aggregates · sold by the cubic yard and by the ton
Gravel Calculator
Type the area you are covering and how deep the gravel goes. The result comes back in the two units gravel is sold in — cubic yards and tons.
What to order
2.04cubic yards
or2.55tons, loose
10 ft short side20 ft long side
Both figures are for Pea gravel loose, the state it is in when it is delivered and spread.
The formula, written out
(20 ft × 10 ft × 3 in ÷ 12) × (1 + 10% waste) ÷ 27 = 2.04 cubic yards
2.0370 cubic yards × 2500 lb per cubic yard (loose) ÷ 2000 = 2.55 tons
The formula above is the one that produced the numbers: the page asks for both in the same call, so the two cannot drift apart.
A patio 20 ft by 10 ft at 3 inches deep is 50 cubic feet of gravel. Adding the 10% waste factor makes 55 cubic feet, which is 55 ÷ 27 = 2.04 cubic yards. At 2,500 pounds per cubic yard that is about 5,093 pounds, or 2.55 tons.
measured loose · read 2026-08-15 · next check 2027-08-15
“Weight Per Cubic Yard: +/- 2400 lbs”
Cummin Landscape Supply, Atlanta, pea gravel (brown/tan) · read 2026-08-15
“1 cubic yard of wash rock weighs approximately 2,500 pounds.”
Sands & Soils, wash rock (#57, #67, #78/pea gravel) · read 2026-08-15
“A cubic yard weighs around 2,500 pounds”
Yard Works Landscape Supply, #78 gravel (#78 washed stone) · read 2026-08-15
“Weight Per Cubic Yard: +/- 2700 lbs”
Cummin Landscape Supply, Atlanta, Indian Creek gravel — small (3/8") · read 2026-08-15
Your supplier has the last word. Aggregates vary by quarry and soil varies by the week it was dug, so the range above is what to expect and not a promise about the load you are buying. The weight on their ticket is the one you pay for.
How much does a cubic yard of pea gravel weigh?
Loose, about 2,500 pounds, with 2,400 to 2,700 covering what different yards publish. That is roughly 1.25 tons, so a standard cubic yard of it is already a serious load for a small trailer.
How deep should pea gravel be?
Two to three inches for a patio or a path, over a compacted base. Pea gravel is rounded, so it rolls underfoot and never locks together the way crushed stone does — going deeper makes that worse, not better. If it has to hold a wheel, a crushed stone is the material and this is the wrong page.
Is pea gravel the same as crushed stone?
No. Pea gravel is naturally rounded and smooth; crushed stone was broken in a crusher and is angular, which is why it compacts and stays put. They are priced differently and they do different jobs. The crushed stone calculator is a separate page for that reason.
What does this page cover if I just searched for a rock calculator?
This one. In practice "rock calculator" is asked about driveway and landscaping gravel, so it is answered here. If you are pricing decorative stone for a bed — lava rock, and the coloured stones a yard sells by the name — the landscape rock page is the one, and river rock has a page of its own.