How to use the pea gravel calculator
- Choose the shape of the area. Pick a rectangle, a round area, or area and depth. To convert a quantity you already have, pick yards to tons or tons to yards.
- Enter the size and the depth. Type the dimensions and the depth of the pea gravel layer. If your supplier gives a weight per cubic yard, choose your own figure and enter it.
- Read the tons and the cubic yards. The result shows the tons to order, the cubic yards, the weight in pounds and metric tonnes, and the area covered.
What is a pea gravel calculator?
A pea gravel calculator is a tool that estimates how much pea gravel a job needs. Pea gravel is small, rounded stone, often about 3/8 inch across. The calculator multiplies the area by the depth to get cubic yards, then multiplies by the weight of the gravel to get tons.
Use it for a garden path, a patio, a play area, a dog run or the space between stepping stones.
Features
- Tons and cubic yards of pea gravel from a rectangle, a round area, or an area and depth
- A tons to yards converter and a yards to tons converter
- A named weight for pea gravel and a field for your supplier's own figure
- Weight in pounds and metric tonnes, and the area covered
- A cost from your own price per ton or per cubic yard
- A live 3D preview, a PDF of the estimate and a WhatsApp share button
What you can use it for
- A garden path or the gaps between stepping stones
- A patio or a seating area
- A play area under a swing set
- A dog run or a border along a fence
How pea gravel is calculated
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27. Tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard.
Worked example: a 10 ft by 10 ft area, 3 inches deep
- Area: 10 × 10 = 100 square feet.
- Depth in feet: 3 in ÷ 12 = 0.25 ft.
- Volume: 100 × 0.25 = 25 cubic feet, which is 0.93 cubic yards.
- Weight at 1.3 tons per cubic yard: 0.93 × 1.3 = 1.2 tons, which is about 2,407 pounds.
These are the numbers the calculator shows when the page opens. The 3 inch depth is only a starting value.
How much a cubic yard of pea gravel weighs
Anchorage Sand & Gravel, a producer in Alaska, lists its 3/8 inch minus concrete pea gravel at about 2,600 pounds, or 1.3 tons, per cubic yard. It calls these estimated stockpile weights and says they vary with moisture content, texture and gradation.
| Pounds per cubic yard | Tons per cubic yard | Cubic yards per ton | Pounds per cubic foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,600 | 1.3 | 0.77 | 96.3 |
The figure is the published weight of loose 3/8 inch pea gravel in a pile, from Anchorage Sand & Gravel. The last two columns are worked out from it. If your supplier gives its own figure, enter it in the calculator.
What one ton of pea gravel covers
At 1.3 tons per cubic yard, one ton is 0.77 cubic yards, which is 20.8 cubic feet.
| Depth | Area covered by 1 ton |
|---|---|
| 2 inches | 124.6 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 83.1 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 62.3 sq ft |
What the calculator includes
- Wet pea gravel weighs more than dry.
- Pea gravel moves and settles under foot. The calculator does not add anything for that: add your own extra allowance if you want more.
- Each dimension can be up to 10,000 in its unit, an area, volume or weight up to 1,000,000, and your own figure up to 5 tons per cubic yard.
Is it private?
Yes. The calculation and the PDF are made in your browser. The numbers you type are not sent to our server and are not saved.
Tips for an accurate estimate
- Ask the yard for the weight of its pea gravel and enter it if it differs from the figure here.
- Lay landscape fabric first so the gravel does not sink into the soil.
- Add edging; pea gravel rolls and spreads without it.
- Enter the finished depth you want, because pea gravel does not compact much.
- Order a little extra for paths that get heavy foot traffic.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
- How much pea gravel do I need?
- Multiply the length, width and depth in feet and divide by 27 to get cubic yards. A 10 ft by 10 ft area that is 3 inches deep needs 0.93 cubic yards, which is about 1.2 tons at 1.3 tons per cubic yard.
- How much does a cubic yard of pea gravel weigh?
- Anchorage Sand & Gravel lists about 2,600 pounds, or 1.3 tons, per cubic yard of its 3/8 inch pea gravel, as an estimated stockpile weight.
- How many cubic yards are in a ton of pea gravel?
- At 1.3 tons per cubic yard, one ton is about 0.77 cubic yards.
- How much area does a ton of pea gravel cover?
- At 1.3 tons per cubic yard, one ton covers about 124.6 square feet at 2 inches deep, 83.1 square feet at 3 inches and 62.3 square feet at 4 inches.
- Why is the weight different on other sites?
- Pea gravel has no single official weight. It depends on the stone, its size and how wet it is. This calculator names its one source and lets you enter your supplier's figure instead.
Sources
Every figure this calculator uses comes from the published sources below. The formulas are on this page, so any result can be checked by hand.
- Anchorage Sand & Gravel, 3/8 in minus concrete pea gravel: product data. Pea gravel: 1.3 tons per cubic yard.