A ton of gravel is 2,000 pounds of stone, about 0.7 cubic yards (roughly 19 cubic feet). It typically costs $15–$75 for the material, covers about 100 sq ft at 2 inches deep or 50 sq ft at 4 inches, and fills 5–7 wheelbarrow loads.
What is a ton of gravel?
A ton of gravel is a weight, not a set pile size: 2,000 pounds of stone, measured on a weighbridge as the truck leaves the quarry. In the United States, bulk gravel is sold by the short ton (2,000 lb), not the metric tonne (2,205 lb), so the quotes you get from local suppliers are almost always short tons.
In volume, that weight of standard gravel works out to about 0.7 cubic yards, or roughly 19 cubic feet — a pile a little smaller than a washing machine, or a cube about 2 ft 8 in on each side. Because gravel runs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard (lighter pea gravel is closer to 1.35), a "yard" and a "ton" describe nearly the same amount of stone, which is why suppliers quote either unit interchangeably. The gravel calculator converts your project into both at once so nothing is lost in translation.
How much is a ton of gravel?
For the material alone at the quarry, a ton of gravel costs $15–$75. What you pay inside that range depends mostly on the type of stone: plain crushed rock is cheap because it is minimally processed, while washed, screened and colored decorative stone costs several times more. Delivery is quoted on top, usually $50–$150 per load.
| Gravel type | Price / ton | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run (crush & run) | $20–$35 | Driveway & patio bases |
| Crushed stone #57 | $25–$45 | Driveway tops, drainage |
| Crushed limestone | $25–$40 | Paths, bases |
| Pea gravel | $30–$60 | Paths, patios, play areas |
| River rock | $45–$130 | Decorative, drainage |
The practical sweet spot for a driveway or landscaping order is $25–$45 per ton delivered-and-quoted for common crushed stone. For the full picture — delivery economics, spreading, regional variation and ways to cut the bill — see the gravel cost per ton guide. If your project specifically needs the compactable base material, the crush and run cost guide prices that stone in detail.
How much does 2 tons of gravel cost?
Two tons of gravel cost $30–$150 for the stone itself at typical per-ton prices, and usually $100–$250 delivered. Say you order 2 tons of standard crushed stone at $30/ton: the material is $60, and a single delivery fee of $50–$150 is added regardless of whether the truck carries one ton or ten, so the fee dominates small orders.
That flat-fee structure is the most important thing to understand about small gravel orders. Two tons also happens to sit right around many suppliers' minimum order (often 1–3 tons), so the per-ton price of a small drop is the worst you will ever pay. If you can use a third ton — a deeper layer, a path extension, a spare pile for future top-ups — the marginal cost is only the stone, with no second delivery fee. Two tons covers roughly 200 sq ft at 2 inches deep, or about 100 sq ft at 4 inches.
How much area does one ton of gravel cover?
Coverage depends on how deep you spread it. One ton of standard gravel covers about 100 square feet at 2 inches, shrinking to about half that at driveway depth. Lighter stone covers a touch more; dense river rock a little less.
| Depth | 1 ton covers | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | ~100 sq ft | Paths, beds, top-ups |
| 3 inches | ~65 sq ft | Patio & shed bases |
| 4 inches | ~50 sq ft | Driveway top layer |
| 6 inches | ~33 sq ft | Driveway base, trenches |
Depth guidance by project (why 2 inches for a bed and 4 for a driveway) is covered in how much gravel do I need, with the full formula and worked examples.
How many tons of gravel do I need?
Match the coverage numbers above to your area and depth: multiply your square footage by the depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, multiply by 1.4 for tons, then add about 10% for settling and spillage. For typical projects, the tonnage lands like this:
| Project | Size & depth | Gravel needed |
|---|---|---|
| Garden path | 3 × 40 ft, 2 in | ~1.2 tons |
| Patio or shed base | 12 × 12 ft, 4 in | ~3 tons |
| Single-car driveway top | 12 × 40 ft, 4 in | ~8.3 tons |
| Full single-car driveway | 12 × 40 ft, layered | ~22 tons |
For anything shaped like your actual yard, enter the measurements in the gravel calculator or the driveway calculator — both add the waste allowance and price the job for you.
Ton, cubic yard or tonne: which are you being quoted?
Suppliers quote three different "tons" and a volume unit, and mixing them up is the fastest way to mis-order:
- US (short) ton — 2,000 lb. The default at American quarries and landscape yards. All prices on this site are short tons.
- Cubic yard — volume. One yard of standard gravel ≈ 1.4 short tons. If your supplier quotes by the yard, multiply their per-yard price by 0.7 to compare with per-ton quotes.
- Metric tonne — 2,205 lb. About 10% more stone than a short ton. Rare in US quotes, but check if your supplier imports stone or you are comparing international prices. The cost per tonne & cubic meter guide covers metric pricing and coverage.
- Bags — 0.5 ft³ each. One ton ≈ 40 of the common 50-lb bags. Bagged stone routinely costs 2–4× the bulk price per ton, so bags only make sense for repairs and tiny jobs.
Does wet gravel still weigh a ton?
Yes — but only because suppliers weigh it as loaded. Rain-soaked gravel can hold enough water to weigh 5–10% more than the same stone dry, which means a "ton" of wet gravel is slightly less rock than a ton of dry. You are not being shortchanged when this happens: the weighbridge measures real weight, and stone dried out or soaked through is the same money per ton at the yard. It is one more reason to buy by weight rather than by the bucketload, and one reason per-yard and per-ton quotes never line up perfectly between suppliers.
The short answer for your project
If you only remember three numbers from this page, make them these: a ton is 0.7 cubic yards, it costs about $25–$45 for everyday crushed stone, and it covers 100 sq ft at 2 inches (half that at driveway depth). Multiply the last number by your project's square footage and depth, add 10%, and you have a defensible order. Then let the calculator check your math: gravel calculator for general jobs, driveway calculator for layered drives, pea gravel calculator for rounded stone.