Gravel Coverage & Depth Chart
How far a ton of gravel actually goes — coverage per ton and per cubic yard at 2, 3, 4 and 6 inches, plus the right depth for driveways, paths, patios and drainage.
A ton of #57 or pea gravel (about 1.4 tons per cubic yard) covers roughly 116 square feet at 2 inches deep, 77 square feet at 3 inches, or 58 square feet at 4 inches — coverage halves as you double the depth. Use about 2 inches for decorative ground cover, 3 inches for walkways, and 4 inches per layer for driveways, and remember one cubic yard of any gravel covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches.
“How far will a ton of gravel go?” is the question every landscaper and homeowner asks at the supply yard — and the honest answer is it depends entirely on depth. Spread the same ton two inches thick and it covers a small patio; spread it six inches thick and it barely fills a garden bed. This guide turns that vague “it depends” into hard numbers you can plan against, with coverage charts by depth and clear depth recommendations for every kind of project.
For the full volume-to-tons method behind these figures, see the pillar guide, How Much Gravel Do I Need?. Here we focus on the two questions that come right after: how deep should the gravel be, and how much ground will your order actually cover.
Coverage is just depth in reverse
The whole idea of coverage comes from one fact: a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so at a given depth it spreads over a fixed area. Divide 27 cubic feet by the depth (in feet) and you get the square footage one cubic yard covers:
Coverage per cubic yard (sq ft) = 27 ÷ (depth in inches ÷ 12)
At 4 inches that is 27 ÷ 0.333 ≈ 81 square feet per cubic yard. To get coverage per ton, divide that by the stone’s density — for #57 stone at 1.40 tons per yard, 81 ÷ 1.40 ≈ 58 square feet per ton.
Coverage per ton by depth
This chart is for #57 crushed stone and pea gravel, both about 1.40 tons per cubic yard — the most common driveway and landscaping materials. Halve the depth and coverage doubles; that inverse relationship is the key to reading the whole table.
| Depth | Coverage per ton | Coverage per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | ~116 sq ft | ~162 sq ft |
| 3 in | ~77 sq ft | ~108 sq ft |
| 4 in | ~58 sq ft | ~81 sq ft |
| 6 in | ~39 sq ft | ~54 sq ft |
Denser material stretches a little less per ton and lighter material a little more. Crusher run (#411) at 1.50 tons per yard covers about 54 sq ft per ton at 4 inches, while river rock and sand at 1.35 tons per yard cover closer to 60 sq ft. The gravel calculator shows the exact coverage-per-ton figure for whichever material and depth you choose.
How deep should the gravel be?
Depth is where projects succeed or fail. Too shallow and the surface ruts, migrates, or shows the ground beneath; too deep and you have wasted money and created a soft, spongy layer. Here are the depths professionals actually use:
| Project | Recommended depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decorative ground cover | 2 in | Over landscape fabric to block weeds |
| Walkway / garden path | 3 in | Pea gravel or fine crushed stone |
| Patio / shed base | 4 in | Compacted #411 crusher run |
| Driveway (per layer) | 4 in | Usually two layers, 6–8 in total |
| French drain / drainage | 4–12 in | Clean #57 stone around the pipe |
For a driveway, the standard build is a 4-inch compacted crusher-run base topped with a 2–4 inch finish course of #57 or decorative stone. That is why driveway tonnage is often double what a single 4-inch layer suggests — you are paying for both courses.
Worked example: gravel for a 300 sq ft path
Suppose you are laying a 3-inch pea-gravel path totaling 300 square feet. From the chart, one ton covers about 77 square feet at 3 inches, so:
300 ÷ 77 ≈ 3.9 tons
Round up and order 4 tons. You can confirm this instantly — enter 300 sq ft (or the length and width) at 3 inches of pea gravel into the gravel calculator and it returns the same figure, plus the cubic-yard equivalent and a rounded order quantity.
Why coverage estimates drift
Real-world coverage is never perfectly exact, and it helps to know why:
- Compaction. Crusher run loses 15–20% of its loose volume when tamped, so its installed coverage is lower than its delivered coverage.
- Moisture and gradation. Wet or finely graded stone weighs more per yard, nudging coverage down by up to 10%.
- Uneven subgrade. Dips and ruts swallow extra gravel; a level, well-prepared base is the cheapest way to hit your estimate.
Because of these variables, always round up and treat the chart as a planning tool, not a guarantee.
A quick way to gut-check any quote
Coverage numbers are also the fastest way to sanity-check a supplier’s estimate. If a yard tells you a 4-inch, 400-square-foot pad needs “about 5 tons” of #57, you can check it in your head: at 4 inches one ton covers roughly 58 square feet, so 400 ÷ 58 ≈ 6.9 tons. The quote is low — probably because it left out the compaction factor. Carrying two or three coverage figures in your memory (roughly 116, 77 and 58 square feet per ton at 2, 3 and 4 inches) turns you into a hard-to-fool buyer at the counter.
Putting it together
Coverage and depth are two sides of the same calculation: pick the depth your project needs, read the coverage per ton from the chart, and divide your area by it to get tons. When you want the precise number — with your exact material, shape and a compaction factor applied — the gravel calculator does it in one step. And if you are still deciding which stone to buy, read Gravel Types & Sizes next, then return to How Much Gravel Do I Need? to lock in your total.