Layer by layer · tons, yards and your quote
Gravel driveway calculator.
Enter the driveway length, width and one layer’s depth to get cubic yards and US tons.
Add your supplier’s price for a material and delivery estimate.
Your gravel estimate
Measure once.
Order with confidence.
Enter your dimensions to see cubic yards, weight and bags, with every assumption explained.
The short answer
How much gravel do I need for a driveway?
For each layer, multiply length × width in feet by depth in inches and divide by 324 to get cubic yards. A 12 × 40 ft driveway with one 3-inch layer is 120 ft³, or 4.44 cubic yards: about 6.3 US tons at the Omni Calculator starting estimate of 105 lb/ft³ (1.42 US tons per cubic yard). A driveway usually has a base layer and a surface layer of different products, so run one estimate per layer and use each product’s own density.
The calculation
How to calculate driveway gravel in four steps
- Measure each section.Length × width in feet for every straight run, turnaround or parking pad. Add them as separate areas above rather than treating the widest dimensions as one rectangle.
- Get the layer specification.Ask your installer or supplier for the depth and product of each layer. The 3- and 4-inch depths on this page demonstrate the arithmetic; they are not a design.
- Calculate one layer at a time.Square feet × depth in feet gives cubic feet; divide by 27 for cubic yards. Multiply cubic feet by the product’s bulk density and divide by 2,000 for US tons.
- Apply your quote.Enter the price per cubic yard or per US ton and the delivery charge under Bag & cost options. Check the supplier’s minimum order and ordering increment before you round.
Rectangle · US measurements
Length × Width × Depth ÷ 324
Feet × feet × inches → cubic yards, per layer
Cubic feet × 105 ÷ 2,000
Cubic feet × lb/ft³ → US tons at the starting estimate
Read the full calculation method ↗Worked examples
Driveway gravel examples: 12 × 40 ft and 20 × 20 ft
Each row uses 105 lb/ft³, no extra allowance and no compaction adjustment. The 12 × 40 ft single layer is the same illustrative job as our gravel driveway cost guide, so the figures agree. Open a row to load it into the calculator.
| Layer | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 12 × 40 ft, one 3 in layer | 120 ft³ · 4.44 yd³ | 6.3 US tons |
| 20 × 20 ft, one 4 in layer | 133.33 ft³ · 4.94 yd³ | 7 US tons |
| 12 × 40 ft, 4 in base layer | 160 ft³ · 5.93 yd³ | 8.4 US tons* |
| 12 × 40 ft, 2 in surface layer | 80 ft³ · 2.96 yd³ | 4.2 US tons* |
*The base and surface rows share the 105 lb/ft³ estimate only to show the volume split. In practice each layer is a different product: replace the density with each supplier figure, and keep the two estimates separate rather than adding the tons.
By driveway length
How much gravel for a 20, 50, 100 or 200 ft driveway?
Quantities below assume a 10 ft wide driveway with one 4-inch layer at 105 lb/ft³. For a 12 ft width multiply by 1.2; for a second layer run a separate estimate at its own depth and density.
| Length | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | US tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | 66.67 ft³ | 2.47 yd³ | 3.5 |
| 50 ft | 166.67 ft³ | 6.17 yd³ | 8.75 |
| 100 ft | 333.33 ft³ | 12.35 yd³ | 17.5 |
| 200 ft | 666.67 ft³ | 24.69 yd³ | 35 |
Every figure is geometric loose volume before allowance or compaction. The calculator accepts any width, length and depth, and can hold several sections of the same material in one estimate.
Coverage
How much does a ton of driveway gravel cover?
At 105 lb/ft³, one US short ton is 19.05 ft³ (0.71 yd³). The area it covers falls as the layer gets deeper.
| Depth | One US ton covers | One cubic yard covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 114.29 ft² | 162 ft² |
| 3 in | 76.19 ft² | 108 ft² |
| 4 in | 57.14 ft² | 81 ft² |
| 6 in | 38.1 ft² | 54 ft² |
The ton column depends on density. Published supplier figures in our gravel density reference run from about 90 to 105 lb/ft³, which moves a 480 ft² order by roughly 16%. The ton-of-gravel coverage guide works through the conversion in full.
Compaction and extra allowance for a driveway
Driveway layers are compacted, so confirm whether the specified depth describes loose material or the finished layer. The calculator applies no compaction factor and starts at 0% allowance. If your supplier states a percentage reduction of loose volume, divide by the remaining fraction rather than adding the percentage: for a hypothetical 20% reduction, 1 yd³ compacted needs 1.25 yd³ loose, a 25% increase. Applied to the 12 × 40 ft single layer, that turns 4.44 yd³ into 5.56 yd³ loose. The 20% is an arithmetic illustration, not a recommended gravel factor.
