How Much Gravel Do I Need for a Driveway?

The short answer

Gravel is ordered by the ton, not the cubic yard. Figure your volume first: length × width × (depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27 gives cubic yards. Then multiply by 1.4 — a cubic yard of gravel weighs about 2,800 lbs, or 1.4 tons. A 20×20 ft two-car pad at 4 inches deep: (20 × 20 × 0.333) / 27 = 4.94 cubic yards, × 1.4 = 6.9 tons. Order 7 to 8 tons with overage and you'll have a little left for low spots. Need a one-click version? The gravel-to-tons calculator does the whole conversion for you.

Tons and cubic yards by driveway size

Find your driveway size below and read across to your target depth. Each cell shows cubic yards, then tons. These figures assume a flat rectangle; add 10% for irregular shapes and another pass for compaction loss.

Delivery reality check: most dump trucks haul 15 to 20 tons per load. Anything under ~15 tons arrives as one full or partial load; the 12×100 lane at 6 inches (31.1 tons) needs two trips. Ask the quarry for delivered-per-ton pricing — hauling is often where the quote balloons.

Choose the right depth first

Depth is the number that decides everything else, and it depends on what you're doing. A 3-inch top-up refreshes a drive whose base is still sound — spread crusher run over the worn areas and roll it in. A 4 to 6-inch layer rebuilds a driveway that has thinned, rutted, or grown soft. A new driveway over bare soil wants 8 to 12 inches of stone, built in compacted lifts (see the 3-layer method below), because a single thin layer on soft ground simply sinks and disappears. When in doubt, the middle of each range is the safer bet — stone is cheap, and doing it twice is not.

Build it in three layers — the build that survives

The driveways that last decades are not one thick pour of gravel. They are three purpose-built layers, each compacted before the next goes down:

The top layer is the one that matters most. Crusher run — sometimes sold as “dense grade” or “¾-inch minus” — is crushed stone with the rock dust still in it, and that dust is the whole trick: it compacts into a dense, almost pavement-like surface. Use angular, crushed stone everywhere, because angular edges interlock while round edges roll. That is why pea gravel is a poor driveway choice — it looks lovely, then migrates to the lawn every time a tire turns on it.

The base layer is where the quantity math matters most: for depth tables, the cubic-yard formula, tons conversions by stone type, and the compaction adjustment, see our sub-base quantity guide.

Geotextile fabric on soft soil

If your ground is clay, low-lying, or squelches after rain, lay woven geotextile fabric on the graded soil before the first stone goes down. It is a separator, not a weed barrier: it stops the base layer from being pushed down into the mud and the mud from pumping up into the stone. Without it, the bottom 2 to 3 inches of an expensive stone base can simply vanish into the earth in a season. On firm, well-drained ground you can skip it — but a roll of fabric costs far less than a second base layer, so many builders lay it regardless.

What it costs (typical 2026 US)

Crusher-run gravel typically runs $30 to $55 per ton delivered (typical 2026 US), with rural quarries near the low end and urban delivery near the high end. The math is simple: tons × per-ton price. That 12×50 ft lane at 6 inches needs 15.6 tons — at $40/ton, about $625 delivered. Add the rental of a plate compactor ($50–$80/day) and a roll of geotextile fabric ($50–$120 depending on size) if you're doing the full build. A fresh 3-inch top-up on the same lane costs roughly half the material — which is exactly why a solid base is the cheapest money you will ever spend on a driveway.

Order loose, and order a little extra

Buy driveway stone loose by the ton from a quarry or landscape supplier, not in big-box bags — bagged gravel costs several times more per ton and only makes sense for patching a pothole. Add 10% overage to the table figures: compaction eats volume, edges spill, and the first delivery never quite covers the low spots you find while grading. A partial second load costs more in hauling than the extra ton would have on the first truck. Also confirm access before ordering: a loaded tri-axle needs about 12 feet of width and 14 feet of overhead clearance, and soft lawns in spring will rut under it — have the driver dump on the street or a firm pad if needed.

Crown and drainage: the invisible half of the job

A flat driveway is a pond. Grade the surface with a slight crown — the center 1 to 2 inches higher than the edges — so rain sheds sideways instead of pooling and carving ruts. On slopes, cut shallow ditches or add a culvert where water crosses, and never let roof downspouts discharge onto the drive. Eighty percent of failed gravel driveways are drainage failures wearing a stone disguise.

Common mistakes

One layer, any depth. A single thick layer of one stone size never compacts properly — it shifts, ruts, and washes. Build the three layers. No edging. Without a steel, timber, or stone edge, gravel walks into the lawn a few feet every year; edging is cheap insurance. Too thin on a new drive. Three inches over bare clay is a stone-flavored mud patch, not a driveway. Ordering before grading. Excavate, crown, and compact the soil first, or your tonnage math is fiction. Skipping the fabric on wet soil. See above — the ground will eat your base.