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Pea gravel chart
Put your area, depth and waste allowance in: 300 square feet at 3 inches with 10% waste is 330.00 square feet, 3.06 cubic yards exact, order 4 cubic yards.
★ CONSTRUCTION · MATERIALS · PEA GRAVEL CHART
Pea Gravel Chart: 4 Cubic Yards for 300 Sq Ft at 3 Inches
On the defaults — 300 square feet at 3-inch depth with a 10% waste allowance — you need 3.06 cubic yards exact, so order 4 cubic yards. This is the PEA GRAVEL chart — small rounded stone for paths, patios, and beds, priced by the cubic yard — the mulch-chart page is the MULCH version — shredded bark and wood chips for beds at 3-inch depth; the gravel-chart page is the GRAVEL version — loose stone for drives, paths, and beds at 2-inch depth; the topsoil-chart page is the TOPSOIL version — screened soil for beds and lawns at 3-inch depth; and the topsoil-cost-calculator page is the COST version — the same cubic yards priced per yard delivered.
What does 3.06 cubic yards of pea gravel mean?
It means that 300 square feet at 3-inch depth, with a 10% waste allowance, needs 330.00 square feet of coverage — and one cubic yard at 3 inches covers 108 square feet — so 330.00 divided by 108 is 3.06 cubic yards exact, and you order 4 whole yards. The coverage figure is the whole story in miniature: one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, and at 3 inches (0.25 feet) deep it spreads over 27 divided by 0.25, which is 108 square feet. The part people get wrong is ordering the exact figure: a supplier sells whole yards, so 3.06 yards must become 4, and ordering 3 would leave the last stretch of path thin or bare. The other part people get wrong is the reverse — skipping the waste allowance on a sloped or irregular area, which understates the order by exactly the spillage and thin spots the allowance exists to cover.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is 300 square feet really the area, or just the longest stretch? Three hundred square feet is the total area, and it is the figure the order turns on: the 500-square-foot branch orders 6 yards against the 4-yard headline, so 200 extra square feet are 2 extra yards at this depth. Measure length times width for each area and add the areas — a path measured as one rectangle when it really bends will understate the area by every bend it ignores.
Is 3 inches really the finished depth? Three inches is the depth after settling, and it is the figure the coverage turns on: the 6-inch branch orders 7 yards against the 4-yard headline, so doubling the depth roughly doubles the order. Pea gravel settles and shifts underfoot, so a layer tipped at 3 inches loose may finish nearer 2 inches — measure the finished depth you want, not the loose depth from the truck.
Is 10% really enough waste for your ground? Ten percent is the waste allowance, and it is the figure the needed area turns on: the 0%-waste branch orders 3 yards against the 4-yard headline, so the allowance itself is worth a whole yard here. A flat, well-edged patio needs less; a sloped path or an area with curves and corners needs more, because edging losses and thin spots grow with every irregular edge.
Worked example
On the defaults: 300 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste allowance.
- Coverage per cubic yard: 324 ÷ 3 is 108 square feet (27 cubic feet per yard ÷ 0.25 feet of depth).
- Needed area: 300 × 1.10 is 330.00 square feet.
- Exact cubic yards: 330.00 ÷ 108 is 3.06 cubic yards.
- Order: 3.06 rounded up to whole yards is 4 cubic yards.
And the other way: the area behind 3.06 cubic yards is 300 square feet, the depth behind 3.06 cubic yards is 3 inches, and the waste behind 3.06 cubic yards is 10%. With 324 square feet at 0% waste the model honestly shows exactly 3.00 yards and orders 3, not 4 — an edge that shows the ceiling rule does not round up a figure that is already whole.
Pea gravel lookup table (10% waste included)
Each row applies the same rule as the calculator: needed area is the area times 1.10, coverage per cubic yard is 324 divided by the depth in inches, exact yards are needed area divided by coverage, and the order rounds up to whole yards.
| Area (sq ft) | Depth (inches) | Needed area (sq ft) | Exact cubic yards | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2 | 110.00 | 0.68 | 1 cubic yard |
| 100 | 3 | 110.00 | 1.02 | 2 cubic yards |
| 100 | 4 | 110.00 | 1.36 | 2 cubic yards |
| 100 | 6 | 110.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 200 | 2 | 220.00 | 1.36 | 2 cubic yards |
| 200 | 3 | 220.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 200 | 4 | 220.00 | 2.72 | 3 cubic yards |
| 200 | 6 | 220.00 | 4.07 | 5 cubic yards |
| 300 | 2 | 330.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 300 | 3 | 330.00 | 3.06 | 4 cubic yards |
| 300 | 4 | 330.00 | 4.07 | 5 cubic yards |
| 300 | 6 | 330.00 | 6.11 | 7 cubic yards |
| 500 | 2 | 550.00 | 3.40 | 4 cubic yards |
| 500 | 3 | 550.00 | 5.09 | 6 cubic yards |
| 500 | 4 | 550.00 | 6.79 | 7 cubic yards |
| 500 | 6 | 550.00 | 10.19 | 11 cubic yards |
Every branch, checked
- 300 square feet, 3-inch depth, 0% waste: 300 square feet, 3-inch depth, 0% waste: 2.78 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards.
- 300 square feet, 6-inch depth, 10% waste: 300 square feet, 6-inch depth, 10% waste: 6.11 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.
- 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 5.09 cubic yards exact — order 6 cubic yards.
