Enter the length, width and depth of your project to get the gravel or sand you need — in cubic feet, cubic yards and estimated tons.
What Is a Gravel and Sand Calculator?
A gravel and sand calculator turns a project’s dimensions into order quantities: volume in cubic feet and cubic yards (the unit quarries sell in), then estimated tons using typical densities — about 1.4 tons per cubic yard for gravel, 1.5 for sand. Driveways, patios, drainage beds and concrete sub-bases all start with this maths. The depth is entered in inches because real projects are spec’d that way (“4 inches of compacted gravel”), and the tool converts internally.
How to Use
- Enter the length and width in feet.
- Enter the depth in inches.
- Pick the material for its density.
- Click “Calculate Material” and order by cubic yards or tons.
Formula
Volume = length × width × (depth ÷ 12) cubic feet. Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. Tons = cubic yards × density.
Worked Example
10 × 8 ft at 4 inches deep: volume = 10 × 8 × (4/12) = 26.67 cu ft = 0.99 cu yd. As gravel (1.4 t/yd³): 0.99 × 1.4 = 1.38 tons.
How It Works, In Plain Words
Four choices go in, and each one does a single job. The length and width, in feet, give the area of the patch. The depth arrives in inches, because that is how projects are specified, so the tool first turns it into feet by dividing by 12 — the 4 inches of the worked example become the 0.33 ft the Common Mistakes list mentions. Volume follows: 10 × 8 × (4 ÷ 12) = 26.67 cubic feet. Suppliers do not sell in cubic feet, so the tool divides by 27 — the cubic feet in a cubic yard, as the FAQ below puts it — giving 0.99 cubic yards. The fourth choice, the material, changes nothing about volume; it supplies the density used for the last step, tons = cubic yards × density, so 0.99 × 1.4 = 1.38 tons of gravel. That is why the output prints two lines both labelled Volume, in cu ft and cu yd, and then an Estimated weight: estimate, because the densities are the typical ones named above, not a weighbridge ticket for your exact load.
Real-World Uses
First scenario: the gravel driveway. The FAQ below gives the spec — typically 4–6 inches of compacted gravel over a prepared base — so you enter the drive’s length and width, a depth from that range, and read off the cubic yards to order and the tons the delivery will weigh. Second scenario: the patio or drainage bed, two of the jobs the Benefits list names. The worked example’s 10 × 8 ft patch at 4 inches is exactly that scale: 0.99 cu yd, near enough one yard, and the same steps serve a concrete sub-base, which the What Is section lists too. Third scenario: comparing materials for one patch. Keep the dimensions and switch the material list: the same 0.99 cu yd weighs 1.38 tons as gravel (1.4) but 1.48 tons as sand (1.5), and less again as topsoil (1.1) — useful when a vehicle or a budget cares about weight rather than volume.
Benefits
- Depth in inches, like real project specs
- Cubic yards — the unit suppliers quote
- Density options for gravel, sand, crushed stone and topsoil
- One tool covers driveways, patios and drainage
Features of Our Tool
- Instant results in your browser
- No sign-up, no download, 100% free
- Works on mobile, tablet and desktop
- Clear step-by-step explanation below the tool
- Private — your entries never leave your device.
Common Mistakes
- Entering depth in feet instead of inches — a 4-inch bed is 0.33 ft, not 4 ft
- Ordering by cubic feet when suppliers sell cubic yards (27 cu ft = 1 cu yd)
- Forgetting compaction: loose material settles about 15–30%, so compacted depth needs more loose material — add waste
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Three more errors are worth avoiding. First, leaving the material on the wrong option: the cubic yards stay correct, but the tons follow the density you picked, so a patch left on Topsoil (1.1) understates the weight of the gravel (1.4) you actually order — check the list before you quote the weight. Second, measuring an L-shaped or stepped area as one big rectangle: split it into rectangles, run the tool for each, and add the results, rather than over-ordering for corners that do not exist. Third, leaving a box blank or entering zero and wondering why nothing calculates: the tool answers “Please enter length, width and depth” or “Dimensions must be above zero”, because a bed with no depth needs no material at all.
FAQ
How much gravel for a 10 × 8 ft area at 4 inches?
26.67 cu ft = 0.99 cu yd ≈ 1.38 tons of gravel.
How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?
27 — a 3 × 3 × 3 ft cube.
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
About 1.4 tons (2,800 lb); sand is about 1.5 tons.
Should I add extra for compaction?
Yes — add 15–30% when the spec’d depth is compacted depth, since loose material settles.
How deep should a gravel driveway be?
Typically 4–6 inches of compacted gravel over a prepared base — deeper for heavy vehicles.
Does changing the material change the cubic yards?
No. Both volume lines come only from the length, width and depth: the worked example is 26.67 cu ft and 0.99 cu yd whichever material you pick. The material changes only the weight, because each option carries a different density — the same 0.99 cu yd is 1.38 tons as gravel (1.4) and 1.48 tons as sand (1.5).
Why does the result show two volumes?
Because the two units serve different readers. Cubic feet (26.67 in the example) is the raw project volume, handy for checking the Formula and for small jobs, while cubic yards (0.99) is the unit suppliers quote — the Benefits list above says so, and since 27 cu ft make a cubic yard, the second line is simply the first divided by 27.