Stone calculator
Decorative Stone Calculator
Decorative stone goes down shallow — 2 inches on beds, 3 on high-traffic areas. Enter the bed area for tonnage, bag counts and cost.
Your project
Beds are 2". Go 3" over fabric where you want full weed suppression.
Crews typically order 5-10% extra to cover compaction, spillage and uneven subgrade.
Delivered decorative stone typically runs $40-$120 per ton.
Decorative stone needed
3.99
US tons · includes 5% waste
- Area
- 480 sq ft
- Volume
- 3.11 cubic yards
- Volume (cubic feet)
- 84 cu ft
- Total weight
- 7,980 lb
- 50 lb bags
- 160 bags
- Density used
- 95 lb per cu ft (1.28 tons/yd³)
- Truckloads (15-ton)
- 1
- Estimated delivered cost
- $319
Quarry densities vary by source and moisture. Confirm tons per cubic yard with your supplier before placing a bulk order — a 10% density difference is a whole extra load on a big job.
The shareable link reopens this calculator with your exact inputs.
What decorative stone is
Decorative stone covers everything sold for looks rather than structure: river rock, lava rock, Mexican beach pebble, marble chip, red lava, black star. Densities vary widely — lava rock is around 50 lb per cubic foot while marble chip is closer to 100 — so always confirm tons per yard with your supplier before ordering.
At 95 lb per cubic foot, one cubic yard weighs about 1.28 US tons, and one ton spread 2" deep covers roughly 126 square feet.
How to install it
Kill existing weeds, edge the bed so the stone has somewhere to stop, lay woven landscape fabric, then spread stone 2-3 inches deep. Below 2 inches you see fabric; above 3 inches on a slope the stone travels.
The mistake that costs the most
Putting decorative stone around plants that need to breathe. Stone reflects heat and raises soil temperature, which stresses shallow-rooted shrubs and most perennials. Use it around structures, drip lines and drought-tolerant plantings, not in a hosta bed.
The math behind the calculator
Square feet × (depth in inches ÷ 12) = cubic feet. Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Cubic feet × 95 ÷ 2,000 = US tons. The waste allowance is applied to the volume before the weight conversion, which is how suppliers quote it.
Decorative stone needed per 100 square feet
At 95 lb per cubic foot, before waste.
| Depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | 8.3 | 0.31 | 0.4 |
| 2" | 16.7 | 0.62 | 0.79 |
| 3" | 25 | 0.93 | 1.19 |
| 4" | 33.3 | 1.23 | 1.58 |
| 6" | 50 | 1.85 | 2.38 |
| 12" | 100 | 3.7 | 4.75 |
Recommended depth by application
| Application | Depth |
|---|---|
| Landscape bed over fabric | 2" |
| Weed suppression / no plantings | 3" |
| Dry creek bed | 4-6" |
| Around a foundation drip line | 3-4" |
Frequently asked questions
+How many tons of decorative stone do I need?
Multiply square feet by depth in feet to get cubic feet, then multiply by 95 and divide by 2,000. A 500 sq ft area at 2" needs about 3.96 tons before waste.
+How many tons of decorative stone are in a cubic yard?
Roughly 1.28 tons at 95 lb per cubic foot. Wet material weighs 5-10% more, which matters when you are buying by the ton and measuring by the yard.
+How deep should decorative stone be?
Landscape bed over fabric: 2". Weed suppression / no plantings: 3". Dry creek bed: 4-6". Around a foundation drip line: 3-4".
+What does decorative stone cost?
$40 – $120 per ton delivered in most US markets, before the haul fee. Short loads carry a minimum charge, so half a load often costs nearly as much as a full one.