- 200 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 200 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 2.04 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Area behind 3.06 cubic yards: 300 sq ft — at 300 sq ft the figures are 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 2.55 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 3.56 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards..
- Depth behind 3.06 cubic yards: 3 inches — at 3 inches the figures are 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 2.04 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 4.07 cubic yards exact — order 5 cubic yards..
- Waste behind 3.06 cubic yards: 10% waste — at 10% waste the figures are 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 2.92 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 3.19 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are 300 square feet at 3-inch depth with 10% waste, so the headline is one modest path or patio for one project with a typical finished depth and a standard waste allowance. The model is one division and a ceiling: coverage per cubic yard is 324 divided by the depth in inches, needed area is area times the waste factor, exact yards are needed area divided by coverage, and the order rounds up to whole yards. The area reverse is checked at 50 square feet either side, because 50 square feet at 3 inches with waste is about half a yard; the depth reverse is checked at 1 inch either side, because one inch of depth changes coverage sharply; the waste reverse is checked at 5% either side, because 5% of 300 square feet is 15 square feet. The model does not include delivery minimums, compaction beyond settling, or edging material — price those separately, and read the mulch chart for the same method on a lighter material.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage per cubic yard | 324 ÷ depth in inches | 108 sq ft — 324 ÷ 3. |
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 330.00 sq ft — 300 × 1.10. |
| Exact cubic yards | needed area ÷ coverage per cubic yard | 3.06 — 330.00 ÷ 108. |
| Order | exact cubic yards rounded up to whole yards | 4 cubic yards — 3.06 rounded up. |
| Area behind a target exact figure | target exact × coverage ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 300 sq ft — 3.06 × 108 ÷ 1.10, rounded to the stated area. |
| Depth behind a target exact figure | 324 ÷ (needed area ÷ target exact) | 3 inches — the depth whose coverage gives 3.06 yards. |
| Waste behind a target exact figure | (target exact × coverage ÷ area − 1) × 100 | 10% — (3.06 × 108 ÷ 300 − 1) × 100, rounded to the stated waste. |
| 300 square feet, 3-inch depth, 0% waste | same model | 2.78 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards. |
| 300 square feet, 6-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 6.11 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards. |
| 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 5.09 cubic yards exact — order 6 cubic yards. |
| 200 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 2.04 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards. |
| Area behind 3.06 cubic yards | reverse | 300 sq ft: 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards. |
| Depth behind 3.06 cubic yards | reverse | 3 inches: 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards. |
| Waste behind 3.06 cubic yards | reverse | 10% waste: 3.06 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards. |
| 0 square feet | same model | 0.00 cubic yards exact — order 0 cubic yards. |
| Negative area | same model | Area — 0 or more. |
| Zero depth | same model | Depth — more than 0. |
| 324 square feet, 0% waste | same model | 3.00 cubic yards exact — order 3 cubic yards. |
Who uses this
- A homeowner ordering pea gravel for a path — 300 square feet at 3 inches is 3.06 yards exact, so 4 yards ordered, with the lookup table covering the common areas and depths without retyping.
- A landscaper quoting a patio job — the branches price a deeper layer or a larger area at once, so a quote change can be costed before it is agreed.
- A supplier checking a customer order — the reverses recover the area, depth, or waste behind any quoted yard figure, so a short order can be traced to its input.
- A DIYer comparing mulch and stone — the same method on the mulch chart prices the lighter material, so the two coverings can be compared yard for yard.
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, with the order rounded up using a 1e-12 guard so an exact whole number is never rounded up by float error. The main limitation is the inputs, not the arithmetic: whether the area is the full area, whether the depth is the finished depth, and whether the waste allowance fits the ground are all judgement calls, and this page prices the figures you enter without checking them. This page is a calculation tool, not landscaping advice.
Cite this calculator
300 square feet at 3-inch depth and 10% waste: 330.00 square feet, 3.06 cubic yards exact, order 4 cubic yards. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/pea-gravel-chart/, accessed 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why does one cubic yard cover 108 square feet at 3 inches?
Because one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, and at 3 inches (0.25 feet) deep it spreads over 27 divided by 0.25, which is 108 square feet. At any depth, coverage is 324 divided by the depth in inches.
Why order 4 yards when the exact figure is 3.06?
Because suppliers sell whole yards: 3 yards would leave about 0.06 yards short, which is roughly 6 square feet of path at this depth left thin or bare. Rounding up is the honest order, and the leftover covers thin spots.
What if my exact figure is already a whole number?
Then the order is that number, not one more: 324 square feet at 3 inches with 0% waste is exactly 3.00 yards, and the calculator orders 3. The ceiling rule rounds up only a fractional remainder.
Should I include edging in the area?
Only the area the gravel itself must cover: edging sits at the border and does not need gravel under it. Measure the gravel area, not the edging outline, and let the waste allowance absorb border losses.
How deep should pea gravel be for a path?
Three inches finished is the common path depth: deep enough to stay put underfoot, shallow enough to walk on comfortably. Driveways need more, and a depth above 4 inches can feel loose underfoot — price the depth you will actually finish at.
How is pea gravel different from mulch?
Pea gravel is small rounded stone that does not break down, while mulch is bark or wood chips that decompose and need topping up. The yard math is the same shape, but the coverage per yard differs with the material and depth, which is why the two charts carry different figures.