Estimate cubic yards, tons, bags, and cost for walkways, patios, and decorative beds.
4 shapes · Live totals · Supplier-ready
The calculator is only as useful as the density and material assumptions behind it. Dense graded products compact well, clean stone drains better, and decorative material usually costs more per visible yard.
| Material | Density | Typical use |
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Measure the total area, choose your install depth, and select pea gravel or another material with the right density. Add extra material for compaction, spillage, and leveling so your delivery is not short.
Most pea gravel walkways and decorative beds use 2 to 3 inches of depth. Heavier-use paths may need 3 to 4 inches. Always confirm project specs when drainage, subgrade, or edging requirements matter.
Clean stone like #57, coarse gravel, or river rock drains well because it has fewer fines. Dense graded stone, #411, and quarry process compact better and are more common under driveways and paver bases.
Enter a supplier price per cubic yard, cubic meter, or ton. The calculator translates your result into that pricing basis so you can compare delivered quotes more easily.
Yes. Order quantities are commonly rounded up because delivered material settles, compacts, and spreads unevenly. A modest waste allowance usually costs less than a second delivery.
At 3 inches deep, 100 sq ft needs about 0.93 cubic yards (25 cu ft) before extra material. Add 5–10% for waste and leveling, then round up to your supplier’s minimum delivery quantity.
A 12×12 ft patio is 144 sq ft. At 3 inches deep that is about 1.33 cubic yards raw volume. With 10% extra, plan for roughly 1.5 cubic yards or about 70 fifty-pound bags if you buy retail.
Divide total weight by 50 and round up. One cubic yard of pea gravel weighs roughly 2,565 lb, so one yard needs about 52 fifty-pound bags. Enter your area and depth in the calculator for an exact bag count.
Use whichever unit your supplier prices. Convert with their density: tons ≈ (cubic yards × lb per yard) ÷ 2,000. Pea gravel is often near 2,565 lb per cubic yard, or about 1.28 US tons per yard.
Walkways and light paths: 2–3 inches. Patios and higher-traffic areas: 3–4 inches over a compacted base. Decorative beds can use 2–3 inches when the stone is not carrying structural load.
To estimate pea gravel, multiply area by depth to get cubic feet, divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then add 5–10% extra for leveling, waste, and uneven ground. For bulk orders, compare the cubic yard result with your supplier's tons-per-yard conversion before you schedule delivery.
For a 100 sq ft walkway at 3 inches deep, the raw volume is about 0.93 cubic yards. With a 10% allowance, plan for about 1.03 cubic yards before supplier rounding.
Raw volumes at typical depths before compaction or waste allowance. Use the calculator above for your exact numbers.
Need compactable stone for a driveway or base layer? Use the gravel calculator. For garden beds, see the mulch calculator.
Bags work for small beds, edging touch-ups, and anything you can carry by hand. Once you approach one cubic yard, bulk delivery usually wins on price and labor — roughly 52 fifty-pound bags per yard adds up fast at retail.
The calculator shows 40 lb and 50 lb bag counts plus a bulk-vs-bagged cost compare when you enter both prices. Cubic yards and tons use the same volume; ask your supplier which unit they quote before you compare.
Pea gravel is one of the most common decorative aggregates in the United States. Homeowners use it for walkways, patio borders, dry creek beds, playground surfacing, and drainage areas where a smooth, rounded stone finish is preferred. Contractors order it by the cubic yard or ton, but field measurements are usually taken in square feet and inches. That unit mismatch is where most ordering mistakes begin.
Start by measuring the area you plan to cover. If the space is rectangular, enter length and width. For circular beds, use diameter. For odd triangle sections, base and height work well. If you already know total square footage from a site plan, switch to the total-area mode and skip shape math entirely.
Next, choose depth. Pea gravel walkways and light-use paths commonly fall between 2 and 3 inches. Decorative beds often use the same range. If the stone needs to handle more foot traffic or sit over a compacted base, 3 to 4 inches is a safer planning target. The calculator converts depth into volume, then into cubic yards and cubic meters so you can compare supplier quotes on either basis.
Material density matters because pea gravel is lighter than dense graded base stone. The default preset uses a typical pea gravel density near 2,565 lb per cubic yard, but you can switch gravel types or enter a custom density from your supplier quote. Weight and tonnage update instantly, which helps when a quarry prices deliveries by the ton instead of the yard.
Before you place an order, add a compaction and waste allowance. Decorative installs still lose volume to uneven subgrade, edge containment, and spreading losses. A modest overrun is usually cheaper than paying for a second delivery. Use the bag estimate when you are topping off a small bed, and compare bulk versus bagged pricing when the quantity is borderline.
This tool is built for quick planning, not engineering sign-off. Always confirm structural, drainage, and edging requirements with your supplier or contractor when the project carries load, water flow, or code constraints. When the numbers look right, copy or share the estimate and request a delivered quote with the volume, tonnage, and pricing basis attached.
Bags are convenient for small touch-ups, narrow beds, and projects where you can move material by hand. Bulk delivery is usually worth comparing once the project approaches one cubic yard because bag prices and repeated store trips add up quickly.
Before you buy, ask your supplier how they sell pea gravel, what density or tons-per-yard assumption they use, whether delivery has a minimum quantity, and whether the listed price includes delivery, fuel, taxes, or dumping fees.
Common ordering mistakes include mixing up inches and feet, forgetting to add extra material, using decorative pea gravel where a compacted base stone is needed, and comparing one supplier's cubic-yard price with another supplier's ton price without converting units.
