Gravel Driveway Calculator
Enter the length and width of the driveway and the depth of each layer and get the base and the surface gravel as two separate orders in tons, each expanded and rounded up on its own.
A ready-made setup of the Gravel Calculator.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
The drawing did not open. Length and width are still here.
Driveway: shape and size
Skip the drawingDrag a round corner to move it. The small hollow diamond on a side is its curve handle: drag it across the side to curve the side (it is not a corner). To add a corner (a new point), tap the side itself, then choose Add a point here. Tapping a corner or a side opens its actions. Drag empty space to move the view; pinch, or Ctrl and the mouse wheel, to zoom. The keys are listed under Keys.
Keys
- Tab
- next corner; each says how far it is from corner 1
- Arrow keys on a corner
- move it one square; ten with Shift; 1/16 in with Alt
- Delete or Backspace
- remove the corner; its two sides join in one straight side
- + on a corner
- add a corner halfway along the next side
- Arrow keys on the drawing
- move the view; farther with Shift
- + and - on the drawing
- zoom in and out
- 0 on the drawing
- show the whole shape
- Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac)
- undo, except inside a typed field (it keeps its own)
- Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y
- redo
- Escape while dragging
- put it back where it was
- Enter on a corner or side
- go to its actions
- Escape in the actions
- close them and go back to the drawing
The drawing did not load. Check your connection and try again.
- Area
- 1,200 ft²
- Perimeter
- 224 ft
- Cut-out edges
No area until the shape is fixed.
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Shape: Rectangle Change
Sides
Corners
Cut-outs
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Example: a gravel driveway
30 tons to order (29.6 tons exact)
- Base, loose cubic yards 23.7 yd³
- Base, tons at the supplier's step 30 tons
- Surface, loose cubic yards 17.78 yd³
- Surface, tons at the supplier's step 27 tons
- Base and surface, tons at the low end of the expansion range (27%), for comparison 46 tons
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Base course by the ton | 1 ton | 30 tons |
| Surface gravel by the ton | 1 ton | 27 tons |
Save on this device
Saved projects
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Worked example: a gravel driveway
Show the working
- Base: volume in place 1,200 ft² × 4 in = 400 ft³
- Base: loose volume, with its own expansion 400 ft³ + 60 % expansion = 23.7 yd³
- Base: tons at the weight 23.703704 yd³ × 1.25 ton/yd³ = 29.6 tons
- Base: round up once, to the ton step 29.6 tons = 30 tons
- Surface: volume in place 1,200 ft² × 3 in = 300 ft³
- Surface: loose volume, with its own expansion 300 ft³ + 60 % expansion = 17.78 yd³
- Surface: tons at the weight 17.777778 yd³ × 1.5 ton/yd³ = 26.7 tons
- Surface: round up once, to the ton step 26.7 tons = 27 tons
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Base course weight | 1.25 ton/yd³[1] | |
| Default New Mexico EMNRD's factor for base course. | ||
| Gravel, crushed stone or No. 57 stone weight | 1.5 ton/yd³[2][3] | |
| Default Penn State's calculator uses 1.50 tons per loose yard for AASHTO 57. Sources differ, so the other figures are named as options. | ||
| Landscape waste or overage | 0% | |
| Default No silent overage. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Supplier's smallest ton step | 1 ton | |
| Default Suppliers sell by the ton in steps. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Base expansion, top of WisDOT's range (the low end is lower: it is shown beside the order) | 60%[4] | |
| WisDOT's research found expansion factors for 29 Wisconsin aggregates of 27 to 60 percent (graded base materials, not decorative stone). | ||
| Surface expansion, top of WisDOT's range (graded base material, not decorative stone) | 60%[4] | |
| WisDOT's research found expansion factors for 29 Wisconsin aggregates of 27 to 60 percent (graded base materials, not decorative stone). | ||
| Deepest loose layer per lift | 4 in[5] | |
| Default FHWA's gravel roads guide: generally no deeper than 4 in loose; up to 8 in with larger compaction equipment. | ||
| Gravel driveway surface depth | 3 in[5] | |
| Default FHWA's gravel roads guide gives 3 in minimum for a road surface layer; it was written for roads, not driveways. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Base and surface tons by driveway size
Tons of base course and surface gravel for five driveway sizes at the starting depths, at the supplier's ton step
| Width and length | Base, tons | Surface, tons |
|---|---|---|
| 10 ft × 50 ft | 13 tons | 12 tons |
| 10 ft × 100 ft | 25 tons | 23 tons |
| 12 ft × 100 ft | 30 tons | 27 tons |
| 16 ft × 100 ft | 40 tons | 36 tons |
| 12 ft × 200 ft | 60 tons | 54 tons |
Each row is worked out on its own, each layer expanded and rounded up separately. The depths are the starting fields, not a rule for any driveway. Expansion is counted at the top of WisDOT's range (60%), so the order never under-buys; the low end of the range (27%) is shown beside it.
