Gravel Cubic Yard Calculator
This gravel cubic yard calculator turns length, width and depth into cubic feet and cubic yards (or cubic metres) of gravel. It gives the plain geometric volume, with an optional allowance, and the table below shows how much area one cubic yard covers at each depth.
Cubic yard calculator
Results
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How to calculate cubic yards of gravel
A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high, so it holds 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. Find the volume in cubic feet, then divide by 27:
area (ft²) = length (ft) × width (ft)
depth (ft) = depth (in) ÷ 12
cubic feet = area × depth (ft)
cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Worked example: a 20 × 10 ft area at 3 inches is 200 square feet × 0.25 ft = 50 cubic feet, and 50 ÷ 27 = 1.85 cubic yards. In metric, a 6 × 3 m area at 8 cm is 18 m² × 0.08 m = 1.44 cubic metres.
The result is the exact geometric volume. Leave the allowance at 0 for that, or add 10% or so if you are ordering from these numbers, to cover uneven ground and settling.
How much does a cubic yard of gravel cover?
Use these tables to estimate how much ground one cubic yard, or one cubic metre, covers at common depths.
| Depth | Square feet per yd³ | Square yards per yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 162.0 | 18.00 |
| 3 in | 108.0 | 12.00 |
| 4 in | 81.0 | 9.00 |
| 6 in | 54.0 | 6.00 |
| 8 in | 40.5 | 4.50 |
| Depth | Square metres per m³ |
|---|---|
| 5 cm | 20.00 |
| 7.5 cm | 13.33 |
| 10 cm | 10.00 |
| 15 cm | 6.67 |
| 20 cm | 5.00 |
Related calculators and guides
- Suppliers often sell by weight: convert your cubic yards to tons.
- Not sure how deep to go? Read the gravel driveway depth guide.
- Want the whole job in one go? The gravel driveway calculator gives cubic yards, tons and cost together.
Frequently asked questions
Why divide by 27 to get cubic yards?
A yard is 3 feet, so a cubic yard is 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. Dividing the cubic feet by 27 gives cubic yards.
How many wheelbarrow loads are in a cubic yard?
Divide 27 by the volume your wheelbarrow holds, usually marked on it in cubic feet. For a wheelbarrow that holds 3 cubic feet when level, that is 27 ÷ 3 = 9 loads; for one that holds 6 cubic feet, about 4.5 loads. Gravel is heavy, so you may choose to carry less than a full load.
How do I convert cubic yards to cubic metres?
One cubic yard is exactly 0.764554857984 cubic metres, so multiply by about 0.765. One cubic metre is about 1.31 cubic yards. Choosing Metric in the calculator does this for you.