Solve backwards
How much ground will my gravel cover?
- 5 yd³The example worked below
- Mulch & Gravel CalculatorEvery figure is its own
You have
How much gravel?
That is 5 yd³(3.8 m³). Worked by the Mulch & Gravel Calculator at the settings below.
The settings it uses
- Depth
- 4 in
- Extra for Settling (%)
- 10
What it will do
368 sq ft of ground
34.2 m²
One gravel pad. Enough for a gravel pad 23.8 × 15.5 ft at 4 in deep.
Or several. About 5 gravel pads of the size the Mulch & Gravel Calculator opens on: a gravel pad 10 × 6.5 ft at 4 in deep.
Check it forwards
- Area Length
- 23.8 ft
- Area Width
- 15.5 ft
- It asks for
- 5 yd³
- You have
- 5 yd³
The Mulch & Gravel Calculator asks for 5 yd³ at that size.
If you had more, or less
Around your amount
Each worked by the Mulch & Gravel Calculator at the same settings.
Half
2.5 yd³
184 sq ft
a gravel pad 16.8 × 10.9 ft at 4 in deep
Yours
5 yd³
368 sq ft
a gravel pad 23.8 × 15.5 ft at 4 in deep
Half as much again
7.5 yd³
552 sq ft
a gravel pad 29.1 × 18.9 ft at 4 in deep
Double
10 yd³
736 sq ft
a gravel pad 34 × 22 ft at 4 in deep
Common amounts
What each amount of gravel covers
The sizes it is usually sold in, each worked by the Mulch & Gravel Calculator at the settings above.
| You have | It covers | As one gravel pad | Average gravel pads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yd³(0.8 m³) | 73.6 sq ft(6.84 m²) | a gravel pad 10.6 × 6.9 ft at 4 in deep | 1 |
| 3 yd³(2.3 m³) | 221 sq ft(20.5 m²) | a gravel pad 18.4 × 12 ft at 4 in deep | 3 |
| 5 yd³(3.8 m³) | 368 sq ft(34.2 m²) | a gravel pad 23.8 × 15.5 ft at 4 in deep | 5 |
| 10 yd³(7.6 m³) | 736 sq ft(68.4 m²) | a gravel pad 34 × 22 ft at 4 in deep | 11 |
Four inches for a base
The page opens at 4 inches, about 100 mm — the calculator's guidance is that gravel bases are often 4 inches or more, where decorative mulch-style top dressings run 2 to 3. At 4 inches a cubic yard covers 81 square feet before the allowance; at 2 inches it covers 162. Set the depth to the job before reading the answer.
Delivered by weight, measured by volume
The calculator knows no material, so pea gravel and crushed stone return the same volume, and bulk aggregate is normally sold and weighed out by the ton or tonne. Turning a delivery ticket into cubic yards needs the stone's bulk density — clean drainage gravel is commonly quoted near 1.5 tonnes (1.7 tons) per cubic metre.
Compacted gravel needs more than loose
The ten per cent added is for settling and an uneven base, not compaction. Gravel raked and plate-compacted to a finished depth needs more loose material delivered than the area times depth suggests, so a compacted pad covers less than the ground shown here — the loose figure is the upper end of what a load will do.
How the answer is worked
Nothing here is a second formula. The Mulch & Gravel Calculator runs forwards — a size in, a quantity out — and this page grows its own starting gravel pad in proportion until the quantity it asks for is what you have. Where it rounds up to whole containers, the answer is the largest size before the next one would be needed.
Where the calculator adds an allowance for cuts or breakage when you order, the same allowance comes off here, because it is the same calculator: a stack you already own finishes less than its face value. Where it adds none, neither does this page — the settings beside the answer say which.
Mulch & Gravel Calculator
runs it forwardsEstimate the mulch, gravel or soil needed to cover an area at a given depth, in cubic yards or cubic metres.
Work out what to buy insteadSolve backwards
Other things you might already have
How big a bed will my bags of mulch cover?
Bagged mulch, worked by the Mulch Calculator.
How much bed will a yard of mulch cover?
Bulk mulch, worked by the Mulch & Gravel Calculator.
How big a bed will my topsoil fill?
Topsoil, worked by the Topsoil Calculator.
How big a raised bed will my soil fill?
Raised bed soil, worked by the Garden Soil Calculator.
How much ground will my compost dress?
Compost, worked by the Compost Blend Calculator.
How big a slab will a yard of concrete pour?
Ready-mix concrete, worked by the Concrete Calculator.
Solve backwards
Start from what is already in the yard
Paint, sheets, rolls, bags and pieces, each read the other way by the calculator that orders it.
The calculator's own figures
Nothing is estimated twice: the page runs the same calculator you would order with.
The largest size that fits
Where a calculator rounds up to whole containers, the answer stops before the next one.
Both unit systems
Gallons and litres, square feet and square metres, side by side.
Frequently asked questions
- How much ground does 5 yd³ of gravel cover?
- At the Mulch & Gravel Calculator's own settings, 368 sq ft (34.2 m²) — a gravel pad 23.8 × 15.5 ft at 4 in deep. That is about 5 gravel pads of the size the calculator opens on: a gravel pad 10 × 6.5 ft at 4 in deep. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How much ground does 4 m³ of gravel cover?
- At the Mulch & Gravel Calculator's own settings, 36.4 m² (391 sq ft) — a gravel pad 7.4 × 4.9 m at 100 mm deep. That is about 6 gravel pads of the size the calculator opens on: a gravel pad 3 × 2 m at 100 mm deep. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How many square feet does a cubic yard of gravel cover?
- A cubic yard covers 81 square feet at 4 inches deep, 108 at 3 inches and 162 at 2 inches — square feet times inches divided by 324. Take a tenth off for an uneven base and plan on about 74 square feet (6.8 m²) at 4 inches.
- How much does a tonne of gravel cover?
- It depends on the stone's density, because gravel is weighed and the ground is measured. At a typical 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre, a tonne is about 0.67 m³, which covers about 6.7 m² (72 square feet) at 100 mm deep before any allowance for settling.
- How deep should a gravel driveway or path be?
- A garden path is commonly 2 to 3 inches (50 to 75 mm) of decorative gravel over a compacted base; a driveway takes a deeper, compacted sub-base of crushed stone under the surface layer. The depth decides the order, so set it for the job before reading any coverage figure.