You need
- 30.0cu ft
- 0.85m³
- 60bags of 0.5 cu ft
- You need 1.11 cubic yards of pea gravel to cover 120 sq ft, 3 in deep.
- It weighs about 1.6 tons. Wet stone is heavier, so plan for 1.4 to 1.7.
- It costs about $64 to $106 at the yard. Delivery is extra. Call a stone yard near you for the real price.
- Buying bags? Get 60 bags of 0.5 cu ft.
Text this to a stone yard
Hi! I need about 1.6 tons (1.11 cubic yards, or 0.85 m³) of pea gravel, delivered. What would it cost, with delivery?
Gravel prices by state
Stone costs much more in some states than in others. At the quarry, Hawaii pays more than 3 times what North Dakota pays.
- Costs the leastNorth Dakota$7.50 a ton$8.27 a metric ton, -54%
- US average$16.27$17.93a tona metric ton at the quarry
- Costs the mostHawaii$27.11 a ton$29.88 a metric ton, +67%
| Hawaii$52 to $79 a ton | $27.11 | +67% | $52 to $79 |
| Georgia$51 to $78 a ton | $25.83 | +59% | $51 to $78 |
| North Carolina$49 to $76 a ton | $24.58 | +51% | $49 to $76 |
| Virginia$49 to $76 a ton | $23.85 | +47% | $49 to $76 |
| Tennessee$47 to $74 a ton | $22.68 | +39% | $47 to $74 |
| South Carolina$45 to $72 a ton | $20.43 | +26% | $45 to $72 |
| Pennsylvania$45 to $72 a ton | $19.98 | +23% | $45 to $72 |
| Florida$44 to $71 a ton | $19.59 | +20% | $44 to $71 |
| Mississippi$43 to $70 a ton | $18.57 | +14% | $43 to $70 |
| Maryland$43 to $70 a ton | $18.44 | +13% | $43 to $70 |
| Alabama$43 to $70 a ton | $18.06 | +11% | $43 to $70 |
| Rhode Island$43 to $70 a ton | $17.87 | +10% | $43 to $70 |
| California$42 to $69 a ton | $17.69 | +9% | $42 to $69 |
| New Jersey$42 to $69 a ton | $17.59 | +8% | $42 to $69 |
| Massachusetts$42 to $69 a ton | $17.52 | +8% | $42 to $69 |
| Texas$42 to $69 a ton | $17.28 | +6% | $42 to $69 |
| Louisiana*$42 to $69 a ton | $14.68 | +5% | $42 to $69 |
| New York$42 to $69 a ton | $16.94 | +4% | $42 to $69 |
| Connecticut$42 to $69 a ton | $16.81 | +3% | $42 to $69 |
| Arizona$41 to $68 a ton | $16.75 | +3% | $41 to $68 |
| New Mexico$41 to $68 a ton | $16.68 | +2% | $41 to $68 |
| New Hampshire$41 to $68 a ton | $16.48 | +1% | $41 to $68 |
| Nebraska*$41 to $68 a ton | $14.10 | +1% | $41 to $68 |
| West Virginia$41 to $68 a ton | $15.93 | -2% | $41 to $68 |
| Washington$40 to $67 a ton | $15.41 | -5% | $40 to $67 |
| Utah$40 to $67 a ton | $15.30 | -6% | $40 to $67 |
| Kentucky$40 to $67 a ton | $15.07 | -7% | $40 to $67 |
| Ohio$40 to $67 a ton | $14.97 | -8% | $40 to $67 |
| Illinois$39 to $66 a ton | $14.76 | -9% | $39 to $66 |
| Colorado$39 to $66 a ton | $14.74 | -9% | $39 to $66 |
| Oregon$39 to $66 a ton | $14.69 | -10% | $39 to $66 |
| Vermont$39 to $66 a ton | $14.37 | -12% | $39 to $66 |
| Montana$39 to $66 a ton | $14.14 | -13% | $39 to $66 |
| Indiana$39 to $66 a ton | $14.05 | -14% | $39 to $66 |
| Alaska$38 to $65 a ton | $12.83 | -21% | $38 to $65 |
| Arkansas$37 to $64 a ton | $12.40 | -24% | $37 to $64 |
| Nevada$37 to $64 a ton | $11.88 | -27% | $37 to $64 |
| Oklahoma$36 to $63 a ton | $11.76 | -28% | $36 to $63 |
| Iowa$36 to $63 a ton | $11.74 | -28% | $36 to $63 |
| Maine$36 to $63 a ton | $11.70 | -28% | $36 to $63 |
| Delaware*$36 to $63 a ton | $9.87 | -29% | $36 to $63 |
| Kansas$36 to $63 a ton | $10.85 | -33% | $36 to $63 |
| Wyoming$35 to $62 a ton | $10.50 | -35% | $35 to $62 |
| Michigan$35 to $62 a ton | $10.31 | -37% | $35 to $62 |
| Wisconsin$35 to $62 a ton | $10.17 | -37% | $35 to $62 |
| Missouri$35 to $62 a ton | $10.08 | -38% | $35 to $62 |
| South Dakota$34 to $61 a ton | $9.39 | -42% | $34 to $61 |
| Minnesota$33 to $60 a ton | $8.76 | -46% | $33 to $60 |
| Idaho$33 to $60 a ton | $8.62 | -47% | $33 to $60 |
| North Dakota$32 to $59 a ton | $7.50 | -54% | $32 to $59 |
Quarry prices come from the US Geological Survey for 2023, brought up to September 2026 with the producer price index. The price is the US price for this stone at the yard, moved up or down by the state's quarry price. Delivery is extra. *There are no crushed stone numbers for Delaware, Louisiana and Nebraska, so these rows use sand and gravel.
