Enter your area length, width and depth to get the gravel volume in cubic yards - plus how many bags to buy. Ideal for driveways, paths, pea gravel and drainage. Works in feet and inches.
Typical depths: 2–3 in (50–75 mm) for mulch, 1.5–2 in for decorative gravel, 4 in (100 mm)+ for new topsoil, deeper again to fill a raised bed. Each area can take its own depth.
Enter the delivered price per yd³ of bulk material to get the total.
Total bed area
104.0 sq ft
In cubic feet
17.3 cu ft
Gravel is spread to an even depth, so the amount you need is the area times the depth:
volume = length × width × depth
The calculator reports that volume in cubic yards or cubic metres (and litres or cubic feet), then divides by the size of one bag to give the number of bags. Covering a driveway plus a separate path? Add an area for each and the volumes pool into one order. All math runs in exact metric internally, so switching units never changes the answer.
This example follows the unit system you pick in the calculator above.
A 30 ft × 10 ft driveway at 4 inches deep, ordered in bulk:
| Job | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decorative / pea gravel | 40–50 mm (1.5–2 in) | Over a weed membrane |
| Path or patio top layer | 50 mm (2 in) | Over a compacted base |
| Driveway (gravel layer) | 100–150 mm (4–6 in) | Over a separate sub-base |
| French drain | full trench depth | Around the drainage pipe |
Multiply the driveway area by the depth. A 30 ft × 10 ft driveway at 4 inches deep is about 3.7 cubic yards (roughly 100 cubic feet). Enter your exact size and depth above. For a new driveway also allow a separate sub-base layer underneath.
Use 1.5–2 in for a decorative gravel layer over a membrane, and 4–6 in of gravel for a driveway that takes vehicles, laid over a compacted sub-base. For a French drain, fill the trench depth around the pipe. Set your depth in the calculator to match the job.
Gravel is heavy - roughly 1.2–1.5 US tons per cubic yard, depending on the stone and moisture. Bulk gravel is often sold by weight (tons) as well as volume, so once you have the volume from the calculator, ask the supplier for the weight per cubic yard or ton.
A standard 0.5 cubic foot bag of pea gravel covers about 3 sq ft at 2 inches deep. Pea gravel is the small rounded stone often used for paths and borders. Enter your area and depth above and the calculator returns the bag count for you.
Bags suit small jobs - a border, a few square feet of path - and are easy to carry. For a driveway or any large area, bulk delivery by the cubic yard or ton is far cheaper per unit, but you need somewhere to tip it and a wheelbarrow to move it. The calculator gives both a bag count and a bulk volume so you can compare.
Volume and bags to cover beds with mulch or bark at any depth.
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