Material calculator
Pea Gravel calculator
Enter your area and depth to get pea gravel in tons, cubic yards, bulk bags and delivered cost. Pea Gravel is placed at about 96 lb per cubic foot, or 1.3 tons per cubic yard.
Your project
Pea Gravel for pathways, patios, playgrounds and dog runs is typically placed 3" deep.
Crews typically order 5-10% extra to cover compaction, spillage and uneven subgrade.
Pea Gravel required
6.05
US tons (incl. 5% waste)
- Area
- 480 sq ft
- Volume
- 4.67 cu yd
- Volume (cubic feet)
- 126
- Tons per cubic yard
- 1.3
- Bulk bags (1 ton each)
- 7
- Dump truck loads
- 1
- Delivered material cost
- $351
Rounded 3/8" stone never locks together, so it needs an edge restraint and should never be used as a structural base.
How much pea gravel do you need?
Volume first, weight second. Multiply area in square feet by depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by 1.3 to convert to tons — that is the placed density of pea gravel at roughly 96 lb per cubic foot.
For pathways, patios, playgrounds and dog runs, 3 inches is the standard depth. Going shallower to save on material is a false economy: thin layers rut, migrate and expose the subgrade within a season.
Rounded 3/8" stone never locks together, so it needs an edge restraint and should never be used as a structural base.
Ordering and delivery
Yards sell pea gravel by the ton but stockpile it by the yard, so quote both numbers when you call. A standard tandem dump truck carries about 15 tons; anything under a ton usually comes in bulk bags at a significant premium per ton.
Delivered pricing runs $35 – $80 per ton depending on haul distance from the quarry. Freight, not the stone itself, is usually the larger half of that number.
Pea Gravel coverage per ton
At 96 lb per cubic foot placed.
| Depth | Coverage per ton | Tons per 100 sq ft | Cu yd per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | 250 sq ft | 0.4 | 0.31 |
| 2" | 125 sq ft | 0.8 | 0.62 |
| 3" | 83 sq ft | 1.2 | 0.93 |
| 4" | 63 sq ft | 1.6 | 1.23 |
| 6" | 42 sq ft | 2.4 | 1.85 |
| 12" | 21 sq ft | 4.8 | 3.7 |
Frequently asked questions
+How many tons of pea gravel are in a cubic yard?
About 1.3 tons. Pea Gravel weighs roughly 96 lb per cubic foot placed, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 27 × 96 ÷ 2,000 = 1.3 tons.
+How much area does a ton of pea gravel cover?
At 3 inches deep, one ton covers about 83 square feet. At 2 inches it covers roughly 125 square feet.
+How deep should pea gravel be laid?
3 inches is standard for pathways, patios, playgrounds and dog runs. Over soft or clay subgrade, add 2 inches and place a woven geotextile separator so the stone does not disappear into the soil.
+Should I order extra?
Yes — 5 to 10%. Spread depth is never perfectly uniform, the subgrade has low spots, and coming up half a ton short means paying a second delivery fee that often exceeds the value of the material.
+What does pea gravel cost?
Delivered, $35 – $80 per ton in most US markets, versus $25 – $80 per ton across aggregates generally. Picking it up yourself saves the haul but rarely more than a few dollars a ton once fuel is counted.
+Do I need landscape fabric underneath?
Under decorative stone, yes — it slows weed growth and keeps the stone out of the soil. Under a compacted structural base, use a woven geotextile separator rather than a light weed fabric, which will tear during compaction.