Questions
How much gravel do I need for a hundred foot driveway?
Enter the length and width. The table shows five sizes with the base and the surface as separate tons, because they are separate products with their own weights and expansion.
Why does the calculator work in two layers?
A driveway is built as a base layer and a surface layer. Each has its own depth, weight and expansion, and each is bought as its own product, so the calculator rounds each up once and never mixes them.
What is a lift?
A lift is one layer of loose material spread before it is compacted. The calculator counts the lifts a layer needs at the deepest loose lift you set; the source figures are quoted in the assumptions.
Sources (6)
-
Conversion Factors for Construction Materials and Common Minerals (opens in new tab), New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, undated one-page table, adapted from BLM H-3890-1 Handbook for Mineral Examiners.
Code or government.
“To convert cubic yards to short tons, multiply the commodity production cubic yardage by the conversion factors listed below. ... Base course 1.25 ... Fill Dirt 0.8 ... Gravel ¼" – 2" 1.42 ... Sand 1.45 ... Top Soil 0.8”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 1) -
DGLVR Materials Calculator, data file road-aggregate-fill-materials.xml (opens in new tab), Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, data entry dated Monday, March 20, 2017 (value is in the calculator's data file, not in prose).
Code or government.
“Transcribed from the entry AASHTO 57 (PennDOT 2B) of the calculator's data file: 1.50 tons per cubic yard.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 2) -
DGLVR Materials Calculator (opens in new tab), Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, web page (page text, undated; calculator data dated March 20, 2017).
Code or government.
“the estimates generated will always appear as cubic yards of loose material and US tons as-shipped (loose) ... The volume to weight conversion factors used for the calculator are averages from across PA, based on observations by Center field staff.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 3) -
Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WisDOT ID G22-05 / 0092-22-05) (opens in new tab), Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison), December 2023, executive summary.
Code or government.
“Conversion factors for aggregates ranged between 1.50 and 1.98 and expansion factors ranged between 27% and 60%.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 4) -
Gravel Roads Construction & Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-0002) (opens in new tab), Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP (K. Skorseth), August 2015; guide p. 73.
Code or government.
“A general rule is the minimum thickness when placing each layer of gravel is twice the thickness of the top-sized stone.”
“material shall be placed in horizontal layers, generally not exceeding a loose depth of 4 inches. If larger compaction equipment is available, layers up to 8 inches could be placed.”
“The surface layer should be three inches minimum depth in order to have enough material for blade maintenance.”
“Material in the stockpile or in trucks is very loose and has very low density. ... In many parts of the country this will result in 30 percent or greater reduction in volume.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 5) -
Technical Bulletin: Driving Surface Aggregate (opens in new tab), Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, 3/2025; the fraction and inch marks were read from the PDF text (HC1, November 12, 2026).
Code or government.
“Can be placed at in an 8" depth and compacted to 6", or in a 6" depth and compacted to 4½".”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source.
These are summaries of what the sources say, not professional advice. Codes and product data change. Check with your building department and the product label about your own project.
Sources
- [1] New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, Conversion Factors for Construction Materials and Common Minerals. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/mmd/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/ConvFctrs.pdf
- [2] Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, DGLVR Materials Calculator, data file road-aggregate-fill-materials.xml. Checked November 12, 2026. https://dirtandgravel.psu.edu/wp-content/themes/Avada-Child-Theme/road-aggregate-fill-materials.xml
- [3] Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, DGLVR Materials Calculator. Checked November 12, 2026. https://dirtandgravel.psu.edu/general-resources/dglvr-materials-calculator/
- [4] Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison), Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WisDOT ID G22-05 / 0092-22-05). Checked November 12, 2026. https://wisconsindot.gov/documents2/research/0092-22-05-final-report.pdf
- [5] Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP (K. Skorseth), Gravel Roads Construction & Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-0002). Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/pubs/ots15002.pdf
- [6] Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, Technical Bulletin: Driving Surface Aggregate. Checked November 12, 2026. https://dirtandgravel.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Tech-Bulletin_Driving_Surface_Aggregate_2025.pdf