How much gravel for a 12x20 driveway?
3 cu yd of gravel for a 12x20 driveway pad, at the settings most people start with. Below the calculator are the same numbers for the alternatives you are likely to choose, and what each one does to the total.
Reviewed · Method: measured dimensions, industry coverage rates, rounded up to real package sizes · How the numbers are calculated
Values are pre-filled for this page. Change anything and hit Recalculate.
The answer, and what it is made of
The volume is 80 cu ft at 4 in deep, which is 3 cu yd, weighing about 4.1 tons. That weight is the number to check against your trailer: a cubic yard of crushed stone runs about 1.4 tons, so a one ton trailer will not take this in one trip, whatever the volume says.
Planning figure for everything on that list: $91 to $324, with $174 as the realistic middle for the products most people actually buy. These are estimates for budgeting, not quotes. Prices move by region and by season, and the middle figure assumes a mid-range product rather than the cheapest thing on the shelf.
Depth moves the number faster than area: 3 cu yd at 4 in depth becomes 5.9 cu yd at 8 in depth. On a footprint this size, one extra inch of depth is worth more than making it a tenth larger.
What changes if you change one thing
| Change the gravel depth | You buy |
|---|---|
| 4 in depth, firm subsoil | 3 cu yd |
| 6 in depth, soft or wet ground | 4.4 cu yd |
| 8 in depth, working surface over clay | 5.9 cu yd |
Every row is a live calculation, not an estimate. The shaded row is what this page defaults to.
What goes in the cart
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Gravel, 3/4 in crushed (bulk) | 3 cu yd |
| Or 0.5 cu ft bags | 160 bags |
| Landscape fabric, 3 ft roll | 4 rolls x 20 ft |
| Steel edging | 64 ft |
| Plate compactor rental | 1 day |
Order by the cubic yard, not the ton, when you can. A yard of dry 3/4 in crushed stone weighs about 1.4 tons, but wet stone or a different aggregate changes that. If the yard sells by weight, confirm the conversion before you pay.
What this size actually changes
Two hundred and forty square feet at 4 in is 3 cubic yards, about 4 tons. That is a trailer-load question before it is a cost question: at 1.4 tons per yard you are looking at three trips with a one ton trailer, or one delivery. On a driveway this size, delivery is usually cheaper than fuel and time.
Figure. 12x20 driveway pad: 20 x 12 ft. Measure the finished surface, not the room walls — the area between skirting or cabinet faces is the area you pay for.
How the quantity is worked out
Gravel is quoted in cubic yards but it compacts and settles, so the volume you order is not the volume you end up with. Crushed stone with fines compacts by roughly 20 percent under a plate compactor; clean decorative gravel barely compacts at all. A four inch layer of compactable base is therefore closer to five inches of loose material.
Weight and volume are different numbers and both matter. A cubic yard of crushed stone weighs around 1.4 tons, so a small trailer rated at one ton cannot carry a yard. If you are hauling it yourself, work backwards from the payload limit, not the volume.
How to measure this job
Measure the driveway as a series of rectangles, because most are not one shape. The apron at the road, the run beside the house and any turning area usually have different widths, and each has to be counted. Then measure the depth of the existing surface: a driveway replacement often has to match the level of the road and the garage floor.
Thickness and base depth are the two numbers that decide whether it survives a winter. Five inches over 6 in of compacted base is the normal specification for a residential drive; four inches over soil is what fails in the third year.
Mistakes that cost real money
Forgetting compaction
A four inch base needs five inches of loose gravel if it is compacted stone. Order the compacted depth and you finish an inch low, which then needs a second delivery that costs more than the extra material would have.
Four inches of concrete straight onto the subgrade
Residential driveways need 5 in of concrete over a compacted base in most climates. Four inches with no base is the classic failure pattern: hairline cracks in year one, a broken edge in year three, replacement in year eight.
Spreading gravel without edging
Loose gravel on a driveway spreads. Without edging on both sides it migrates into the garden and onto the road within a season, and you re-buy the same stone next year. Steel or timber edging, set before the stone arrives, is the cheapest part of the job.
Using rounded gravel for a drive
Pea gravel rolls under tyres and pushes out from under them, which is why gravel driveways that fail are usually rounded stone. Angular crushed stone with fines locks together and compacts into a surface that stays put.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
About 1.4 tons for crushed stone with fines, 1.2 to 1.3 for washed clean stone, and slightly more for wet material. Order by the ton if the supplier prices that way, and check whether their yard is a struck yard or a heaped one.
How much concrete for a 10x20 driveway?
At 5 in thick, 3.1 cubic yards. At 4 in, 2.5; at 6 in, 3.7. Order a little over, and expect the ready-mix truck to charge a short-load fee below about 3 yards in many areas.
How much gravel for a 12x20 driveway?
Three cubic yards at 4 in, about 4.2 tons. At 6 in it is 4.4 yards and 6 tons. Order by the ton if the supplier prices that way — a yard of crushed stone is not a fixed weight.
How do I stop gravel migrating?
Edge both sides, and put a geotextile under the stone. A 20 ft run without edges loses stone at both ends, usually onto the road, where it is both a nuisance and a hazard to cyclists.
What will the materials for this cost?
A planning range of $91 to $324 for everything in the shopping list, with $174 as the realistic middle. That is materials only: it excludes labour, delivery, tool hire and disposal of the old surface. Treat it as a budgeting figure, not a quote.