How much gravel do I need for a driveway?
A 50' × 12' driveway 4" deep takes 7.4 cubic yards — about 10.0 tons of crushed stone. Yards and tons for every common driveway, and why the yard's own conversion is the one to order by.
A 50' × 12' driveway 4" deep takes 7.41 cubic yards — about 10.0 tons of crushed stone.
That is 20,000 lb, or 400 bags of 0.5 cu ft — which is why nobody bags a driveway. It comes off a truck, and the yard sells it by the ton.
How that is worked out
- Area first: 50' × 12' = 600 sq ft.
- Times the depth in feet: 4" is 0.333', so 200 cu ft. A cubic yard is 27 cu ft, so 7.41 yd³.
- Times the weight of the stone: at 1.35 tons a cubic yard for crushed stone, 10.0 tons. Pea gravel runs a little heavier, at 1.4.
Gravel for a driveway, loose volume and weight
| Driveway | Depth | Cubic yards | Tons crushed stone | Tons pea gravel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30' × 10' | 4" | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| 50' × 10' | 4" | 6.2 | 8.3 | 8.6 |
| 50' × 12' | 4" | 7.4 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| 50' × 12' | 6" | 11.1 | 15.0 | 15.6 |
| 100' × 12' | 4" | 14.8 | 20.0 | 20.7 |
| 100' × 12' | 6" | 22.2 | 30.0 | 31.1 |
| 100' × 20' | 4" | 24.7 | 33.3 | 34.6 |
Worth knowing
- The tons-per-yard figures are typical dry, loose weights, not a published standard. Stone varies by quarry, by grading and above all by how wet it is, and every landscape yard publishes its own conversion — order by theirs.
- This is loose volume. Crushed stone compacts as it is rolled or driven on, so a base specified as a compacted depth takes more loose stone than the arithmetic here — ask the yard how much extra to allow for the stone they sell.
- A new driveway is usually built in layers: a coarse base for strength and drainage, then a finer top course that packs and drives well. The usual figure for crushed stone is 4–6" for a base; soft or wet ground wants more, and a geotextile under it stops the stone sinking into the soil.
- Most yards charge delivery per truckload, so ask what one of their trucks carries — an order just over a load is worth a second look at the depth.
Work out your own numbers
- Gravel and mulch
Cubic yards, tons and bags of gravel, crushed stone, sand, topsoil or mulch for a rectangle, circle or triangle at a depth.
- Paver patio
Pavers to buy with waste for the pattern, tons of base gravel, bedding sand and feet of edge restraint for a patio.
- Concrete footings and slabs
Cubic yards for a run of post footings or a slab, and the bags of ready-mix that buys.
Related questions
- How many tons of gravel are in a cubic yard?
- About 1.35 tons for crushed stone and 1.4 for pea gravel, dry and loose. Wet stone is heavier, and every yard publishes its own figure for what it sells — use theirs to turn yards into an order.
- How many yards of gravel for a 50 foot driveway?
- 7.4 cubic yards for one 12' wide and 4" deep — about 10.0 tons of crushed stone. Every extra inch of depth adds 1.85 cubic yards.
- Should I order gravel by the yard or by the ton?
- Whichever the yard sells by, which is usually the ton. Work out the cubic yards from the driveway, then convert with the yard's own tons-per-yard figure for that stone, rather than a general one.