Aggregate Calculator Yards
Estimate compacted cubic yards, loose order yards, depth-zone volumes, compaction shrink, swell allowance, truck loads, stockpile space, and secondary weight conversion.
Use the longest measured run or centerline strip length.
Use average width when edges flare or taper.
Finished compacted thickness for the main area.
The remaining area can use a different depth.
Use for aprons, edges, low spots, or thinner cover.
Used only to convert planned yards to weight.
Enter volume capacity; weight check appears below.
Full calculation breakdown
Crusher run: dense graded base material with fines for compaction.
| Compacted depth | Area per compacted yd³ | Loose yards at +12% | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Decorative topping or thin refresh |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Landscape gravel or walking paths |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Paver bedding base or light pad |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Driveway or shed subbase |
| 8 in | 40.5 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Heavy base or fill correction |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | 1.12 yd³ | Deep drainage or structural fill zone |
| Truck style | Typical yd³ | Payload check | Best planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup bed | 0.5-1.5 yd³ | Weight limits arrive fast | Small landscape or touch-up loads |
| Single axle dump | 5-8 yd³ | Check dense base material | Tight access residential delivery |
| Tandem dump | 10-14 yd³ | Often weight-limited first | Driveways, pads, and larger bases |
| End dump | 18-24 yd³ | Needs room to dump safely | Large fill or road-base staging |
| Aggregate | Density | Loose factor | Yard planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crusher run / road base | 1.50-1.65 tons/yd³ | 10-15% | Dense fines compact tightly for base work. |
| MOT Type 1 | 1.50-1.60 tons/yd³ | 10-15% | Plan in compacted lifts, then order loose yards. |
| #57 washed stone | 1.30-1.40 tons/yd³ | 0-5% | Void space stays open; volume changes less. |
| Pea gravel | 1.20-1.35 tons/yd³ | 0-3% | Rounds and spreads easily; confine edges. |
| Concrete sand | 1.25-1.40 tons/yd³ | 5-10% | Moisture affects weight more than yard volume. |
| Recycled concrete | 1.35-1.55 tons/yd³ | 8-15% | Gradation varies; use a larger yard allowance. |
| Spec choice | Cubic-yard behavior | Truck planning effect | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dense graded base | More shrink after compaction | Payload may limit load size | Driveway, road, slab subbase |
| Open graded stone | Less shrink, more voids | Volume limit often controls | Drainage and pipe bedding |
| Rounded gravel | Spreads loose, seats lightly | Can roll at dump pile edges | Decorative beds and paths |
| Sand bedding | Moisture changes density check | Watch weight on small trucks | Leveling, bedding, and joints |
This is the driveway. Don’t order aggregate based off a rough guess at depth by multiplying that figure times the length and width of your driveway, because that is why projects go off the rails; instead, use a calculator to separate finished volume from loose order volume.
Hopefully the guy in the gravel delivery truck will agree with your calculation, but gravel isn’t liquid: it settles; it shifts; it compacts differently based on how hard you tamp it. That gap between what looks nice in a pile and what actualy goes under your tires is where things go wrong too many times. Next thing you know, you’re stuck with a patchwork driveway that sink when the first rain falls. Or else you’ve got a mountain of unused stone sitting in your yard for three weeks.
How to Calculate Gravel for Your Driveway
Here’s how it works: The calculator subtracts the volume of the finished product from the volume of the loose order. How do they do this? They begin with surface area you are covering, a circle, a rectangle, or perhaps something more irregular. Next comes the depth. Most driveways aren’t even slabs, so the calculator lets you divide them into split zone. In one zone (the middle) there may be six inches of compacted base under the top layer; on the edges maybe four. If there is a tapering edge or a sloping apron, you must define the percent of total area in each zone.
The math show what actualy happens instead of over-estimating to be safe, which is wasteful. Instead of measuring in feet, safety is typicaly expressed as percentage points. As fines compact into the gaps between bigger stone, they cause shrinkage. That causes loss of volume. For instance, with a normal twelve percent shrinkage factor, each cubic yard lose roughly two and a half sacks of material due to being packed down. The calculator takes that into account and re-adds it to give you the number of yards to order.
But if you don’t account for compaction, your driveway will be beautiful…until it compacts down an inch and creates low spots. Loss account: Swell handles it. When material falls out of the back of your truck bed, it spills. When loaders kick the pile, it’s kicked around. When dumped onto an uneven subgrade pocket, it settles in. A six to ten percent allowance for swell takes care of all this messy stuff called real world logistics.
How do various materials perform? Here are their numbers on the page. Materials with big voids between particles (like washed stone) will shrink less because they have less air space to be compressed. Fines in dense graded base compact up tight and lose volume. That’s a tradeoff to know, not just so you buy the least expensive material at the yard, but also the best for the application.
Another frequent mistake is truck planning. Suppliers typicaly don’t sell anything less than a whole truckload, which may contain as little as 10 cubic yards. (Tandem dump trucks are typical.) But dense base can hit 14 tons easily. And then there’s the matter of weight versus volume. If your access road is on the soft side, you may have to stick with a single-axle truck that’ll hold less. The tool will check against both: the volume constraint, and the payload limit, so you never wind up ordering a load that exceeds your driveway or gate size and sink into the earth.
Because you can’t buy half a truck; it rounds up to whole truckload. If it can’t be delivered right to the site, then stockpile! Gravel is a funny thing…a cone of it will take up far more surface area than you might think. The calculator figures out the footprint assuming a pile with certain height and slope angle. Loose piles spread wide. Steep piles collapse. Know that ahead of time so you can make sure there’s room for the delivery driver to dump without crushing your irrigation line or driving onto your garden bed.
It’s a target. Not a commandment. Moisture depends on weather. Weight depends on moisture. Truck load capacity depends on weight. The calculator uses the laws of physics and normal industry assumptions as a good starting point. It takes guessing out of the equation, replacing it with planning. Measure twice. Inspect the subgrade conditions yourself. But at least you could of counted on having realistic math that doesn’t melt when it meets reality.
Plan on the shrink, order in loose yards, and don’t exceed the weight limit. Winter won’t make your driveway hilly.
