TL;DR
A 20' × 40' driveway at 4" of #57 stone needs 9.9 cubic yards = about 14 tons of gravel. At $65/ton delivered, that's ~$910 — plus a spreader/roller day if you want it done right.
Why buying gravel confuses everyone
Quarries sell gravel by the ton (weight), landscapers sell it by the cubic yard (volume), and bags at the store are marked in cubic feet. Meanwhile, "gravel" covers pea gravel, #57 stone, #8, crusher run, and river rock — each with a different bulk density and coverage rate.
What our data shows
Across recent MaterialCalc gravel calculations, users overwhelmingly build residential driveways at a median 4-inch depth, and #57 crushed limestone is the most-quoted material. That matches what quarry dispatchers see in the yard.
The formulas
cubic yards = (length_ft × width_ft × depth_in ÷ 12) ÷ 27
tons = cubic_yards × bulk_density_tons_per_yd
Typical bulk densities:
- Pea gravel: 1.35 t/yd
- #57 crushed stone: 1.40 t/yd
- Crusher run (dense grade): 1.50 t/yd
- River rock: 1.35 t/yd
Worked example: gravel driveway
20' wide × 40' long, 4" deep, #57 stone:
- 20 × 40 × (4 ÷ 12) = 266.7 cu ft
- 266.7 ÷ 27 = 9.88 cu yd
- 9.88 × 1.40 = 13.8 tons
- Round up to 14 tons — order in half-ton increments.
Coverage table (one ton of #57 stone)
| Depth | Coverage |
|---|---|
| 1" | ~200 sq ft |
| 2" | ~100 sq ft |
| 3" | ~67 sq ft |
| 4" | ~50 sq ft |
| 6" | ~33 sq ft |
Common mistakes
- Ordering by yard when the quarry quotes by ton. Always confirm units before hitting confirm.
- Skipping a base course. #57 alone on soft dirt ruts within a season. Put 4" of crusher run down first, compact, then top with #57.
- Under-ordering. Gravel settles ~15% under traffic in the first month. Bake that into the depth, not the volume.
- No edging. Without pressure-treated 2×6 edging or metal edging, gravel walks off the drive.
- Wrong stone size for the job. Pea gravel is beautiful and rolls under tires — never use it for a primary drive; keep it for patios and walkways.
2026 price reality check
- #57 crushed limestone: $45–$70 per ton delivered (10–20 ton loads).
- Crusher run: $30–$55 per ton — cheapest sub-base material.
- Pea gravel: $35–$55 per ton in bulk; $5–$8 per 0.5 cu ft bag at big-box stores (5× the bulk price).
- Delivery: usually $80–$150 flat regardless of load size within ~15 miles.
Small jobs (under 3 tons) often cost less at the store if you have a trailer.
Run your numbers
Get an exact ton and yard estimate in the gravel calculator — it handles driveways, French drains and pads and outputs both units.