

About 1.4 US tons dry: Engineering ToolBox gives 105 lb per cubic foot, and 105 × 27 = 2,835 lb. Wet gravel is about 125 lb per cubic foot, 1.7 tons a cubic yard.

How do I calculate cubic yards of gravel?

Length × width × depth in feet, divided by 27. A 20 × 10 ft area 3 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cu ft, which is 1.85 cubic yards.

How many tonnes of gravel in a cubic metre?

About 1.68 tonnes for dry gravel, 2.0 for wet and 1.56 for dry sand, using Engineering ToolBox's densities.

How much gravel do I need for a driveway?

Length × width × depth, but the depth is the question: driveways are built in compacted layers and need far more than a path. Set the depth from the design, then add the compaction allowance.

How much area does a ton of gravel cover?

Dry gravel at 1.42 US tons a cubic yard gives about 0.7 cu yd a ton, which spreads to roughly 76 sq ft at 3 inches deep or 114 sq ft at 2 inches. In metric, a tonne is about 0.6 m³ — 6 m² at 10 cm.

Should I order gravel by volume or by weight?

By whichever the yard prices in. Volume is the steadier measure of what you need; weight depends on how wet the stone is, so wet gravel at 2,000 kg/m³ costs more per cubic metre when it is sold by the tonne.

Gravel Calculator: Cubic Yards, m³ and Tons

Gravel or sand for a path, driveway or base in m³ or cubic yards, and its weight in tonnes or tons.

Inputs

Length(m)

0.1 m200 m

Width(m)

0.1 m50 m

Depth(m)

0.01 m2 m

Material

Compaction and spill allowance(%)

0 %50 %

Units

Include CalculateEveryday mark

Gravel volume

0.63 m³

Working: 6 × 1 × 0.1 m = 0.6 m³; + 5% = 0.63 m³ × 1.68 t/m³ = 1.06 tonnes
Weight: 1.06 tonnes (gravel, dry)
Before compaction allowance: 0.6 m³

Gravel, dry at 1,680 kg/m³ (Engineering ToolBox). Ask the yard for its own figure if you are ordering by the tonne.

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What each Gravel input means

Length: The area's length, in metres or feet.
Width: Its width, in the same unit.
Depth: The finished depth after compaction, in metres or feet — not centimetres or inches: 10 cm is 0.1 m and 3 inches is 0.25 ft.
Material: Dry gravel (1,680 kg/m³), wet gravel (2,000) or dry sand (1,555), per Engineering ToolBox. It sets the weight, not the volume.
Compaction and spill allowance: An allowance for settling, compaction and spills; 5–10% is typical for a raked path.
Units: Metric gives m³ and tonnes; US units give cubic yards and US tons (2,000 lb).

Gravel formula

volume = length × width × depth × (1 + allowance %) · weight = volume × bulk density

V = l \times w \times d \times \left(1 + \frac{p}{100}\right), \qquad m = \rho V

Gravel for a path or base is a box of stone: length × width × depth gives its volume, in cubic metres or — dividing cubic feet by 27 — cubic yards. Loose stone settles when it is raked and compacted, and some always spills, so add an allowance. Quarries often sell by weight, so the volume is then multiplied by the material's bulk density: Engineering ToolBox gives dry gravel as 1,680 kg/m³ (105 lb per cubic foot, about 1.4 US tons a cubic yard), wet gravel 2,000 kg/m³ and dry sand 1,555 kg/m³. A quarry's own figure for its stone is better still.

Gravel worked example

A 6 × 1 m path, 10 cm deep: 0.6 m³. With 5% for compaction and spills, 0.63 m³, and at 1,680 kg/m³ for dry gravel that is about 1.06 tonnes. In US units a 20 × 3 ft path 4 inches deep is 20 cu ft, or 0.74 cu yd; with 5% that is 0.78 cu yd — about 1.1 US tons.

More Gravel examples

A 20 × 10 ft parking pad topped with 3 inches of gravel: 50 cu ft is 1.85 cu yd, 1.94 cu yd with 5% — about 2.75 US tons of dry gravel at 1.42 tons a cubic yard.

A 5 × 3 m bed of sand 15 cm deep under paving: 2.25 m³, 2.363 m³ with 5%, which at 1,555 kg/m³ is 3.67 tonnes.

Where the Gravel calculator can give the wrong answer

Wet gravel weighs about a fifth more than dry (2,000 against 1,680 kg/m³), which matters when the price is per ton.
Depth is the compacted depth you want. Driveways are built up in layers and usually much deeper than a garden path.
Pea gravel, crushed stone and river rock differ in density; the three materials here bracket the usual range, and the yard's figure wins.
Geotextile, edging and a sub-base are separate products.

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Gravel reference table

Dry gravel by depth, per 10 m² and per 100 sq ft
Depth	Per 10 m²	Depth (US)	Per 100 sq ft
5 cm	0.5 m³, 0.84 t	2 in	0.62 cu yd, 0.88 tons
7.5 cm	0.75 m³, 1.26 t	3 in	0.93 cu yd, 1.31 tons
10 cm	1 m³, 1.68 t	4 in	1.23 cu yd, 1.75 tons
15 cm	1.5 m³, 2.52 t	6 in	1.85 cu yd, 2.62 tons
20 cm	2 m³, 3.36 t	8 in	2.47 cu yd, 3.5 tons

Source: Arithmetic with Engineering ToolBox's dry-gravel density, 1,680 kg/m³ (105 lb/ft³); before any compaction allowance

Gravel FAQ

: About 1.4 US tons dry: Engineering ToolBox gives 105 lb per cubic foot, and 105 × 27 = 2,835 lb. Wet gravel is about 125 lb per cubic foot, 1.7 tons a cubic yard.
: Length × width × depth in feet, divided by 27. A 20 × 10 ft area 3 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cu ft, which is 1.85 cubic yards.
: About 1.68 tonnes for dry gravel, 2.0 for wet and 1.56 for dry sand, using Engineering ToolBox's densities.
: Length × width × depth, but the depth is the question: driveways are built in compacted layers and need far more than a path. Set the depth from the design, then add the compaction allowance.
: Dry gravel at 1.42 US tons a cubic yard gives about 0.7 cu yd a ton, which spreads to roughly 76 sq ft at 3 inches deep or 114 sq ft at 2 inches. In metric, a tonne is about 0.6 m³ — 6 m² at 10 cm.
: By whichever the yard prices in. Volume is the steadier measure of what you need; weight depends on how wet the stone is, so wet gravel at 2,000 kg/m³ costs more per cubic metre when it is sold by the tonne.