Gravel Calculator

What It Does

This calculator works out how much gravel an area needs. Enter the area and the depth you want to lay — in inches, feet, centimetres or metres — and it multiplies the two, adds a waste allowance for spreading and spillage, and reports the volume in cubic metres, cubic feet and cubic yards. It then multiplies that volume by the gravel's bulk density to give the weight in kilograms, metric tonnes and US short tons.

Real-World Usage

Bulk gravel, crushed stone and shingle are ordered by weight or by volume, and suppliers sell by the tonne, the cubic metre or the cubic yard — so a single figure rarely matches the units on the order. Use the calculator to turn a driveway, path, shed base or drainage trench into the volume and the weight your supplier asks for.

Local Context

Suppliers quote loose aggregate at about 1400 to 1700 kg/m³ depending on the stone and its grading, and the 1600 kg/m³ here is a dry 20 mm crushed stone. The United States sells bulk gravel by the short ton (2000 lb ≈ 907 kg), the United Kingdom usually by the tonne and continental Europe by the tonne or the cubic metre. Using the supplier's own density keeps the order accurate.

How much does a cubic metre of gravel weigh?

It depends on the density you use. At the loose crushed-stone figure of 1600 kg/m³, one cubic metre weighs 1600 kg, or 1.6 tonnes; a lighter aggregate at 1400 kg/m³ weighs 1.4 tonnes.

What depth of gravel does a driveway need?

A domestic driveway over a compacted sub-base is usually laid 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) deep and a garden path 2 to 3 in (5 to 7 cm). Enter the depth you intend to lay and read the volume it needs.

Why does the calculator add 10% for waste?

Spreading, spillage, uneven ground and consolidation all use up material, and a bulk order that arrives short means a second delivery. The 10% default covers those losses; set it to 0 if your supplier already quotes for them.

How many tonnes of gravel do I need for 100 square feet?

At a depth of 2 in with 10% waste the volume is 0.519 m³, which weighs 0.83 tonnes — 0.92 US short tons — at 1600 kg/m³. Change the depth or the density and the weight follows.