Stone Calculator

How to calculate how much stone you need

Stone for driveways, paths, drainage and garden beds is sold loose, by the ton or by the cubic yard. Start with the volume of the space, then turn it into weight with the density of the stone you are buying.

A depth in inches must be divided by 12 before you multiply, because 4 inches is 0.3333 feet. This calculator does it for you, and it also reads measurements typed like 10'6" or 10 ft 6 in. For a round area, pick “Circle” and type the diameter. Add one area for each separate piece and the total updates as you type.

This calculator is for loose stone. It does not cover cut stone such as flagstone, wall stone or veneer. Legend Stone, a natural stone supplier, notes that stone shape, thickness, cuts and installation pattern change the amount you need, so for those materials use the coverage figure from your supplier.

Example: a stone path

A path measures 10 ft by 30 ft and you want 4 inches of #57 stone, with 10% extra. The figure used here is 2,900 pounds per cubic yard, the midpoint of the 2,700 to 3,100 range that GoodGravel gives for #57 stone.

With the full 2,700 to 3,100 range instead of the midpoint, the same path weighs between 5.50 and 6.31 tons. That is why the result shows the range next to the single figure.

How much does a cubic yard of stone weigh?

Every source we checked gives a different number, and that is normal. Moisture, how tightly the stone is packed and the size of the pieces all change the weight. All figures below are pounds per cubic yard and were checked in October 2026. GoodGravel is an information site and gives ranges. Stone Centers is a stone supplier in Ohio and also gives ranges. Rohrer’s Quarry in Pennsylvania gives one factor per product, in loose and compacted form. Rohrer’s does not say which ton its calculator uses. It is a US quarry, so we read it as the 2,000 lb short ton and converted its factors (tons per cubic foot × 2,000 × 27).

Three suppliers use one flat figure for every product in their own calculators. Luck Stone uses 103.7 pounds per cubic foot, which is 2,800 per cubic yard. Mulzer Crushed Stone multiplies cubic yards by 1.5 tons, which is 3,000. Gravelshop uses 2,410 for every stone, gravel and rock product we opened, and adds 15% for compression on top. Luck Stone and Mulzer warn that densities vary between materials. Southwest Boulder & Stone says one cubic yard is 1.25 tons for most landscape rock except lava rock and mulch, which is 2,500. All four figures are in the material menu. For lava rock the sources do not overlap: Stone Centers lists 2,400 to 2,800 pounds per cubic yard and GoodGravel 1,500 to 1,800, so check the figure with your supplier. If you know the density of your product, choose “Custom density” and type it.

How many square feet does a ton of stone cover?

A ton fills 2,000 ÷ (pounds per cubic yard) cubic yards, and a cubic yard spread over a surface covers 324 ÷ depth in inches square feet. Multiply the two. The table uses three of the flat figures above, and the second tab of the calculator does the same for any amount and depth.

Tons of stone for common sizes

Short tons at 2,900 pounds per cubic yard, without any extra. Use the calculator for your own size and density.

What the stone numbers mean

Crushed stone is sold by a size number, and a smaller number means bigger stone. GoodGravel describes #57 as stone between 3/4 and 1 inch, #4 between 1 and 1.5 inches, #8 between 3/8 and 1/2 inch and #89 as 3/8 inch and smaller. Crusher run, also called road base, is everything below a top size, usually 3/4 inch or 1.5 inch, down to dust. Rohrer’s Quarry lists #57 as 1/4 to 1.5 inches, so the limits are not the same everywhere.

“3/4 stone” is not one product, and the crushed stone calculator explains what it can mean. For one material at a time, see the pea gravel and river rock calculators, or the gravel calculator.

Tips for ordering stone

• Ask the supplier how they sell the stone. Many quarries give their estimates in tons, so the tons in the result are the number to compare.
• Ask for the weight of the exact product, loose or compacted, and use “Custom density” to type it.
• Measure irregular areas as several rectangles and circles and add them with “Add another area”.
• Use the extra box for the allowance your supplier or contractor recommends. It raises the volume and the weight together.

Frequently asked questions