Gravel Calculator

If you plan to cement your garage or driveway, you need gravel. It’s also used in roofing shingles, patio base, landscaping uses and much more. With this gravel calculator, you can estimate how much gravel you need for your construction project. In doing this, you can purchase the exact amount of gravel and avoid wasting anything. Read on to learn more about this online material calculator for gravel.

How to use the gravel calculator? 

This is a versatile gravel estimator which you can use two ways. The values you enter into the online tool would depend on the unit of measurement. Follow these steps to use the gravel driveway calculator:

• First, you can input the Length and Width of the area, and then choose the units of measurement.
• If you’ve already multiplied these values together, input the Area then choose the unit of measurement.
• Then input the Depth of gravel you’re planning to use and choose the unit of measurement.
• After entering these values, the online calculator will provide you with the values for the Volume, Density, and Weight.
• Finally, input the monetary value for Price of gravel then choose the unit of measurement.
• After entering all of the values, the gravel calculator will automatically provide you with the total price you will spend on the gravel that you need.

 

How do you calculate how much gravel is needed? 

You can manually calculate the amount of gravel you need for your project. To do this, the first thing to solve for is the volume. Follow these steps:

• To get the volume, you need to get the width and the length of the area. For instance, let’s assume that the width of the area is 3 m and the length is 6 m.
• To get the area, multiply the two values together. Using the values we’ve set in our example:

A = 3 * 6 = 18 m²

If the area of your project has a different shape, you can use the gravel estimator to acquire the values you need easier.

• The next thing to determine is the area’s depth. Still working with our example, let’s set the depth at 2 m.
• Multiply the area you’ve acquired with the depth to get the volume:

V = 18 * 2 = 36 m³

• This is the volume of gravel you need for your project. You can also check your manual calculation through the online gravel calculator. 

If you want to calculate the weight of all the material to use, multiple the density of gravel by the volume you’ve acquired. But when using the online tool, you don’t have to remember the density of gravel because the calculator sets the value for you. But if you’re using an unusual type of aggregate, you may change the value for the density as needed. Then you can calculate the cost of the gravel you need manually by checking gravel prices in your area.

 

What area does a ton of gravel cover? 

There are different types of gravel, and they have different prices. Some of the most common types include crushed stone gravel, rounded pea gravel, semi-polished creek rock gravel, pay gravel, fine gravel, and coarse piedmont gravel. A ton of gravel can cover different areas depending on the depth. Here are some examples for you:

• When using a depth of 2-inches, a ton of gravel can cover 100 ft²
• When using a depth of 3-inches, a ton of gravel can cover 80 ft²
• When using a depth of 4-inches, a ton of gravel can cover 70 ft²
• When using a depth of 5-inches, a ton of gravel can cover 60 ft²

 

How many bags of gravel do I need? 

In the estimation of how much gravel you need for your construction project, your estimation depends on the type of gravel you’re planning to use. We’ve mentioned the most common gravel types, and they have particles ranging from coarse to fine. Before you make manual calculations or use the gravel driveway calculator, determine the type of gravel you will use first.

When working with gravel, the ideal depth to use is 4-inches. The finer the particles of the gravel you use, the more even the coverage it will provide. If you use a type of gravel with coarse particles, then give an additional half-inch for the depth.

If you use cubic feet as the unit of measurement, multiply the length, width, and depth of the area. If you use cubic yards, divide the total value by 27. One y³ of gravel equals 1.13 tons. Therefore, you can multiply the total y³ by 1.13 to convert the measurement to tons.

If you’re planning to fill your driveway with gravel, you also have to perform a separate calculation for the underlay. The best bottom layer for this project is a road base then top this off with decorative gravel. In such a project, you won’t need as much gravel. You can cover half of the depth with the road base then half with the gravel. Doing this will allow you to save some money.

So, the number of bags of gravel you would need depends on the area of your project, the type of gravel you need, whether you will use a bottom layer and the size, and weight of the bags of gravel sold at your local hardware store. Let’s have an example to help you determine how many bags of gravel you need:

• Usually, Class A Concrete would have a proportion of 1:2:4. In this situation, you would use gravel, sand, and cement.
• Let’s say that the width of the area is 100 m and the length is 200 m with a depth of 0.1 m.
• First, let’s get the volume:

V = 100 m x 200 m x 0.1 m = 2,000 m³

• Now let’s see how much of the materials you need for a Class A pavement with a ratio of 1:2:4:

C = 55 / (c+s+g), therefore:

Cement = [ 55 / (1+2+4) ] x 2000 = 15,680 bags

• S = 0.028 x C x s, therefore:

Sand = {0.028x [ 55 / (1+2+4) ] x 2 } x 2000 = 800 m³ of sand

• G = 0.028xCxg, therefore:

Gravel = {0.028x [ 55 / (1+2+4) ] x 4 } x 2000 = 1760 m³ of gravel