Virginia Gravel Calculator with Estimating Checks
Enter your project dimensions
Between Tidewater lots where water sits a foot below the surface and Blue Ridge drives that shed every storm downhill, a Virginia stone estimate has to account for grade and drainage before it counts cubic yards. This page starts with the estimating errors that most often produce a short or an oversized order. It then explains the gravel calculator, what its figures mean, and how to choose the material.
Estimating Errors to Rule Out First
Error 1: Treating the whole site as one depth
Decision criterion: does any part of the area carry vehicles, sit lower than the rest, or collect runoff? If so, that section needs its own depth, which means its own run: the multiple-areas option holds up to five sections but applies a single depth to all of them.
Error 2: Using one material for two layers
Decision criterion: is this a new drive or pad? If yes, plan a compacted 21A base and a separate surface course. Each layer is calculated and ordered on its own line.
Error 3: Ignoring the ground type
Decision criterion: which of the state's grounds is the site on?
- Coastal Plain, including Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore: sandy to clayey sediment on flat, low ground. Water ponds, so raise the surface and plan where water goes.
- Piedmont: heavy clay, often red, that drains slowly. The base has to carry the load, so do not thin it.
- Valley and Ridge, west of the Blue Ridge: limestone with karst. Rock is often close to the surface, and concentrated runoff can open sinkholes.
Error 4: Unticking the compaction allowance
Decision criterion: will the stone be rolled or compacted? If yes, leave the 5% box ticked.
Error 5: Assuming a statewide frost depth
Frost depth is set by each locality, from about 12 inches in Hampton Roads to about 24 inches in Northern Virginia. Confirm your own figure, and rely on drainage rather than stone depth for frost protection.
Error 6: Rounding a large job down
Decision criterion: does the calculated figure fall between two order quantities? On a lane or pad, choose the higher one. A modest surplus of 21A or #57 is useful for patching washouts after summer thunderstorms, whereas a shortfall leaves part of the base exposed to rain while a second delivery is arranged. On small decorative jobs, the lower figure is acceptable if the stone is not compacted.
Operating the Gravel Calculator
- Select rectangle, circle, or multiple areas (a maximum of 5).
- Enter length and width in feet, or diameter in feet for a circle.
- Enter depth in inches. The accepted range is 0.25 to 24.
- Select the material.
- Leave the 5% extra for compaction and spillage ticked, or untick it.
- Calculate. The results appear as cubic yards, tons and cubic feet, and Email my quote sends them to you.
Interpreting the Results
The tool computes volume as (length ft x width ft x depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27, which gives cubic yards. It then multiplies by the density of the selected material to get tons.
| Material selected | Density (lb/yd³) | Tons per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway / walkway gravel | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Pea gravel | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Crushed stone (#57, 3/4") | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Crusher run / road base | about 3,000 | 1.50 |
| River rock | about 2,700 | 1.35 |
Cubic yards describe the space the stone fills. Tons describe what is loaded and ordered. Cubic feet suit small areas and hand-filled containers.
Selecting the Material
Criterion: does the layer need to lock up hard, or let water through?
- Lock up hard (base): 21A, which has enough fines to pack tight. 21B is the coarser, lower-fines base; it drains a little better but packs less tightly. Both go on the road base line at 1.50.
- Let water through (drainage, drive topping): #57 stone, the clean stone Virginia suppliers often call 3/4 inch stone, at 1.40.
- Walkable surface: walkway gravel or pea gravel, at 1.40.
- Setting bed for pavers or flagstone: screenings.
Worked Site Examples
The following are illustrative examples, not customer projects.
Long rural lane
A 600 ft lane, 12 ft wide, entered as three straight runs of 250, 200 and 150 ft under multiple areas. Total area is 12 x 600 = 7,200 sq ft.
| Layer | Working | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21A base, 6 in | 7,200 x 0.5 = 3,600 cu ft | 133.3 | 200.0 at 1.50 |
| #57 surface, 2 in | 7,200 x 2 ÷ 12 = 1,200 cu ft | 44.4 | 62.2 at 1.40 |
With the 5% box, the base becomes 210 tons. On a Piedmont clay lane, a crown and roadside ditch matter as much as the tonnage.
Garden walk from the back porch
2.5 x 45 ft at 2 inches of walkway gravel: 112.5 x 2 ÷ 12 = 18.75 cu ft, or 0.69 yd³, or 0.97 tons at 1.40. Round to 1 ton.
Seeding area for a new lawn
35 x 60 ft at 3 inches: 2,100 x 0.25 = 525 cu ft, or 19.4 yd³. That is a soil volume, and this tool's tonnage uses stone densities, so carry the yardage to the topsoil calculator for weight. Red Piedmont clay usually needs that topsoil layer before seed.
Next Step
Enter your first area above. When the tonnage is settled, open the product page and select quantity and delivery date; delivery is arranged at checkout by ZIP code. For a site question before you commit, contact Virginia Rock Supply through the contact page.
Common questions
How does the gravel for a walkway differ from the gravel for a driveway?
A walkway carries only foot traffic, so a single 2 to 3 inch layer of walkway gravel is usually enough. A driveway needs a compacted 21A base under the surface stone. For example, 3 x 40 ft of walkway at 2 inches is about 1.0 ton, while a drive takes two calculations.
Roughly what tonnage should I expect for a one-car driveway?
Illustration: 11 x 35 ft with 4 inches of 21A and 2 inches of #57. The base is 128.3 cu ft, 4.75 yd³, about 7.1 tons. The surface is 64.2 cu ft, 2.38 yd³, about 3.3 tons.
Which stone suits a sitting area laid beside the patio?
For loose gravel seating, 2 to 3 inches of walkway gravel or pea gravel inside firm edging works. A 10 x 16 ft area at 2.5 inches comes to about 1.24 yd³, or 1.7 tons.
What purpose does showing volume alongside weight serve?
Cubic yards tell you whether the stone fits the space and the dump spot. Tons are the unit you order in. The ratio between them depends on the material selected.
How should I prepare the delivery spot for an order this size?
Choose firm, level ground near the work, with no overhead lines, septic fields or soft fill in the way, and enough room for the truck to back in and raise its bed.
Related calculators
That tonnage ships free.
Driveway gravel, #57, crusher run: priced by the ton, delivered across Virginia.
