How Much Does a Ton of Gravel Cover? (Tons to Yards Chart)

Short answer: one ton of typical dry gravel is about 0.71 cubic yards, or roughly 19 cubic feet. Spread 4 inches deep, it covers about 58 square feet. At 2 inches it covers about 116 square feet.

These numbers assume the standard planning weight of about 1.4 tons per cubic yard. That comes from dry gravel at 105 lb per cubic foot (Engineering ToolBox). HomeGuide gives a similar rule of thumb: one ton covers about 60 sq ft at 4 inches (HomeGuide).

If you need cubic yards for an exact area, use the cubic yards gravel calculator. To go the other way, use the gravel tons calculator.

How many yards are in a ton of gravel?

About 0.71 cubic yards. At 2,835 lb per cubic yard, one ton (2,000 lb) is 2,000 ÷ 2,835 = 0.71 yd³. Going the other way, one cubic yard is about 1.4 tons.

Tons	Cubic yards	Cubic feet
1	0.71	19.3
2	1.43	38.6
5	3.57	96.4
10	7.14	192.9
15	10.71	289.3
20	14.29	385.7

Figures use 1.4 tons per cubic yard (dry gravel). Wet gravel weighs more, about 1.7 tons per yard, so a ton of wet gravel is less volume.

How much does 1 ton of gravel cover?

Coverage depends on how deep you spread it:

Square feet covered = cubic feet ÷ (depth in inches ÷ 12)

One ton is about 19.3 cubic feet, so:

Depth	1 ton covers	5 tons cover	10 tons cover
1 in	231 sq ft	1,157 sq ft	2,314 sq ft
2 in	116 sq ft	579 sq ft	1,157 sq ft
3 in	77 sq ft	386 sq ft	771 sq ft
4 in	58 sq ft	289 sq ft	579 sq ft
6 in	39 sq ft	193 sq ft	386 sq ft

Rule of thumb: divide 231 by your depth in inches to get the square feet one ton covers.

What does 1 ton of gravel look like?

At about 19 cubic feet, one ton of gravel is a pile roughly the size of:

• a cube about 2.7 feet on each side, or
• about 8–10 full wheelbarrows, if a typical contractor wheelbarrow holds 2–2.5 cubic feet when comfortably filled.

In bags, one ton is about 39 bags of 0.5 ft³ or 40 bags of 50 lb.

1 ton of gravel in a truck

Dump trucks commonly carry 12 to 20 tons (HomeGuide, gravel prices). A single ton is a small delivery. Many suppliers have a minimum order or a flat delivery fee, so ordering 1 ton delivered can cost more per ton than ordering 5.

If you’re collecting it yourself, remember that 1 ton is 2,000 lb. That is more than the payload rating of many light pickups and small trailers, so check yours first. More on that in how much a yard of gravel weighs.

How many tons of gravel do I need?

1. Measure length × width in feet.
2. Multiply by depth in inches ÷ 12 to get cubic feet.
3. Divide by 27 to get cubic yards.
4. Multiply by 1.4 to get tons.

Example: a 24 × 12 ft parking pad, 4 inches deep.

• 24 × 12 × 0.333 = 96 ft³
• 96 ÷ 27 = 3.56 yd³
• 3.56 × 1.4 = 4.98 tons, so order 5–5.5 tons with a small allowance for compaction.

Check it in the gravel tons calculator.

Does the type of gravel change the answer?

Slightly. Stone with fines (crusher run) packs denser than clean stone, and wet stone is heavier than dry stone. If a quarry quotes its own weight per yard, use their number. For planning and comparing prices, 1.4 tons per yard is the standard figure. See the gravel cost guide for prices per ton and per yard.

Frequently asked questions

How many yards are in a ton of gravel? About 0.71 cubic yards.

How many tons are in a yard of gravel? About 1.4 tons for dry gravel.

How much does a ton of gravel cover? About 58 sq ft at 4 inches deep, 77 sq ft at 3 inches and 116 sq ft at 2 inches.

How many cubic feet are in a ton of gravel? About 19 cubic feet (2,000 lb ÷ 105 lb/ft³).

Sources

• Engineering ToolBox, Dirt and Mud – Densities (gravel, dry: 105 lb/ft³): engineeringtoolbox.com
• HomeGuide, How Much Does a Gravel Driveway Cost? (2026): homeguide.com
• HomeGuide, How Much Does Crushed Stone or Gravel Cost? (2026): homeguide.com