Calculate each material separately: length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27 for cubic yards, times the density — 1.5 for crushed stone, 1.4 for gravel. A 20 × 10 ft driveway section with a 4-inch crusher run base and a 2-inch gravel top needs about 2.5 yards (3.8 tons) of base plus 1.23 yards (1.7 tons) of gravel.
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Order – tons (includes your waste allowance) so compaction and spillage don’t leave you short.
Stone and Gravel Calculator Guide
Real projects rarely use one material. Driveways stack a structural base under a decorative top, patios pair a compacted layer with a bedding course, and a full landscape refresh might pull four products off the same truck route. This calculator handles the multi-material job: run it once per layer, with each layer at its own depth and density, and build a combined order list.
The layering principle is worth internalizing: dense, angular, cheap material goes where strength matters and nobody looks; washed or decorative material goes only in the visible top two inches. Sizing each layer separately is what keeps the pretty stone from being wasted as fill.
How Much of Each Material per 100 Square Feet?
Typical two-layer builds, quantified per 100 square feet so you can scale to any footprint:
| Build | Bottom layer | Top layer |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel driveway | 4 in crusher run — 1.9 tons | 2 in gravel — 0.9 tons |
| Garden path | 2 in crusher run — 1.0 ton | 2 in pea gravel — 0.8 tons |
| Paver patio base | 4 in crusher run — 1.9 tons | 1 in stone dust — 0.4 tons |
| Dry creek bed | 2 in crushed stone — 0.9 tons | 3 in river rock — 1.4 tons |
Densities behind those figures: crusher run 1.55 tons per cubic yard, crushed stone and river rock 1.5, gravel 1.4, stone dust 1.45, pea gravel 1.35. The same 100 square feet takes visibly different tonnage depending on what fills it.
Coordinating a Two-Material Delivery
Order in construction sequence and dump in separate spots. The base material should arrive first and land closest to the work; the top material can wait days until the base is compacted — and must, if rain is coming, since a stockpile parked on an unfinished base is in the way of your own compactor. Two piles ten feet apart cost nothing extra; one pile of the wrong material buried under the other costs an afternoon.
Confirm which fee structure applies before scheduling. Some suppliers treat two materials on one route as one trip plus a small split fee, others as two full deliveries — a difference worth a phone call on a $90-per-trip rate. If your quantities are small, check whether one material can ride a will-call pickup while the heavy load ships.
Size the structural layer with the crusher run calculator and the decorative top with the pea gravel calculator or its siblings — then bring the numbers back here to assemble the combined order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can stone and gravel come on the same truck?
Usually not mixed — a dump truck carries one loose material per trip unless it has a divided body. Many suppliers will run two materials as back-to-back deliveries, and asking for both on the same route often earns a reduced second delivery fee.
What stone and gravel combination works for a driveway?
The proven stack is a 4-inch compacted base of crusher run with a 2-inch top of washed #57 or crushed gravel. The base carries the load; the top sheds water and keeps a clean face.
Do I calculate each layer separately?
Yes. Each layer has its own depth and its own density, so run the same area through the formula once per material. Adding the depths together and using one density skews the tonnage of both orders.
Is it cheaper to buy one material or two?
Per ton, single-material full loads get the best rates. But a two-layer build usually uses less premium material overall — cheap base below, decorative stone only where it shows — so two well-sized orders often beat one deep layer of the expensive product.