Gravel Cost Calculator

Estimate gravel cost from your quantity and your supplier's price per cubic yard, cubic metre, US short ton, metric tonne or bag, plus delivery and tax.

Gravel cost calculator

Quantity
Units
Area and depth
Shape

For a square, enter the same length and width.

Enter the finished depth you plan to use.

Adds the percentage you choose to the quantity for waste, handling or contingency. It is part of the quantity, not a fee.

Pricing

Use the price from your supplier, in US dollars.

Additional costsOptional — delivery, distance surcharge and sales tax

Applied to the material cost only. Tax treatment of delivery may vary by jurisdiction.

Result

Your result will appear here

Enter your quantity and pricing details to see the estimated cost.

How this calculator works

Start with a quantity — calculated from an area and depth, or one you already know. The calculator matches it to the way your supplier prices the material, then adds the optional costs you enter.

Material cost = Quantity in the pricing unit × Price

Estimated total = Material cost + Delivery fee + Distance surcharge + Sales tax

Sales tax is applied to the material cost only. Bag counts are rounded up to whole bags.

The total is always marked Estimated: the arithmetic is exact, but prices, fees and real purchasing conditions vary.

Matching your quantity to the price

When density is needed

  • Volume quantity, priced by volume (per cubic yard or cubic metre): no density needed.
  • Weight quantity, priced by weight (per US short ton or metric tonne): no density needed.
  • Volume quantity, priced by weight — or the reverse: the product's bulk density is required to convert. The calculator asks for it only in this case.

Without the density, the calculator still shows your quantity and tells you the cost needs more information. It never uses a generic gravel density.

Bags

For bag pricing, use one of three kinds of packaging information from the product: the bag volume; the bag weight (which, with a volume quantity, also needs the product's bulk density); or the manufacturer's stated coverage for that product — for example “covers 10 ft² at 2 in”. Coverage is used only at the depth the manufacturer states and only when you calculate the quantity from your area and depth. The calculator never assumes a bag size or a coverage.

US short tons and metric tonnes

If your supplier prices “per ton”, confirm whether that means US short tons or metric tonnes. A US short ton is 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is 1,000 kg.

Need a quantity for layers? Calculate it with the Gravel Driveway Calculator or, for several beds, the Landscape Rock Calculator, then enter it here with “I know my quantity”. For a single area, start with the Gravel Calculator.

Worked examples

Example: 3 cubic yards at $50 per cubic yard, $75 delivery, $25 surcharge, 8% tax

  1. Material: 3 × $50 = $150.00
  2. Tax: $150.00 × 8% = $12.00
  3. Total: $150.00 + $75.00 + $25.00 + $12.00 = $262.00

Estimated total: $262.00. All prices are example inputs.

Example: 4 cubic yards priced per US short ton

  1. The price is by weight, so the calculator asks for the product's bulk density.
  2. With a supplier density of 1.3 US short tons per cubic yard: 4 × 1.3 = 5.2 US short tons.
  3. At $40 per US short ton: 5.2 × $40 = $208.00

Estimated material cost: $208.00. The density and price are example inputs, not gravel values.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the calculator ask for density only sometimes?

Density is needed only to convert between volume and weight. If your quantity and price use the same kind of unit, no conversion is needed.

Is the tax applied to delivery?

No. In this calculator the sales tax is applied to the material cost only. Tax treatment of delivery may vary by jurisdiction; if your supplier taxes delivery too, include that tax in the delivery fee.

Which currency does it use?

US dollars. Enter prices and fees in dollars; results are shown in dollars.

Where does the extra material allowance go?

It is part of the quantity, not a fee. Add it in the quantity section when you calculate a quantity from dimensions.

Sources & methodology

Cost is arithmetic on the quantity, prices, fees and tax you enter. Sources relevant to this page: