Gravel driveway: yards to loads
Plan a gravel driveway: depth, cubic yards, tons, and how many dump or semi loads to order.
Driveways are often sized as a rectangle (or a few rectangles). Pick a depth — commonly 4–6 inches of gravel over a prepared base — then convert to yards, tons, and loads.
Example: 12×50 ft at 5 in
Raw ≈ 9.3 yd³. With a 10% buffer ≈ 10.2 yd³ (~14.3 tons at 1.4 t/yd³). That is often under one tandem if volume-limited, but dense gravel is frequently weight-limited first.
Tips
- Separate base (Class 6 / road base) from surface gravel if you are building in layers.
- Use the gravel calculator or Class 6 calculator for each layer.
- Compare dump vs semi on the truck sizes guide.
FAQ
How deep should driveway gravel be?
Local soil and traffic matter. Many DIY drives use several inches of base plus a surface course — follow local practice or a builder’s recommendation.
Gravel or RAP?
RAP (recycled asphalt) can work for some drives; density and behavior differ from clean gravel. Switch materials in the calculator to compare.