Gravel, sand and soil calculator
Enter the size of an area and the depth of the layer to see how many cubic yards of gravel, sand or topsoil you need, and the bags or tons if you know them.
At 2 inches deep, one cubic yard covers 162 square feet.
How it works
The calculator multiplies the area by the depth, with the depth in inches divided by 12, to get cubic feet. It divides by 27 for cubic yards. A rectangle is its length times its width, and a round area is pi times its radius squared, from the diameter you measure.
If you type the size printed on a bag, in cubic feet, it counts bags and rounds up to a whole bag.
Tons need one more number. A ton is a weight and a cubic yard is a volume, so the calculator needs to know what a cubic yard of your material weighs. Your supplier knows. Type it in pounds, and the calculator divides the weight by 2,000 pounds to the ton. Leave the box empty and it shows no tons.
What one cubic yard covers
A cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches. The calculator shows the figure for the depth you enter.
A worked example
A patch 25 feet long and 20 feet wide is 500 square feet. A layer 2 inches deep takes 500 times one sixth of a foot, which is 83.3 cubic feet, or 3.09 cubic yards.
Say your supplier tells you a cubic yard weighs 2,700 pounds. Then 3.09 times 2,700, divided by 2,000, is 4.17 tons.
What it leaves out
The calculator does not know how much your material will pack down once it is in place, so allow for that when you order. It counts the layer and nothing under it.
Questions
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply the cubic yards by the weight of a cubic yard in pounds, and divide by 2,000. The weight depends on the material, so use the figure your supplier gives.
How much does one cubic yard cover?
It covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches.
Can I use it for sand and topsoil?
Yes. The arithmetic is the same for any loose material, area times depth. The list of materials only names the material in the result.
Why does the calculator ask for a weight?
A ton is a weight and a cubic yard is a volume, and gravel, sand and soil weigh different amounts. Your supplier’s figure is the one that matches what you buy.
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