Pea Gravel Calculator
Enter your measurements
Results
- Material needed1.85 cubic yards
- Volume50 cubic feet
- Weight2.5 tons
- Bags (0.5 cu ft)100
Estimated cost
per cubic yard, delivered
Material cost covers bulk washed pea gravel delivered to your site, priced per cubic yard. The lower end reflects rural or pit-adjacent suppliers; the upper end applies in metro markets, longer delivery distances, or where small-order surcharges apply. Bagged pea gravel from home centers works out to roughly $250–$450+ per cubic yard equivalent and only makes sense for jobs too small to meet bulk delivery minimums.
Estimate only — prices vary by region, supplier, and season. Get a local quote before buying.
The pea gravel calculator tells you exactly how many cubic yards, tons, and bags you need for a given area and depth — so you order the right amount and avoid a costly second delivery or a pile of leftover stone sitting in your driveway. Enter your length, width, and intended depth, and it converts everything into the units your supplier actually quotes: cubic yards or tons for a landscape yard order, or bag counts when you're buying 0.5 cu ft bags from a home center. Pea gravel is sold two ways: in bulk by the cubic yard or ton (bulk delivery minimums typically run 1 to 2 tons), or in bags. Most projects use a 2-inch depth for decorative ground cover and 3 to 4 inches for dry-laid paths or drainage applications. Because pea gravel is a loose, rounded stone that shifts and settles rather than locking together, adding a 10–15% waste allowance is standard practice before placing your order.
How it’s calculated
Volume = Area × Depth. Cubic yards = volume ÷ 27. Tons = cubic yards × material density. Bags = volume ÷ bag size.
Worked example
A 20 ft by 10 ft patio or pathway at a 2-inch depth works out to 33.33 cubic feet of pea gravel, which the calculator converts to 1.23 cubic yards and 1.67 tons. That same volume would require 67 standard 0.5 cu ft bags — a clear illustration of why bulk delivery almost always makes more economic sense once you exceed roughly a cubic yard.
Inputs
- Length
- 20 ft
- Width
- 10 ft
- Depth
- 2 in
Result
- Material needed
- 1.23 cubic yards
- Volume
- 33.33 cubic feet
- Weight
- 1.67 tons
- Bags (0.5 cu ft)
- 67
- Estimated material cost
- $43 – $93
Materials & pricing near you
Bulk pea gravel is priced per cubic yard or per ton at landscape supply yards, with delivered pricing typically ranging from roughly $35 to $75 per cubic yard depending on region, supplier, and delivery distance. Rural areas with nearby gravel pits or quarries often land at the lower end; dense metro and coastal markets tend to run higher, partly because washed, rounded river stone may be trucked in from farther away. Most suppliers set a delivery minimum of 1 to 2 tons, so very small jobs frequently shift to bagged product despite a steep per-yard premium — bagged pea gravel at a big-box retailer (about 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft per cubic yard) commonly works out to $250 to $450+ per cubic yard. No permits are generally required for pea gravel as ground cover, though HOA rules or local codes can govern its use in drainage and stormwater applications.
Frequently asked questions
How deep should pea gravel be for a patio or path?
Two inches is the standard minimum for a decorative surface — enough to give consistent coverage and prevent the base from showing through under foot traffic. For a dry-laid path where you want the gravel to stay put, 3 inches is a common target, usually over a compacted base or landscape fabric. Drainage applications beneath decks or around French drains typically call for 4 inches or more.
How is pea gravel sold, and what units should I give my supplier?
Landscape supply yards sell bulk pea gravel by the cubic yard or by the ton; either unit works, but confirm which your supplier quotes by default, since converting between them depends on density (washed pea gravel runs roughly 1.35 tons per cubic yard). Home improvement stores sell it in 0.5 cu ft bags. For anything beyond about a cubic yard, bulk delivery is almost always cheaper than bags.
How much extra pea gravel should I order for waste or settling?
Add about 10% for a straightforward rectangular area — pea gravel compacts slightly after rain and traffic, and loose stone inevitably migrates to edges and low spots. Bump that to 15% if the area has irregular borders, slopes, or you're filling around obstacles like stepping stones, edging, or plant beds. The calculator gives you the theoretical volume, so apply your own waste factor before finalizing the order.
Can I convert cubic yards to tons myself if my supplier quotes by the ton?
Yes. Multiply cubic yards by about 1.35 to get short tons — that density is standard for washed pea gravel. For example, 1.23 cubic yards times 1.35 equals roughly 1.66 tons, which matches the calculator's 1.67-ton output. Some suppliers assume a slightly different density depending on stone size and moisture, so confirm their figure if the order is large enough that small differences matter.