Enter any confirmed extra as the allowance once. If you have already converted a specification to loose volume, use Known volume so the same factor is not applied twice. The depth and compaction notes on the main calculator explain the difference between the two inputs.
Gravel driveway cost: use your own quote
The calculator multiplies the unrounded quantity by your price per cubic yard or per US ton and adds the delivery charge you enter. It does not supply a market price. For the 20 × 20 ft layer above, a hypothetical $35 per US ton plus $150 delivery gives $395.00 for material and delivery; a finished driveway also involves excavation, a base layer, edging, labor, taxes and the supplier’s minimum order.
Read the 2026 gravel driveway cost guide with dated supplier prices →
Gravel Delivery Minimum Orders: What to Ask Before Buying →
Planning the whole order? The gravel planning guide walks from measurements to a supplier-ready inquiry.
Before you order
Driveway gravel questions,
answered.
Every answer states the depth and density it assumes.
Check our formulas & sources ↗How do I figure out how much gravel I need for my driveway?
Measure each section’s length and width in feet and get the specified depth of each layer in inches. Cubic yards = length × width × depth ÷ 324 for each layer. A single 12 × 40 ft layer at 3 inches is 120 ft³, or 4.44 cubic yards; at 105 lb/ft³ that is 6.3 US tons before any allowance. Enter each layer as its own estimate when the materials differ.
How much gravel do I need for a 20 ft driveway?
At 10 ft wide and one 4-inch layer, a 20 ft driveway is 66.67 ft³, or 2.47 cubic yards: about 3.5 US tons at 105 lb/ft³. Scale by width: a 12 ft wide driveway needs 1.2 times these figures. A base layer is a separate calculation with its own depth and density.
How much does a 20 × 20 gravel driveway cost?
One 4-inch layer over 20 × 20 ft is 4.94 cubic yards, or 7 US tons at 105 lb/ft³. At the hypothetical quote used in our cost guide, $35 per US ton plus $150 delivery, the material and delivery estimate is $395.00. That is arithmetic on an assumed quote, not a market price, and it excludes excavation, a base layer, edging, labor and taxes. Enter your own quote in the calculator and read the 2026 gravel driveway cost guide for dated supplier prices.
How much does 1 ton of driveway gravel cover?
At 105 lb/ft³, one US short ton (2,000 lb) is 19.05 ft³. Spread 2 inches deep it covers about 114.29 ft²; at 3 inches about 76.19 ft²; at 4 inches about 57.14 ft². Denser products cover less per ton. These are loose geometric estimates before compaction or extra allowance.
Is 2 inches of gravel enough for a driveway?
This calculator does not decide that. Layer depths for a vehicle-bearing driveway depend on the base, the traffic, the material grading and local practice, so obtain the base and surface specifications from your installer or supplier. What the calculator shows is the quantity consequence: a 4-inch layer needs exactly twice the material of a 2-inch layer over the same area.
Does the driveway calculator include compaction?
No automatic compaction factor is applied. If your supplier states that loose material loses a percentage of volume when compacted, divide the compacted volume by the remaining fraction. For a hypothetical 20% reduction, 1 yd³ compacted needs 1.25 yd³ loose, a 25% increase, not 20%. Enter that extra as the allowance only once.
How much would a dump truck load of gravel cost?
It depends on the truck, the material and the supplier’s delivery terms, so there is no single price. Start from the quantity: the 12 × 40 ft single-layer example is 4.44 cubic yards, or 6.3 US tons, and a supplier can tell you how many loads that is for their trucks. Check minimum orders and short-load charges in our gravel delivery minimum order guide before comparing per-load quotes.
Should I calculate the base and surface layers together?
Calculate them separately. On the same 12 × 40 ft footprint, a 4-inch base layer is 5.93 cubic yards and a 2-inch surface layer is 2.96 cubic yards. Each layer usually has a different product with its own density and price, so combining them into one tonnage hides which material you are ordering. Use one estimate per material.
About these calculations
By Site Measure · Published . The 105 lb/ft³ figure is a general starting estimate, not a product specification; the dimensions, depths and the $35 per ton quote are illustrative arithmetic, not a driveway design or a price survey. Content was prepared with AI assistance and checked against the calculator’s arithmetic tests; no independent engineering review is claimed.
See our calculation checks or report a calculation discrepancy with your dimensions, density and units.