Gravel calculator — tons and volume for gravel, crushed stone and soil

The volume is length × width × depth: a 33 × 10 ft driveway with a 4-inch base layer needs about 4 cubic yards; a 10 × 3 m driveway at 10 cm needs 3 m³. The weight follows from the loose density — around 1.26 US tons per cubic yard (1.5 tonnes/m³) for crushed stone — so the example comes to roughly 5 tons. If the layer will be compacted, add about 20% volume before converting to weight.

Suppliers price aggregate by the ton, so weight is the number you order on. For larger quantities, loose delivery by truck is almost always cheaper per ton than bagged material — a small dump truck carries roughly 10–15 tons.

Crushed stone has angular particles that interlock, so a graded mix with fines packs into a hard, stable base — that is the material for load-bearing layers under driveways, paths and paved areas. Clean, single-size gravel without fines stays permeable and is used where water needs to pass: around foundations, in French drains and under slabs. Stone dust and fine gravel make the bedding layer that pavers are set on, and topsoil — much lighter at about 0.93 t/yd³ (1.1 t/m³) — is for lawns and planting, not for bearing loads.

A base layer only works if it is compacted. Run the plate compactor in lifts of 4–6 inches (10–15 cm); dump the full depth in one go and only the surface gets packed, and the driveway settles unevenly within a winter or two. Under a car driveway, 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) of compacted base plus a 1–2 inch (3–5 cm) bedding layer is a solid rule of thumb, with a geotextile underneath on soft clay ground.