Gravel Depth Chart: Yards, Tons & Coverage by Area

What does 2.47 cubic yards mean?

It means the 200-square-foot patch at 4 inches deep holds 2.47 cubic yards of gravel: 200 square feet times 4 inches is 800 twelfths of a cubic foot — 66.67 cubic feet — and a cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet, so 66.67 ÷ 27 is 2.47. At 1.40 tons a yard that is 3.46 tons, and because suppliers sell whole yards, you order 3. The part people get wrong is ordering the exact figure: 2.47 yards ordered as 2 leaves the last corner short, and the fix is rounding up, not down. The second mistake is forgetting compaction — a loose 4-inch layer settles thinner under tires, so driveways often order an extra half inch of depth worth of material.

Three things to check before you trust the number

Is the area really 200 square feet? An extra foot on each side of a 10-by-20 patch makes it 231 square feet, and the volume jumps to 2.86 yards — still 3 ordered, but on a bigger job that error crosses a whole yard. Measure twice, especially on curves.

Is 1.40 the right density for your stone? Crushed stone sits near 1.40 tons a yard, but pea gravel runs lighter and dense crusher run heavier. The 1.50 branch shows the same volume weighing 3.70 tons instead of 3.46 — the yards do not change, but the truck weight and the price per ton do.

How deep after compaction? This chart gives the loose depth you spread. A driveway layer that settles from 4 inches to 3.5 loses an eighth of its volume — order the settled depth you want, then add about 10% for compaction and spillage on a driveway job.

Worked example

On the defaults: 200 square feet, 4 inches deep, 1.40 tons per cubic yard.

1. Cubic feet: 200 × 4 ÷ 12 is 66.67 cubic feet.
2. Cubic yards: 66.67 ÷ 27 is 2.47 cubic yards.
3. Weight: 2.47 × 1.40 is 3.46 tons.
4. Order: 2.47 rounded up is 3 cubic yards.

And the other way: the area that needs exactly 3.00 cubic yards at 4 inches deep is 243 square feet, the depth that needs exactly 5.00 cubic yards over 200 square feet is 8.10 inches, and the smallest whole depth needing 4 cubic yards over 200 square feet is 7 inches.

Gravel lookup: area × depth at 1.40 tons per cubic yard

Every branch, checked

• 100 square feet at 4 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 100 square feet at 4 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 1.23 cubic yards (1.73 tons); order 2 cubic yards.
• 400 square feet at 4 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 400 square feet at 4 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 4.94 cubic yards (6.91 tons); order 5 cubic yards.
• 200 square feet at 2 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 200 square feet at 2 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 1.23 cubic yards (1.73 tons); order 2 cubic yards.
• 200 square feet at 6 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 200 square feet at 6 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 3.70 cubic yards (5.19 tons); order 4 cubic yards.
• 200 square feet at 4 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 200 square feet at 4 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 2.47 cubic yards (3.70 tons); order 3 cubic yards.
• 200 square feet at 3 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 200 square feet at 3 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 1.85 cubic yards (2.59 tons); order 2 cubic yards.

The reverses, worked backwards

• Area that needs exactly 3.00 cubic yards at 4 inches deep: 243 sq ft — at 243 sq ft the figures are 3.00 cubic yards (4.20 tons); order 3 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 2.99 cubic yards (4.18 tons); order 3 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 3.01 cubic yards (4.22 tons); order 4 cubic yards..
• Depth that needs exactly 5.00 cubic yards over 200 square feet: 8.10 inches — at 8.10 inches the figures are 5.00 cubic yards (7.00 tons); order 5 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 4.94 cubic yards (6.91 tons); order 5 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 5.06 cubic yards (7.09 tons); order 6 cubic yards..
• Smallest whole depth needing 4 cubic yards over 200 square feet: 7 inches — at 7 inches the figures are 4.32 cubic yards (6.05 tons); order 5 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 3.70 cubic yards (5.19 tons); order 4 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 4.94 cubic yards (6.91 tons); order 5 cubic yards..

What the defaults assume

The defaults are 200 square feet, 4 inches of depth and 1.40 tons per cubic yard, so the headline is a small driveway patch or a large path in crushed stone. The model is one volume conversion and one weight conversion: area times depth in feet gives cubic feet, divided by 27 gives cubic yards, times density gives tons, and the order quantity is the volume rounded up to a whole yard. The area reverse is checked at 1 square foot either side, because 1 square foot at 4 inches is 0.01 cubic yards; the depth reverse is checked at 0.10 inches either side, because 0.10 inches over 200 square feet is 0.06 cubic yards; the whole-depth reverse is checked at 1 inch either side. The model does not include compaction, spillage, or delivery minimums — add about 10% for a driveway job and check your supplier's minimum load.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• A homeowner topping up a driveway — 200 square feet at 4 inches is 2.47 yards, so order 3.
• A landscaper quoting a path job — the lookup table gives yards and tons for areas from 100 to 500 square feet at four depths.
• Someone comparing stone types — the 1.50-density branch shows the same volume weighing 3.70 tons instead of 3.46.
• A buyer checking a supplier quote — the reverses give the area or depth behind any quoted yardage.

Accuracy & limitations

Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp. The main limitation is the material, not the arithmetic: density varies by stone type and moisture, and a spread layer compacts thinner than its loose depth. This page is a calculation tool, not a supplier quote.

Cite this calculator

200 square feet at 4 inches deep needs 2.47 cubic yards (3.46 tons) of gravel. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/gravel-depth-chart/, accessed 28 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions