How Much Gravel for a Driveway? Tons and Cubic Yards by Size

How much gravel for a driveway? A single-car 10x20 ft driveway at 4 inches deep takes 2.47 cubic yards, roughly 3.5 tons. That is the answer for the most common small driveway. Change the size or the depth and the number moves fast, so use the chart below, then check your own numbers in the Gravel Calculator.

How much gravel do I need for my driveway size?

Find your driveway size and depth in the list below. Cubic yards come first, then approximate tons at a working average of 1.4 tons per cubic yard.

• 10x20 ft (200 sq ft), single car: 3in = 1.85 cu yd / 2.6 tons | 4in = 2.47 cu yd / 3.5 tons | 6in = 3.70 cu yd / 5.2 tons
• 20x20 ft (400 sq ft), two cars: 3in = 3.70 cu yd / 5.2 tons | 4in = 4.94 cu yd / 6.9 tons | 6in = 7.41 cu yd / 10.4 tons
• 12x40 ft (480 sq ft), short drive: 3in = 4.44 cu yd / 6.2 tons | 4in = 5.93 cu yd / 8.3 tons | 6in = 8.89 cu yd / 12.4 tons
• 10x50 ft (500 sq ft), narrow drive: 3in = 4.63 cu yd / 6.5 tons | 4in = 6.17 cu yd / 8.6 tons | 6in = 9.26 cu yd / 13.0 tons
• 12x100 ft (1200 sq ft), long drive: 3in = 11.11 cu yd / 15.6 tons | 4in = 14.81 cu yd / 20.7 tons | 6in = 22.22 cu yd / 31.1 tons

One thing to be straight about. Gravel density is not a fixed number. Depending on the material, it runs roughly 1.2 to 1.7 tons per cubic yard. The 1.4 above is a working average for planning. Before you place an order, ask your supplier what their specific material weighs per cubic yard and rerun the tonnage. For more on that conversion, see tons of gravel in a cubic yard.

How do you calculate gravel for a driveway?

The formula is short. Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in feet to get cubic feet, divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then multiply by the density to get tons.

Written out: cubic yards = area in sq ft x (depth in inches / 12) / 27. Then tons = cubic yards x 1.4.

Here it is once with real numbers, using that 10x20 driveway at 4 inches:

• Area: 10 ft x 20 ft = 200 sq ft
• Depth in feet: 4 / 12 = 0.333 ft
• Volume: 200 x (4/12) = 66.7 cubic feet
• Cubic yards: 66.7 / 27 = 2.47 cubic yards
• Tons: 2.47 x 1.4 = 3.5 tons

That is the whole thing. The divide-by-27 step trips people up, but a cubic yard is just 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft, which is 27 cubic feet. If you would rather not do it by hand, the Gravel Calculator takes area in square feet and depth in inches and returns cubic yards plus an approximate tonnage. Same math, no arithmetic slips.

How do you measure a driveway for gravel?

Measure length and width in feet with a tape or a measuring wheel. A wheel is easier on anything over 30 feet. Multiply the two for square footage. Rectangles are simple. Real driveways often are not.

Irregular and curved driveways

Break the shape into pieces. Split a curved or L-shaped drive into two or three rectangles, measure each one, and add the square footages together. A slight curve does not need to be exact. Measure the curve down its center line for length, use the average width, and treat it as a rectangle.

For a flare or turnaround that fans out, measure the width at the narrow end and the wide end, average them, then multiply by the length. Close is good enough here. You are ordering bulk stone, not cutting trim.

Parking pads and aprons

Do not forget the extras. A parking pad off the side, an apron at the road, a turnaround by the garage. Each is its own rectangle. Add them to the total square footage before you convert to cubic yards.

How deep should driveway gravel be?

For a light residential driveway, 4 inches is typical. If you get heavier vehicles or regular daily traffic, go 6 inches or more. Depth is the single biggest driver of your order. Going from 4in to 6in on a 12x100 drive jumps you from 20.7 tons to 31.1 tons. That is half again as much stone.

Depth also depends on whether you are building new or topping up. Those are two different jobs with very different numbers. We go deeper on the tradeoffs in how deep should a gravel driveway be.

A new build is layered

A full new gravel driveway is often 12 to 18 inches of total depth, and it is not one material. It goes down in layers:

• Base layer: large, coarse stone that carries the load and drains.
• Middle layer: a smaller stone that locks into the base.
• Top layer: the finer surface material you actually drive and walk on.

Calculate each layer separately. Run the formula three times with the depth of each layer, because each one may be a different material with a different weight per yard. Do not calculate 15 inches of one thing and call it done.

Topping up is a thin layer

If your driveway already exists and just looks tired, you are refreshing the surface, not rebuilding. That is usually a thin lift of 1 to 2 inches of top material. Run the same formula with that shallow depth. The order will be far smaller than the chart above, and that is correct.

Why do suppliers sell gravel by the ton?

You calculate in cubic yards because volume is what fills a space. Suppliers sell by the ton because that is what a truck scale reads. They weigh the loaded truck, weigh it empty, and bill you the difference. Weight is objective. Volume in a dump bed is not.

So you end up converting. Volume for planning, weight for buying. That is the whole reason the density number matters, and the whole reason it is worth a phone call. Two materials can occupy the same cubic yard and weigh noticeably different amounts.

Some yards will quote you in cubic yards for smaller orders. Either way, give them your square footage and your target depth and they can sanity-check your number against theirs. If the two disagree by a lot, one of you has the depth wrong.

How much extra gravel should I order for compaction?

Order about 10% extra. Loose gravel does not stay loose. Once it is spread, driven on, and compacted, it settles. Compaction can reduce loose volume by up to about 20%.

Ten percent is a practical middle ground. It covers settling, the material that spreads past your edges, the low spots you did not notice, and the bit that vanishes into the soil underneath. Running short is the worse mistake. A second delivery for one missing yard costs you another trip charge and another day.

On our 3.5 ton example, 10% extra is about 3.9 tons. Round to 4. Leftover gravel is not a problem. It fills potholes next spring.

How does gravel delivery work?

Gravel comes by dump truck, and trucks have practical minimums and maximums. Small orders may face a minimum charge that makes a tiny delivery uneconomical. Very large orders get split into multiple loads.

Ask your supplier what a full load is for their trucks before you finalize the number. If you need 8.6 tons and a full load is around 10, it can make sense to round up rather than pay for a partial. If you need 31 tons, you are getting several trips regardless, so order the honest amount.

Tell the driver where you want it dumped. A single pile in the wrong spot means you move every ton twice with a shovel. Many drivers will spread as they roll if the drive is straight and accessible. Ask.

What if my driveway is a different size?

The chart covers common sizes. Yours probably is not on it. Measure your square footage, pick your depth, and run the formula. Or skip the arithmetic and put the numbers into the Gravel Calculator, which returns cubic yards and an approximate tonnage in one step.

Driveways are one job in a bigger set. Paths, patios, French drains, and fill projects all use the same math with different depths. The full breakdown lives in our guide on how much gravel do I need.

Bottom line

A 10x20 ft driveway at 4 inches needs 2.47 cubic yards, about 3.5 tons. Measure your square footage, choose 4 inches for light residential use or 6 inches for heavier traffic, divide by 27, and multiply by 1.4 for a working tonnage estimate. Add 10% for compaction and spread. Then confirm the actual weight per cubic yard with your local supplier and get your price quoted there, because gravel prices are regional and they move.

Run your own numbers in the Gravel Calculator before you call the yard.