You need
- 25.0cu ft
- 0.71m³
- 50bags of 0.5 cu ft
Prices: what stone yards and garden centers post, October 2026.
- You need 0.93 cubic yards of river rock to cover 100 sq ft, 3 in deep.
- It weighs about 1.3 tons, 1.2 to 1.3.
- In bulk, it costs about $59 to $113. Delivery adds about $40 to $140.
- In bags, that is 50 bags of 0.5 cu ft, about $195 to $455.
Text this to a stone yard
Hi! I need about 0.93 cubic yards of river rock, about 1.3 tons, delivered. What sizes do you have, and what would it cost with delivery?
How far river rock goes
One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch deep. A 0.5 cu ft bag covers 6 sq ft at 1 inch.One cubic meter covers 100 sq m at 1 cm deep.
| Depth | 1 cubic yardcubic meter covers | A 0.5 cu ft bag covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in5 cm | 162 sq ft20 sq m | 3 sq ft0.28 sq m |
| 3 in7.5 cm | 108 sq ft13.3 sq m | 2 sq ft0.19 sq m |
| 4 in10 cm | 81 sq ft10 sq m | 1.5 sq ft0.14 sq m |
| 6 in15 cm | 54 sq ft6.7 sq m | 1 sq ft0.09 sq m |
How deep to lay river rock
Colorado Springs Utilities says rock 3 in deep around trees and shrubs, and 2 in around flowers. It says to use wood mulch under trees, not rock.
Bigger stones need a deeper layer. Utah State says 3 to 6 in for coarse stuff, ½ to 3 in across. One stone yard says to make the layer twice as deep as the stones are big. So 2 in stones need about 4 in.
River rock is sold by size, like 3/8 in, 3/4 in, 1 to 3 in or 3 to 5 in.
Colorado Springs Utilities, Utah State Extension (2010), and stone yards' own pages.
Fabric and heat
UC IPM says to put landscape fabric under rock. It keeps the stones from sinking into the soil. Utah State says the same.
Rock holds heat. Clemson says it warms the ground. UC IPM says white rock can reflect too much light, and dark rock can heat up plants.
UC IPM (2018) and Clemson HGIC.
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.
- Volume. Area in sq ft times the depth in inches, divided by 12, gives cubic feet. Divided by 27 gives cubic yards.
- Weight. 1.26 to 1.4 tons a cubic yard, 1.35 typical. The low end is Alabama DOT's middle figure for loose round gravel. Stone yards post 1.32 to 1.4.
- Bags. Cubic feet divided by the bag size, rounded up.
- Prices. Bulk: what yards post for river rock, $47 to $90 a ton. Bags: what stores post, $7.78 to $18.18 a cu ft. We leave out the cheapest and dearest tenth. We add delivery to bulk before we say which costs less.
Questions
How much river rock do I need?
At 3 in deep, one cubic yard covers about 108 sq ft. Type your size above to get yours.
How much does a yard of river rock weigh?
About 1.35 tons, or 2,700 lb. It can be 1.26 to 1.4 tons.
How many bags of river rock in a yard?
A yard is 27 cu ft. That is 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft.
How much does river rock cost?
In bulk, about $47 to $90 a ton before delivery. In bags, about $3.89 to $9.09 for a 0.5 cu ft bag. These are prices that stone yards and stores post, October 2026.
Is river rock cheaper in bulk or bags?
Bags cost about $210 to $491 a cubic yard. Bulk costs about $63 to $122 a yard, plus delivery. For 2 cubic yards or more, bulk costs less at these prices, even with delivery.
Sources
- Colorado Springs Utilities, Choosing and Using MulchundatedRock 3 in around shrubs, 2 in around flowers
- Utah State Extension, Using Mulches in Utah LandscapesDec 20103 to 6 in of coarse material; fabric under rock
- UC IPM, Weed Management in LandscapesSep 2018Fabric under rock; white and dark rock
- Clemson HGIC, Mulch or Rockread Oct 2026Rock holds heat
- Alabama DOT, List I-1, Sources of AggregatesOct 2026Loose weight of round gravel