How Much Gravel for a 20×40 Area?
A 20 × 40 ft area (800 ft²) at 3″ deep needs 10.9 tons of gravel — 7.41 yd³ net plus 5% waste. Order 11.00 t — quarries sell by the ton (some by the ½ ton); a tri-axle carries about 20 tons.
20×40 at other depths
| Depth | Volume | Order (tons) | 50 lb bag (0.5 ft³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 4.94 yd³ | 7.3 tons | 280 |
| 3″ (this page) | 7.41 yd³ | 10.9 tons | 420 |
| 4″ | 9.88 yd³ | 14.5 tons | 560 |
| 6″ | 14.81 yd³ | 21.8 tons | 840 |
Other area sizes
Order 11.00 t — quarries sell by the ton (some by the ½ ton); a tri-axle carries about 20 tons.
- Area
- 800 ft²
- Volume (200.0 ft³)
- 7.41 yd³
- Net weight @ 1.40 t/yd³
- 20,741 lb · 10.37 t
- Waste / settling 5%
- + 0.52 t
- Order quantity
- 10.89 tons
- Truckloads
- 1 × tri-axle dump (≈20 t)
- Metric
- 5.66 m³ · 9.88 tonnes
- 50 lb bag (0.5 ft³)
- 420 bags
- Materials + delivery$25–$60 / ton · Aug 2026
- $360 – $745
- Installed (with labor)typ. $797
- $523 – $1,181
Different size or depth?
Open the full gravel calculator to change every input, pick a material and see truckloads.
How to calculate gravel by hand
Tons = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27 × density (t/yd³)
Worked example
- Area: 20 ft × 10 ft = 200 ft².
- Volume: 200 ft² × (3 in ÷ 12) = 50 ft³ = 1.85 yd³.
- Weight: 1.85 yd³ × 1.4 t/yd³ (#57 stone) = 2.59 tons.
- Waste 5%: 2.59 × 1.05 = 2.72 tons → order 2.75 tons.
- Bagged instead: 52.5 ft³ ÷ 0.5 ft³ = 105 × 50 lb bags.
- 1 ton of #57 at 3″ deep
- ≈ 77 ft²
- 1 ton of #57 at 4″ deep
- ≈ 58 ft²
- 1 yd³ of #57 stone
- ≈ 2,800 lb · 1.4 t
- 1 yd³ crusher run
- ≈ 3,000 lb · 1.5 t
Questions crews ask
How many tons of gravel do I need?
Multiply length × width in feet, then × depth in inches, then divide by 324 for cubic yards. Multiply yards by the material’s density — 1.4 tons per yard for #57 stone or pea gravel, 1.5 for crusher run. A 10 × 10 ft area at 3″ is 0.93 yd³ ≈ 1.3 tons.
How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?
Loose, dry gravel weighs 2,700–3,000 lb per cubic yard — 1.35 to 1.5 tons. #57 stone is about 2,800 lb; crusher run with fines is heavier at 3,000 lb; wet material adds 5–10%. Ask the quarry for their conversion — they sell by the ton but you measure in yards.
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
About 100 ft² at 2″ deep, 77 ft² at 3″, 58 ft² at 4″ and 39 ft² at 6″ for #57 stone. The rule of thumb is 1 ton ≈ 0.7 yd³ ≈ 19 ft³ of loose stone.