How much gravel for a driveway?
A typical two-car driveway (~400 sq ft) at 4 inches deep needs about 5 cubic yards — roughly 7 tons — of gravel. Here's the math, a chart by driveway size, the three-layer build a new driveway needs, and what the stone costs delivered.
The math
- Volume = area × depth = 400 sq ft × (4 ÷ 12) = 133 cu ft = 133 ÷ 27 = ~5 cubic yards
- Tons = cubic yards × ~1.45 (gravel weighs about 1.4–1.5 tons/cu yd) = ~7 tons
Gravel by driveway size (4 inches deep)
| Driveway size | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1-car — 200 sq ft | ~2.5 cu yd | ~3.5 tons |
| 2-car — 400 sq ft | ~5 cu yd | ~7 tons |
| 2-car long — 600 sq ft | ~7.5 cu yd | ~10.5 tons |
| Large — 800 sq ft | ~10 cu yd | ~14 tons |
A new driveway is built in layers
The 4-inch figures above are for resurfacing an existing drive. A brand-new gravel driveway over dirt needs a proper pavement structure — two or three layers, each compacted before the next goes down. For a 400 sq ft two-car drive:
| Layer | Stone | Depth | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | #3 / #4 clean crushed stone (2–3 in rocks) | 4 in | ~5 cu yd (≈7 tons) |
| Middle | #57 stone (golf-ball size) | 3 in | ~3.7 cu yd (≈5.4 tons) |
| Surface | Crusher run / road base with fines | 2–3 in | ~3 cu yd (≈4.5 tons) |
That's roughly 17 tons in total — call it double to two-and-a-half times the resurfacing amount. Lay landscape fabric over the graded dirt first on soft or clay soils; it stops the base stone from slowly sinking into mud, which is where "disappearing" driveway gravel actually goes.
Which stone where (and one to avoid)
- Base: large, clean (no fines) crushed stone — #3 or #4 — locks into the subgrade and carries the load.
- Middle: #57 is the all-purpose workhorse that fills and drains well.
- Surface: a dense-graded mix with stone dust — crusher run, "Class II" road base, or #411 — because the fines bind the top into a firm, driveable crust.
- Avoid pea gravel as a driving surface: the rounded stones roll instead of locking, rut constantly, and migrate into the lawn.
Delivery and spreading
A tandem-axle dump truck hauls 10–16 tons, so a resurfacing order arrives in one load; a full new build may come as two (which is convenient — compact the base before the surface stone shows up). Have it dumped as close to the work as possible, or in a few piles along the drive rather than one mountain at the end. Spreading 7 tons with a rake and wheelbarrow is a solid day's work for two people; a tractor with a box blade turns it into an hour. Shape a crown — 2–3% fall from the centerline to the edges — so rain sheds off instead of ponding, and rent a plate compactor to lock in each layer.
What it costs
Bulk crushed stone commonly runs $15–$30 per ton plus a $50–$150 delivery fee. That puts a two-car resurfacing (~7 tons) around $150–$350 delivered, and the stone for a full three-layer new build (~17 tons) at roughly $300–$700. Bags make no sense at this scale — a 0.5 cu ft bag covers so little that resurfacing would take 270+ bags at several times the bulk price. For how a gravel drive compares with asphalt, concrete, and pavers over time, see cost to pave a driveway.
Different size or depth?
The gravel calculator converts any area and depth into cubic yards, tons, and bags — with an editable price per ton.
Open the Gravel CalculatorKeeping it topped up
Gravel driveways are cheap to build and cheap to keep — but not maintenance-free. Expect to refresh about an inch of surface stone every couple of years (~1.8 tons for a 400 sq ft drive), re-rake the crown after hard rains, and knock down washboarding before it sets in. Fabric under a new build and a proper crown are the two decisions that cut that maintenance in half.