For most projects: length × width in feet × depth in feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards, × 1.5 = tons of stone. A 12 × 12 ft area at 3 inches deep needs about 1.33 cubic yards — right around 2 tons of crushed stone.
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Order – tons (includes your waste allowance) so compaction and spillage don’t leave you short.
Stone Amount Calculator Guide
“How much stone do I need?” has a three-step answer that never changes: measure the footprint, choose a depth, convert to weight. This calculator collapses those steps into one pass — enter length, width, and depth, and it returns both cubic yards and tons for the material you pick, defaulting to crushed stone at 1.5 tons per cubic yard.
If you just want a number to plan a budget around before measuring carefully, the table below covers the most common project sizes at the standard 3-inch depth. Match your project to the nearest row and you have a working estimate in seconds.
How Much Stone for Common Project Sizes?
All figures assume crushed stone spread 3 inches deep. Scale proportionally for other depths — 4 inches is one-third more, 2 inches is one-third less:
| Area | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft (small bed) | 0.46 | 0.7 |
| 100 sq ft (parking spot strip) | 0.93 | 1.4 |
| 200 sq ft (short path) | 1.85 | 2.8 |
| 300 sq ft (patio) | 2.78 | 4.2 |
| 500 sq ft (large bed or pad) | 4.63 | 6.9 |
| 1,000 sq ft (small driveway) | 9.26 | 13.9 |
Rules of Thumb Worth Memorizing
- One ton ≈ 72 square feet at 3 inches for crushed stone — the single most useful number in stone estimating.
- Cubic yards ≈ square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324 — one formula that works at any depth.
- Tons ≈ cubic yards × 1.5 for most crushed products; use 1.4 for gravel and 1.35 for pea gravel.
- Depth beats area in cost surprises: going from 2 to 4 inches doubles the order even though the yard looks the same size.
- Add 10% to whatever the math says — settling, edges, and uneven subgrade absorb it every time.
These shortcuts get you to a defensible order fast; the calculator above sharpens it to your exact dimensions and material. When the project is specifically a driveway with layered construction, the gravel driveway calculator builds the estimate layer by layer, and the gravel calculator covers loose round stone where the density differs from crushed rock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much stone do I need for 100 square feet?
At a 3-inch depth, 100 square feet takes 0.93 cubic yards — about 1.4 tons of crushed stone. At 2 inches it drops to roughly 0.9 tons, and at 4 inches it rises to about 1.9 tons.
Is it better to order slightly more or slightly less?
Slightly more, by about 10%. Running out mid-project means a second delivery fee and a color-matched top-up load, while a small surplus disappears into low spots, edges, and future touch-ups.
Do I order the answer in tons or cubic yards?
Ask how your supplier sells — most quarries price by the ton, while landscape yards often price by the cubic yard. This calculator reports both figures for the same amount of stone, so either quote is easy to check.
How much area does one ton of stone cover?
One ton of crushed stone covers about 108 square feet at 2 inches deep, 72 square feet at 3 inches, and 54 square feet at 4 inches. Deeper always means less coverage from the same ton.