Project guide

Gravel driveways

Turn driveway dimensions and depth into cubic yards, tons, loads, and an estimate.

Gravel is sold by volume or weight. YardSetup keeps those units separate and lets you enter the density quoted by your supplier.

What does this project take?

Measure each driveway footprint, assign a finished depth to every material layer, and convert each layer to the unit in its supplier quote. A cubic-yard result becomes a tonnage only after you enter the product’s density.

What to have before you calculate

  • Lengths and widths for the travel lane, turnouts, and parking areas
  • The existing surface and planned finished depth for each new layer
  • Supplier density, sales unit, minimum order, increment, and truck capacity

Choose the next step for your question

Is this a top-up or a new build?Measure only the new surface zones and inspect recurring ruts before adding a base.Plan a gravel top-up →Why do yards and tons differ?Use the density for each product rather than one value for the whole drive.Understand yards and tons →How many deliveries?Apply the supplier’s minimum, sales increment, and usable truck capacity.Check delivery loads →What should I order?Keep separate quantities and costs for the material in each layer.Build the driveway order →

Before you place the order

Read each layer’s quantity to the supplier, then confirm material name, density, how the load is weighed or measured, drop location, and delivery charges. If drainage or weak ground is unresolved, settle the design before buying by quantity alone.

Field guidance: FHWA gravel roads guidance on drainage. YardSetup quantities remain planning estimates; confirm the product and site design locally.

Your route through the project

  1. Measure each driveway section.
  2. Choose finished depth and account for settling or compaction.
  3. Confirm density, delivery capacity, and price with the supplier.

1. Measure the actual work

Measure the travel path, wider parking areas, and curves as separate footprints. Note any segment with a different depth. A top-up of an existing surface is a different job from building a new layered driveway, so record which layers already exist.

2. Choose the materials

Each aggregate layer needs its own finished depth, density, compaction assumption, and price. One density value for all products can give a misleading tonnage. The planner lets you add layers while preserving a shared measured footprint.

3. Prepare the order

Ask the supplier for each product’s bulk density, selling unit, truck capacity, delivery fee, and whether the loads can be placed where spreading is practical. Use each layer’s quantity for the order rather than relying only on the combined tonnage.

What can change the estimate?

Avoid confusing finished compacted depth with loose delivered depth. If you already have a supplier quote that includes a compaction allowance, do not add the same allowance a second time.

Use the project planner

Plan different depth zones and gravel layers, then estimate cubic yards, short tons, delivery loads, and cost. It shows the input assumptions and produces a shopping list you can review with a supplier.

Open Gravel Driveway Planner →

Focused checks

Gravel Delivery & Load EstimatorConvert a measured gravel layer into order tons, supplier increments, delivery loads, and a quote estimate.

Guides for this project

Gravel yards versus tons for a drivewayMove from a measured layer to the unit your gravel supplier sells.How to estimate a driveway with more than one gravel layerCalculate each layer from the same footprint without mixing depths.How much gravel to add to an existing drivewayMeasure a surface refresh without ordering an unnecessary new base.Questions to ask before gravel deliveryMake a material estimate usable on delivery day.

See a complete example

Worked example: a two-layer gravel driveway walks through the measurements, calculations, and supplier checks.