One ton of standard gravel covers about 100 sq ft at 2 inches, 65 sq ft at 3 inches, or 50 sq ft at 4 inches. One cubic yard covers about 160 sq ft at 2 inches or 81 sq ft at 4 inches. Coverage shrinks as depth grows because the same stone is spread thinner or thicker over the ground.
Gravel coverage chart (per ton and per yard)
These planning figures are for standard crushed gravel at roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard, spread loose. The material-specific notes below adjust them a few percent either way.
| Depth | 1 ton covers | 1 cubic yard covers | Typical project at this depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | ~100 sq ft | ~160 sq ft | Beds, paths, top-ups |
| 3 inches | ~65 sq ft | ~108 sq ft | Patio and shed bases |
| 4 inches | ~50 sq ft | ~81 sq ft | Driveway top layer |
| 6 inches | ~33 sq ft | ~54 sq ft | Driveway base layers |
A pocket version of the same chart: at 2 inches a yard covers about 160 square feet, and every extra inch of depth costs you roughly a third of that area. Double the depth and you halve the coverage.
How the material changes coverage
Coverage per ton follows weight per volume, and the three common weights are close:
- Pea gravel (~1.35 t/yd³): a ton covers about 107 sq ft at 2 inches, roughly 5 percent more than standard stone. See the pea gravel calculator.
- Crushed limestone (~1.35 t/yd³): same lighter band as pea gravel; coverage is nearly identical per ton.
- Standard, crusher run, river rock (~1.4 t/yd³): use the chart as printed. Wet loads weigh a few percent more, which means marginally less coverage per ton until they dry.
The stone size itself (from #57 down to pea gravel) barely moves coverage: a bigger stone leaves more air gaps but the difference per ton is small compared with depth, which is the lever that actually matters.
Coverage arithmetic you can do on the spot
Two rules of thumb cover most yard conversations. First, 100 square feet per ton at 2 inches, scaled down as depth grows (65 at 3 inches, 50 at 4). Second, 160 square feet per yard at 2 inches, halved at 4 inches. To go the other way, from your project to an order:
- Multiply length × width in feet to get the area (split odd shapes into rectangles and add them up).
- Multiply by depth in feet (inches ÷ 12) and divide by 27 for cubic yards.
- Multiply yards by 1.4 for tons, then add 10 percent for settling and spillage.
Worked example: a 12 × 20 ft patio base at 4 inches is 240 sq ft × 0.333 ft = 80 cubic feet, which is about 3 cubic yards, 4.2 tons, and roughly 4.6 tons with the waste allowance. At 50 sq ft of coverage per ton at 4 inches, the chart gives the same answer: 240 ÷ 50 ≈ 4.8 tons. When two methods agree, order with confidence. For the no-arithmetic version (plus circles, triangles and multiple areas), use the gravel calculator.
Coverage by project size
| Area | At 2 in | At 3 in | At 4 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft (10 × 10) | 1.0 t | 1.6 t | 2.1 t |
| 200 sq ft (10 × 20) | 2.1 t | 3.1 t | 3.5 t |
| 400 sq ft (20 × 20) | 4.1 t | 6.2 t | 6.9 t |
| 480 sq ft (12 × 40) | 5.0 t | 7.4 t | 8.3 t |
| 1,000 sq ft | 10.3 t | 15.4 t | 17.3 t |
Driveway totals in this table are the top layer only; a full layered build takes two to three times more stone. The driveway calculator works out each layer, and how much gravel do I need covers depth choices project by project.
Why real coverage varies a little
Three things nudge the chart numbers in real life. Compaction: crusher run and other angular stone settle 15 to 25 percent as the stones lock, so order for the loose depth; rounded pea gravel barely compacts at all. Subgrade: soft or uneven ground swallows stone into its dips, which is one reason the 10 percent allowance exists. Moisture: a wet load weighs more per bucket, so a weighed ton covers slightly less ground until it dries. None of these move the needle more than the waste allowance already covers.
From coverage to an order
Coverage tells you how much ground your money buys; tonnage tells the quarry what to load. Convert with 1 yard ≈ 1.4 tons, price it with gravel cost per ton (or per cubic yard if your supplier quotes volume), and check the bag-count alternative in bulk versus bags before paying retail prices for a big job.