Free Gravel Calculator
Gravel is the one material here where weight is genuinely useful even though it is not the order unit: a yard will sell you stone by volume or by the ton, and a vehicle load is a weight question. So this page computes the volume, adds overage, rounds to the sold increment, and prints the weight beside the answer.
Your estimate
You need about 2.59 cu yd of #57 crushed stone (70.0 cu ft).
Buy 3.0 cu yd bulk — about $156.00 at your $52.00/cu yd.
Or 140 bags of 0.50 cu ft — about $735.00 at your $5.25/bag.
Bulk is $579.00 cheaper here.
- Includes 5% overage (3.33 cu ft) — our editable default, not a published standard.
- One cu yd ≈ 54 bags of 0.50 cu ft — the bags-per-cu yd reconciliation.
- Weight ≈ 7,000 lb (3.5 US tons) at 2,700 lb/cu yd
- Rounded up to the yard's 0.50 cu yd step: 6 steps.
Density REG-04: working figure 2,700 lb/cu yd, published range 2,440–2,700 lb/cu yd — secondary - primary unverified, read 2026-11-05.
Bag size REG-05: 0.50 cu ft.
Prices are yours, not ours: the figures in the form are examples to start from. The answer says what your order costs at the price you typed.
Buy-list — #57 crushed stone
| Areas | rectangle 20.00 × 10.00 ft |
|---|---|
| Depth | 4.00 in |
| Overage | 5.0 % |
| Bag size | 0.50 cu ft |
| Bulk step | 0.50 cu yd |
| Prices | $52.00 per cu yd; $5.25 per bag |
| Region | United States (US customary, cu yd increment) |
| Item | Quantity | At your price |
|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone — bulk | 3.0 cu yd | $156.00 |
| #57 crushed stone — bags | 140 bags of 0.50 cu ft | $735.00 |
YardWise — quantity estimates only. Prices are the ones you entered. yw/print
Free to use. No sign-up, no paywall, no hidden charge.
How this calculator works
Gravel is the one material here where weight is genuinely useful even though it is not the order unit: a yard will sell you stone by volume or by the ton, and a vehicle load is a weight question. So this page computes the volume, adds overage, rounds to the sold increment, and prints the weight beside the answer.
The density figure used is 2,700 lb per cubic yard for #57 and pea gravel (REG-04), with the published range 2,440–2,700 printed next to it. That row is marked secondary: the figure came through a named aggregation, and the primary supplier pages have not been opened yet. The date is the date the aggregation was read.
A cross-check is built in. A 0.5 cu ft bag of #57 at 2,700 lb/cu yd weighs exactly 50 lb (0.5 × 2,700 ÷ 27), which is the size that bag is sold as; the build warns if a profile's density and bag size drift apart by more than one bag weight.
The 5 % overage is our editable default. Aggregate is more predictable than mulch, which is why the default is lower — but it is still ours, not a standard.
The formula, in symbols
F1 A = length × width F4 V = A × depth depth in ft or m F5 V′ = V × (1 + waste ÷ 100) F8 W = V′ ÷ 27 × density lb, then ÷ 2,000 for US tons F6 q = ⌈(V′ ÷ 27) ÷ step⌉ × step bulk, cubic yards F7 n = ⌈V′ ÷ bag volume⌉ bags F11 bags per cubic yard = 27 ÷ bag volume
Worked example — the values this page starts with
F1 A = 20.0 × 10.0 = 200.0 sq ft
F4 d = 4 ÷ 12 = 0.3333 ft ; V = 200.0 × 0.3333 = 66.67 cu ft
F5 V′ = 66.67 × 1.05 = 70.0 cu ft
F8 W = 70.0 ÷ 27 × 2,700 = 7,000 lb = 3.5 US tons
F6 q = ⌈(70.0 ÷ 27) ÷ 0.5⌉ × 0.5 = ⌈5.185⌉ × 0.5 = 3.0 cu yd
cost = 3.0 × $52.00 = $156.00
F7 n = ⌈70.0 ÷ 0.5⌉ = 140 bags
cost = 140 × $5.25 = $735.00
bulk is $579.00 cheaper
Prices are example values; change them in the form. Weight never decides the order quantity — a yard sells stone by volume or by ton, and this tool answers how much.
Questions people ask
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
At the register's working figure of 2,700 lb per cubic yard, one cubic yard is 1.35 US tons (2,700 ÷ 2,000). The published range 2,440–2,700 lb/yd³ works out at 1.22–1.35 tons, so ask your yard which figure it prices against.
How many bags of gravel make a cubic yard?
27 ÷ bag volume. For a 0.5 cu ft bag that is 54 bags, which is one reason a 140-bag order is worth comparing against bulk before you commit.
What depth of gravel do I need?
This tool does not answer that. Depth is an input, and no recommended depth is printed anywhere on the site: base, drainage and load requirements depend on your site and your local rules, and they are outside what a quantity estimate can tell you.
Why does the weight not change what I buy?
Because you buy volume or bags. Weight is a display-only branch off the volume, useful when a yard quotes by the ton or when you are checking a vehicle load.
What does #57 mean?
#57 is a supplier size designation, not a number this site computes. Ask your yard for the grading it sells; the editable material list keeps the arithmetic the same whichever stone you pick.
Formula: F1–F8 and F11 — area × depth, overage, bulk and bag quantities, weight as a display-only branch.
Density: 2,700 lb/cu yd, published range 2,440–2,700, REG-04, secondary - primary unverified, read 2026-11-05.
Bag size: 0.5 cu ft, REG-05 (secondary - manufacturer body text for 0.75 cu ft and 50 lb; retailer/catalogue for 2 cu ft; aggregate volume derived from SAKRETE yield statement; Home Depot/Lowe's/Ace/Rona/McCoy's/Blain's/Tractor Supply blocked the fetcher).
Overage: 5 % is our default — change it in the form.
Prices: you enter them; the shown price is an example.
Last updated: 2026-11-05 — see Methodology & Sources.
Found a number that looks wrong? Tell us on the contact page — we cite the source for every constant and correct errors in public with the date.