How far gravel goes
One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft when it is 1 inch deep. Twice as deep covers half as much.One cubic meter covers 100 sq m when it is 1 cm deep. Twice as deep covers half as much.
| Depth | 1 cubic yardcubic meter covers | 1 tonmetric ton of pea gravel covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in2.5 cm | 324 sq ft40 sq m | 231 sq ft |
| 2 in5 cm | 162 sq ft20 sq m | 116 sq ft |
| 3 in7.5 cm | 108 sq ft13.3 sq m | 77 sq ft |
| 4 in10 cm | 81 sq ft10 sq m | 58 sq ft |
| 6 in15 cm | 54 sq ft6.7 sq m | 39 sq ft |
How deep to make a paver base
Under pavers, put down crushed stone this deep. Then add 1 inch2.5 cm of sand on top. In the calculator, turn on I will pack it down.
- Patios6 to 8 in15 to 20 cm
- Walkways6 to 8 in15 to 20 cm
- Driveways10 to 14 in25 to 36 cm
Unilock Basic Tech Guide, January 2024, "Typical paver base thickness".
Gravel types: weight and price
How much one cubic yard weighs, in tons (1 ton is 2,000 lb). Prices are for one ton before delivery, US average.How much one cubic meter weighs, in metric tons (1,000 kg). Prices are for one metric ton before delivery, US average.
-
Pea gravel
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.41.66 (1.3 to 1.51.54 to 1.78)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $41 to $68$45 to $75
Our estimate: no chart lists this stone. Price: yards’ posted prices, pea gravel.
-
#57 crushed stone
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.191.41 (1.01 to 1.31.20 to 1.54)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $43 to $97$47 to $107
Alabama DOT: 78 crushed limestone sources, loose. Price: yards’ posted prices, #57 or 3/4 in clean stone. Few yards post it.
-
Crusher run (road base)
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.51.78 (1.4 to 1.61.66 to 1.90)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $21 to $45$23 to $50
Our estimate, loose. It gets heavier when packed. Price: yards’ posted prices, crusher run and road base.
-
River rock
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.351.60 (1.26 to 1.41.50 to 1.66)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $47 to $90$52 to $99
Alabama DOT: 48 gravel pits, loose; stone yards post up to 1.4. Price: yards’ posted prices, river rock.
-
Decomposed granite
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.41.66 (1.3 to 1.61.54 to 1.90)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $75 to $110$83 to $121
Our estimate: no chart lists this stone. Price: yards’ posted prices, decomposed granite. Few yards post it.
-
Gravel, 1/4 to 2 in (general)
- Tons per yd³Metric tons per m³
- 1.431.70 (1.28 to 1.71.52 to 2.02)
- Per tonPer metric ton
- $34 to $90$37 to $99
Caterpillar: 2,850 lb a cubic yard when dry, 2,550 to 3,400 lb from dry to wet. Price: yards’ posted prices, all the stones above.
How the math works
- Area. Length times width. For a circle, half the width times itself, times 3.1416. One meter is 3.28084 feet.
- Size of the pile. Area in sq ft times depth in inches, divided by 12, gives cubic feet. Cubic feet divided by 27 gives cubic yards.
- Packing it down. Packed stone takes less room. Caterpillar's chart says gravel packs down to 0.89 of its loose size. So you buy 1.124 times as much.
- Weight. Cubic yards times how many tons one cubic yard of that stone weighs. Caterpillar says dry gravel from 1/4 to 2 inches weighs 2,860 lb a cubic yard. #57 stone and river rock come from Alabama DOT's tests of loose stone. The other stones are our estimates.
- Bags. Cubic feet divided by the bag size, rounded up.
- Price. We looked at prices that landscape yards post on their own sites, in October 2026. We leave out the cheapest and dearest tenth. Some yards price by the cubic yard, so we turn that into tons with the weights above. Then we move the price up or down by your state's quarry price. Delivery is extra, so ask the yard.
Questions
How much gravel do I need?
Times the length by the width in feet. Times that by the depth in inches. Divide by 324. That is your cubic yards. A 10 by 10 ft spot, 3 in deep, needs about 0.93 cubic yards. That is about 1.3 tons.
How many tons are in a yard of gravel?
About 1.4 tons (2,860 lb) when dry. That is for gravel from 1/4 to 2 inches, from Caterpillar's chart. Wet gravel can weigh 3,400 lb.About 1.3 metric tons when dry, or 1.7 metric tons per cubic meter. Wet gravel can weigh 1.5 metric tons a cubic yard.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of gravel?
About 0.7 cubic yards, or 19 cubic feet.One metric ton of gravel fills about 0.59 cubic meters.
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
At 2 in deep, about 113 sq ft. At 3 in, 76 sq ft. At 4 in, 57 sq ft.One metric ton at 5 cm deep covers about 12 sq m. At 7.5 cm, 7.9 sq m. At 10 cm, 5.9 sq m.
How much does a ton of gravel cost?
About $34 to $90 a ton$37 to $99 a metric ton before delivery, US average. Crusher run costs the least. River rock and decomposed granite cost more. At the quarry, stone costs least in North Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota, and most in Hawaii, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
Sources
- Caterpillar earthwork tablesJan 2025How much stone weighs, and how much it packs down
- Alabama DOT, list I-1 of stone sourcesOct 2026Loose weight of crushed stone and gravel
- US Geological Survey, aggregates2023 dataQuarry price in each state
- BLS producer price index WPU1321to September 2026Quarry prices brought up to date
- Unilock Basic Tech GuideJan 2024How deep a paver base should be