How much gravel do I need for a 12 ft by 100 ft driveway?

For a single 4-inch layer, a 12 ft x 100 ft driveway (1,200 sq ft) needs about 14.8 cubic yards, or roughly 20.7 tons, of gravel. If you're building a full 3-layer driveway at about 12 inches total depth, plan for around 44 cubic yards and 62 tons.

What's the best type of gravel for the base of a driveway?

Crusher run (also called DGA, dense grade aggregate, or quarry process) is the standard base material. It's a mix of crushed stone and fine particles that compacts into a dense, load-bearing layer -- unlike rounded gravel or pea gravel, which won't lock together the same way under weight.

Can I just use pea gravel for the whole driveway?

Pea gravel alone isn't recommended as the entire driveway. Its smooth, rounded shape doesn't compact or interlock, so it shifts under tire weight and creates ruts. It works well as a decorative top layer over a properly compacted crusher run base, but shouldn't be the structural layer on its own.

How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?

A cubic yard of crusher run or crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons (about 2,700 lb), though the exact figure varies by material and moisture content. Pea gravel and other rounded stone can run slightly lighter per yard. See the cubic-yards-to-tons conversion guide for material-specific weights.

Do I need landscape fabric under a gravel driveway?

Yes, for any driveway meant to last. Geotextile fabric laid before the base layer keeps the crusher run from sinking into the soil underneath and prevents mud from pumping up through the stone during wet weather, both of which are common causes of a driveway going soft in just a year or two.

How Much Gravel Do You Need for a Driveway?

Updated July 3, 2026

Ordering gravel for a driveway is one of those projects where the math matters more than the guesswork. Order too little and you're stuck with a thin, rutted surface that turns to mud after the first hard rain. Order too much and you've paid to haul away leftover stone (or you're stuck storing a gravel pile in the yard for years). The good news is that the calculation is simple once you know three numbers: the length and width of the area, and how deep you actually need the gravel to be.

This guide walks through that math step by step, explains why most solid driveways are built in layers rather than dumped as one type of stone, and works a full example for a 100 ft by 12 ft driveway so you can see exactly how the numbers scale to a real project. It also covers what a pickup truck can safely haul versus what you should just have delivered, so you don't overload your own truck trying to save a delivery fee.

Step 1: Measure the Area and Pick a Depth

Start by measuring the length and width of the driveway in feet, then multiply them to get square footage. A straight driveway is easy; for curved or irregular shapes, break it into rectangles and triangles, calculate each separately, and add them together.

Depth is where most people guess wrong. The right depth depends on whether you're topping off an existing driveway or building a new one from bare soil.

As a rule of thumb: use 2-3 inches if you're just refreshing an existing gravel surface, 4 inches if you're placing a single layer of gravel on prepared/compacted ground, and 8-12 inches total (built in layers, covered in the next section) if you're building a new driveway from scratch that needs to handle regular vehicle traffic and drainage.

Resurface / top-off existing gravel: 2-3 inches
Single-layer new driveway on compacted subgrade: 4 inches
Full-depth new driveway build (base + middle + finish layers): 8-12 inches total

Step 2: The Cubic Yards and Tons Formula

Once you have square footage and depth, the volume formula is straightforward: cubic yards = (length in feet x width in feet x depth in feet) / 27. Since gravel depth is usually specified in inches, convert it first with depth in feet = inches / 12. There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, which is why that number shows up in every gravel and mulch calculation you'll ever do.

To convert volume to weight, gravel and crusher run typically weigh around 2,700 lb per cubic yard, which works out to roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard. That factor holds up well for compacted crusher run and crushed stone; loose, rounded material like pea gravel can run slightly lighter. If you want to skip the arithmetic, the cubic-yards-to-tons conversion guide and the calculator on the home page will do this math for you automatically -- just plug in your measurements.

cubic yards = (length_ft x width_ft x depth_ft) / 27
depth_ft = depth_inches / 12
tons = cubic yards x 1.4 (for crusher run / crushed stone at ~2,700 lb/yd3)

Why a Layered Driveway Lasts Longer

A driveway that's just one uniform layer of decorative stone looks fine on day one but tends to rut, sink, and grow potholes within a season or two, especially in wet climates. Professionally built gravel driveways use two or three distinct layers, each doing a different job.

The base layer is crusher run (also sold as DGA, or dense grade aggregate) -- a mix of crushed rock and fines ranging from about 3/4 inch down to dust. When compacted, the small particles lock in around the larger ones and create a dense, load-bearing surface that resists shifting under tire weight. This is the layer that actually carries the structural load of the driveway, so skimping here is the single biggest cause of a driveway that fails early.

On top of that goes a drainage and finish layer, typically #57 crushed stone (angular, about 3/4 to 1 inch, drains well and grips vehicle tires) or pea gravel (smooth, rounded, and popular for its look, though it shifts more underfoot and under tires). This top layer is what you see and walk on, and it's replenished more often than the base since it takes the wear.

