Gravel / Landscaping Rock Calculator
Estimate cubic yards, tons, 50 lb bag count, and rough material cost for gravel, pea gravel, decomposed granite, and river rock coverage.
Last updated: 2026-03-25
Gravel and landscaping rock calculator
Enter your values
Estimate bulk rock order size from the coverage area, depth, waste allowance, and material density.
Estimated Tonnage
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Enter the coverage dimensions to estimate how much gravel or decorative rock to order.
Calculation History(0)
Example calculations
Tap an example to prefill the calculator with sample values.
Walkway gravel
20 ft x 12 ft x 3 in of standard gravel
A typical path or pad project where cubic yards and tons are both helpful for ordering.
Result: A small-to-mid project that usually lands around a couple of tons with waste included
Pea gravel play area
18 ft x 18 ft x 4 in
A softer-surface project where the lower density slightly changes the tonnage.
Result: The bag-count view helps sanity-check whether a pallet of bags is even realistic
Decomposed granite patio
24 ft x 16 ft x 2.5 in
Useful for estimating compacted-surface material before calling a yard.
Result: The lower density changes the ton total but the yardage still stays easy to visualize
How the gravel estimate works
The calculator turns your area and depth into cubic volume, applies a configurable waste factor, and then converts the adjusted yardage into tons using a density assumption for the selected material.
That density step is what separates gravel ordering from simple area math. Decorative rock products can cover the same footprint with different ton totals even when the depth stays the same.
Gravel calculator FAQs
Cubic yards vs tons, why density matters, and when the bag count stops being practical.
Why does the calculator show both cubic yards and tons?
Bulk suppliers often sell decorative rock by the yard or by the ton depending on the market. Seeing both lets you compare quotes instead of doing the density math in your head.
Why is there a waste allowance?
Because coverage rarely lands perfectly in the real world. Edges, settling, uneven grade, and cleanup loss all make it easy to come up short if you order the exact theoretical amount only.
Should I really buy this much in 50 lb bags?
Usually not once the bag count gets large. The bag estimate is most helpful as a sanity check for very small projects or to compare against bulk-delivery minimums.
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Use nearby daily project calculators when multiple materials need to be ordered from the same plan.
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