Gravel Driveway Calculator

Gravel Driveway Cost: What You Pay For and How to Estimate It

What does a gravel driveway cost? It is the price of the stone, plus delivery, plus any preparation and labour, and every one of those depends on where you live and who supplies you. Rather than quote averages that may not match your area, this guide explains each part of the cost, how to get quotes you can compare, and how to work out a total from your own prices.

Written by Mubarak Hussain · Why this guide has no price ranges · Report an error

What you pay for

1. The stone

Suppliers price gravel per ton or per cubic yard (per tonne or cubic metre in metric countries). The price depends on the type of stone, how it is crushed and screened, and how far the supplier is from the quarry. For a sense of scale only: the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the 2025 average unit value of U.S. crushed stone at $18.50 per metric ton (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). That is a national average value at the producer level, not the price you will pay delivered to your home, which is usually higher.

2. Delivery

Gravel is heavy, so delivery is often a large share of a small order. Suppliers may charge a flat fee for a local delivery, add a charge for distance, or set a minimum load. Ask how much one truck can bring to your address: if the charge is per trip, ordering close to a full load lowers the delivery cost per ton.

3. Preparation, materials and labour

A new drive may need excavation and grading, landscape fabric, edging and compaction. If you hire a contractor, ask what is included. If you do it yourself, add the cost of hiring equipment such as a compactor or small loader.

How to get quotes you can compare

  • Give every supplier the same specification: material name, quantity, and whether you are asking for tons or cubic yards.
  • Ask for the delivered price to your address, with fuel surcharges and tax shown.
  • Ask for their density, so you can convert per-ton and per-yard prices with the tons to cubic yards calculator.
  • Ask about minimum loads, how many trucks the order needs, and whether they charge for the full rounded amount.
  • For installation, get the scope in writing: depth, layers, fabric, grading and compaction.

Example: what do 5 tons of gravel cost?

Multiply the tons by your supplier’s price per ton, then add delivery:

cost = tons × price per ton + delivery

For 5 tons, the material cost is 5 × your price. At an example price of $40 per ton that is $200; at $60 it is $300. Add the delivery charge your supplier quotes. These prices only illustrate the arithmetic; they are not quotes or averages. Five tons of crushed stone is about 3.57 cubic yards, enough for about 289 square feet at 4 inches deep, before any allowance.

Worked examples by driveway size

The quantities below come from the calculators’ formulas, with a 10% allowance. Put your own prices into the cost formula to get a budget.

Example A: resurfacing a 12 × 40 ft driveway at 4 inches (480 ft²) with crushed stone: 6.52 cubic yards, 9.13 tons, an order of 10 tons. Cost = 10 tons × your price per ton + delivery, if your supplier charges for the full order.

Example B: a new 20 × 40 ft driveway (800 ft²) built as 4 inches of road base under 2 inches of crushed stone:

  • Base layer: 10.86 cubic yards, 16.30 tons at 1.50 tons per cubic yard, an order of 17 tons.
  • Surface layer: 5.43 cubic yards, 7.60 tons at 1.40 tons per cubic yard, an order of 8 tons.
  • Landscape fabric: 880 ft² (the area plus 10% for overlaps).
  • Cost = 17 × base price + 8 × surface price + fabric + delivery for each load + any grading and compaction.

The gravel driveway cost calculator totals material, delivery and labour for you, and the gravel driveway calculator sizes both layers of Example B in one go.

Keeping future costs down

Gravel drives need occasional top-ups and regrading as stone is pushed aside or worn into the ground. Good drainage and a firm base reduce how often that is needed. The gravel driveway depth guide explains the layers that help.