Base layer: crusher run / DGA, 4-6 inches, compacted -- provides structural support
Optional middle layer: larger crushed stone (1.5-2 in) for extra drainage on soft or wet soil
Top/finish layer: #57 crushed stone or pea gravel, 2-4 inches -- drainage, traction, and appearance

Worked Example: A 100 ft x 12 ft Driveway

Let's put real numbers on it. Say you're topping a 100 ft long, 12 ft wide driveway (1,200 sq ft) with a single 4-inch layer of crusher run.

Depth in feet: 4 / 12 = 0.333 ft. Volume: 1,200 sq ft x 0.333 ft = 400 cubic feet. Cubic yards: 400 / 27 = about 14.8 cubic yards. Weight: 14.8 x 1.4 tons/yd3 = about 20.7 tons of gravel.

In truckloads, that's roughly 15 loads in a pickup carrying about 1 cubic yard at a time, or about 2 loads from a standard 10-15 ton dump truck. Now, if you're building a full driveway from bare soil with a 3-layer system totaling about 12 inches of compacted depth, you're tripling that single-layer volume: about 44.4 cubic yards and 62 tons total -- which is why full driveway builds are almost always ordered by the dump-truck load rather than picked up bag by bag.

1,200 sq ft x (4 in / 12) = 400 cu ft of gravel needed
400 cu ft / 27 = 14.8 cubic yards
14.8 cu yd x 1.4 tons/yd3 = 20.7 tons (single 4 in layer)
Full 3-layer build (~12 in total): roughly 44.4 cu yd / 62 tons

Hauling It Yourself vs. Having It Delivered

A half-ton pickup can physically fit more gravel in its bed than it can safely carry -- payload capacity, not bed volume, is almost always the limiting factor. As a practical guideline, treat a pickup as good for about 1 cubic yard of gravel per trip (roughly 1.4 tons), even though the bed could technically hold more. Overloading a pickup with wet gravel is a common way to blow a tire, bottom out suspension, or exceed the truck's GVWR.

For anything beyond a couple of cubic yards, it's almost always cheaper and safer to have gravel delivered. Dump trucks typically deliver in loads of 10-15 tons, dropped right at the driveway or spread with the truck's tailgate. For our 20.7-ton single-layer example, that's about 2 dump truck loads; for a full 62-ton, 3-layer build, expect 4-5 loads depending on the supplier's truck size.

Rule of thumb: if you need less than about 2-3 cubic yards and already own a capable pickup, hauling it yourself from a local quarry or landscape supplier can save money. Beyond that, delivery pricing per ton usually beats the time, fuel, and truck wear-and-tear of multiple round trips.

Pickup truck: ~1 cubic yard (~1.4 tons) per trip, payload-limited, not bed-volume-limited
Small dump trailer: 2-5 cubic yards per trip
Dump truck delivery: 10-15 tons per load, dropped or spread on site

Tips for Ordering and Installing Gravel

A few practical habits separate a driveway that looks good for one season from one that holds up for a decade.

Order about 10% extra to cover compaction settling, uneven subgrade, and spillage during spreading -- gravel compacts by roughly 10-20% once it's rolled or driven over.
Lay geotextile fabric between the subgrade and the base layer. It stops the crusher run from sinking into soft soil and keeps mud from working its way up into the stone over time.
Install edging (plastic, steel, or timber) along the sides to keep gravel from migrating into the lawn or drainage ditches, especially on any slope.
Crown or slope the driveway slightly (about a 2% grade) so water sheds off to the sides instead of pooling and washing out the surface.
Compact each layer separately with a plate compactor or roller rather than dumping the full depth at once -- a compacted 4-inch layer holds up far better than 4 inches of loose stone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much gravel do I need for a 12 ft by 100 ft driveway?: For a single 4-inch layer, a 12 ft x 100 ft driveway (1,200 sq ft) needs about 14.8 cubic yards, or roughly 20.7 tons, of gravel. If you're building a full 3-layer driveway at about 12 inches total depth, plan for around 44 cubic yards and 62 tons.
What's the best type of gravel for the base of a driveway?: Crusher run (also called DGA, dense grade aggregate, or quarry process) is the standard base material. It's a mix of crushed stone and fine particles that compacts into a dense, load-bearing layer -- unlike rounded gravel or pea gravel, which won't lock together the same way under weight.
Can I just use pea gravel for the whole driveway?: Pea gravel alone isn't recommended as the entire driveway. Its smooth, rounded shape doesn't compact or interlock, so it shifts under tire weight and creates ruts. It works well as a decorative top layer over a properly compacted crusher run base, but shouldn't be the structural layer on its own.
How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?: A cubic yard of crusher run or crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons (about 2,700 lb), though the exact figure varies by material and moisture content. Pea gravel and other rounded stone can run slightly lighter per yard. See the cubic-yards-to-tons conversion guide for material-specific weights.
Do I need landscape fabric under a gravel driveway?: Yes, for any driveway meant to last. Geotextile fabric laid before the base layer keeps the crusher run from sinking into the soil underneath and prevents mud from pumping up through the stone during wet weather, both of which are common causes of a driveway going soft in just a year or two.

Ready to plan your load? Use the payload calculator to check your exact truck and material, or browse more guides.