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QUANTITY WORKSHEET / 02

Gravel calculator

Estimate gravel volume, US short tons or metric tonnes, and bags from your area, depth and supplier density.

How to use this calculator
  1. Measure the footprint and your chosen depth. Split areas with different depths into separate estimates.
  2. Ask your supplier for bulk density and purchase volume. Neither stone name nor bag weight establishes density.
  3. Read cubic yards and US short tons together. The package count still uses volume; do not order tons as though they were yards.
Material quantity calculator

Your measurements

Units

Example values are loaded. Replace them with your measurements and product details.

Measurement method
Deduct a door, window or rectangle

Adds width × height × count to this area’s exclusions, per identical copy. Do not deduct it twice.

MATERIAL & ALLOWANCES

Use the density supplied for your material. Moisture and compaction change delivered quantities.

Keep volume and weight connected

A gravel order can be described by space to fill or by weight to deliver. This calculator derives both from the same measured areas, chosen depth and material density. It does not infer density from a generic stone name.

Rectangular and circular areas can be combined when they share depth and density. If two areas require different depths, save separate estimates under the same exact product. Their volumes can then be combined before rounding to your chosen order unit.

Net area = sum((footprint − exclusions) × copies) Volume = net area × depth × (1 + allowance / 100) Weight = volume × entered density Order units = round up(volume / volume per order unit)

Understand the inputs

Density
Enter bulk density for the material and condition being ordered. In US units this is lb/ft³; in metric it is kg/m³. It is not the density of solid rock without voids.
Depth
A user-selected fill depth in inches or centimeters. The tool does not choose a depth for drainage, paths or load-bearing use.
Volume per order unit
Use the stated bag volume, or a bulk purchase increment. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet; one cubic meter equals 1,000 liters.
Copies and exclusions
Copies repeat the entire entered footprint and its exclusion. An exclusion describes area, not a mass deduction.

Example: a 15 ft by 4 ft strip

For a 15 ft × 4 ft rectangle at a user-selected 2 in depth, geometric volume is 10 ft³. A selected 10% allowance makes 11 ft³. If a supplier gives a bulk density of 95 lb/ft³, the estimated weight is 1,045 lb. At 2 ft³ per bag the shopping quantity is six bags. Changing density changes weight, but does not change the six-bag volume calculation.

Common estimating mistakes

  • Using particle density instead of delivered bulk density.
  • Treating a short ton, a metric tonne and a cubic yard as interchangeable. Weight is displayed in pounds and US short tons, or kilograms and metric tonnes.
  • Using the same density for wet and dry material without checking with the supplier.
  • Assuming an allowance automatically models compaction; it is only the percentage you enter.

What this estimate leaves out

No drainage, soil bearing, grading, compaction specification or installation design is provided. Weight is an estimate from your density input, not a weighbridge measurement. The tool uses volume-based purchase units; a weight-only product must first have a supplier-confirmed volume or density.

Product information & references

Supplier calculators illustrate why material choice matters. Confirm delivered bulk density and purchase increments with your own supplier.