Gravel Calculator for Sloped and Odd-Shaped Tennessee Yards
Enter your project dimensions
Hardly any yard on a Tennessee hillside is a clean rectangle. Lots curve around rock ledges, drop toward a creek, or wrap around a barn, so the tape measure is where most gravel estimates go wrong. Get the shape right first, and this gravel calculator will turn it into cubic yards, tons and cubic feet in a few seconds.
Measuring a yard that isn't square
Walk the area and break it into simple pieces. The calculator handles rectangles and circles, and it can add up to five areas in one estimate. That covers most real-world shapes if you split them sensibly.
- Sketch it. A rough drawing on paper is enough. Mark the corners and any bends.
- Cut it into blocks. An L becomes two rectangles. A T becomes three. A rounded end becomes a circle, or half of one. Make sure the pieces don't overlap.
- Measure each block in feet. Convert inches to decimals, so 7 feet 3 inches becomes 7.25.
- Handle curves by averaging. For a curved path, measure along its centerline for the length and take a few widths to average.
- Measure along the ground, not level. On a steep lot the stone has to cover the sloping surface, which is larger than the footprint it sits over. Run the tape down the slope face; a level measurement leaves you short.
If a shape needs more than five pieces, run two estimates and add the results.
One more thing to check in Middle and East Tennessee, where limestone lies close under the ground: a dip that gets deeper after every storm may be a sinkhole taking runoff underground. Leave that spot out of your measurements and deal with it before stone goes down.
Filling in the calculator
Once you have your blocks, the rest is quick. Pick Rectangle, Circle, or Multiple areas. Type in length and width, or a diameter, in feet. Set the depth in inches; the field takes anything from 0.25 to 24. Choose your material, and tick the "add 5% extra for compaction & spillage" box if you'll be tamping the stone down. Press the button and you'll see cubic yards, tons and cubic feet. There's an Email my quote button if you'd like the figure sent to you.
How deep to go for common jobs
Depth changes the order more than anything else, so here's a rough guide. These are general starting points, not engineered specs.
A walking path or dog run usually takes 2 to 3 inches of walkway gravel over firm, cleared ground. A pad for a shed or hot tub wants 4 to 6 inches of compacted crusher run, the standard base stone in Tennessee. A new drive takes 3 to 4 inches of compacted crusher run with 2 to 3 inches of driveway gravel or #57 stone on top. Freshening up an old drive often needs just 2 inches.
Drainage work is different. Soggy spots and French drains use clean, washed stone, often a foot or more deep. Size those with the stone calculator.
On hilly drives, thicken the base where water collects at the bottom of the slope. Heavy rain moves stone downhill faster than traffic does.
Reading the result
The calculator multiplies length times width in feet, times depth in inches divided by 12, to get cubic feet. It divides that by 27 to get cubic yards. Then it multiplies by the weight of the material you chose to get tons:
| Stone | Weight in a cubic yard | Tons in a cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway or walkway gravel | roughly 2,800 lb | 1.40 |
| 3/8" pea gravel | roughly 2,800 lb | 1.40 |
| #57 or 3/4" crushed stone | roughly 2,800 lb | 1.40 |
| Crusher run / road base | roughly 3,000 lb | 1.50 |
| 1-3" river rock | roughly 2,700 lb | 1.35 |
Crusher run weighs more than clean stone because its fines fill the gaps. Keep that in mind when comparing materials.
A few jobs worked through
These examples are made up to show the math.
Getting a new lawn ready. Before you seed, put a mowing strip along the house: 70 feet long, 2 feet wide, 3 inches of #57 stone. That's 70 x 2 x 3 ÷ 12 = 35 cubic feet, which is 1.30 cubic yards and 1.81 tons at 1.40. The lawn itself needs soil, not stone, so use the topsoil calculator for that part.
A hot tub pad. A 12 by 10 foot pad with 5 inches of crusher run. That's 12 x 10 x 5 ÷ 12 = 50 cubic feet, or 1.85 cubic yards. At 1.50, it comes to 2.78 tons, or 2.92 with the 5% box ticked. Call it 3 tons.
A side-yard dog run that turns a corner. Use Multiple areas: one piece 30 by 5 feet and one piece 12 by 5 feet, both at 3 inches of walkway gravel. The areas are 150 and 60 square feet, 210 in total. 210 x 3 ÷ 12 = 52.5 cubic feet, which is 1.94 cubic yards, or 2.72 tons at 1.40.
Ordering
Take your tons figure to the product page and choose a date and quantity. Delivery is arranged at checkout by ZIP code. Leave the truck a clear, firm spot to dump that won't turn to mud after a spring storm. If you're unsure which stone to use, reach us through the contact page before you order.
Common questions
What if I come up short on stone?
You'll need a second delivery, and the second batch may not match the first exactly. That's why it pays to tick the 5% box and round your measurements up to the next foot.
Does rain change how much a load of gravel weighs?
Yes. Water trapped between stones adds weight without adding volume. The calculator uses dry weights, so a soaked load can weigh more tons for the same yards.
How much can I trust the estimate?
The math is exact for the numbers you enter. Real-world differences come from uneven ground, sloppy measuring and how hard you compact. Careful measuring matters more than anything else.
Why do crusher run and #57 give different tons for the same pad?
Crusher run includes stone dust that fills the voids, so a yard weighs about 3,000 pounds. Clean #57 has open gaps and weighs about 2,800. Same space, different weight.
My yard is heavy clay. Can gravel go straight on it?
Strip off the grass and soft topsoil first, then lay a compacted crusher run base so the stone doesn't push into wet clay. Shape the surface so water runs off instead of pooling.
Related calculators
That tonnage ships free.
Driveway gravel, #57, crusher run: priced by the ton, delivered across Tennessee.
