This stone calculator will calculate tonnage, cubic feet, and yards of stone/gravel/sand needed to cover your landscaping project area.
If you are building a boulder wall, check out the boulder wall calculator.
If you are planning on installing sod as well, use the sod calculator to estimate how much sod you’ll need.
STONE CALCULATOR
*NOTE – The materials densities are averages derived from multiple landscape material suppliers. These densities can vary significantly from supplier to supplier, due especially to different moisture contents.
How to Use the Calculator
First, decide what material you will use.
Then, break down your project area into rectangles, circles, and triangles if the area is unknown.
The diagram below shows an example of how to break down your project area into simple shapes.
After you have the shapes broken out and the dimensions of each, plug them into the calculator.
Finally, decide how deep you want your material to be and hit calculate. Some recommended depths for different types of stone and sand are given below.
Tips for Landscaping with Stone
Order Extra
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- When ordering stone, it’s always a good idea to order 10% extra in case you end up short. It’s much easier and cheaper to lay extra stone than to have to pick up more or have more delivered.
Recommended Depths for General Landscaping
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- For retaining wall back-fill, install washed gravel a minimum of 12″ deep from the back of the wall for proper drainage
- For French drain installations, use washed gravel as back-fill in a trench that is a minimum of 8″-12″ deep and 6″ wide. Fill from the bottom of the trench up to a few inches below the surface to leave room for top soil. Calculate French drain gravel needed here.
- For decorative purposes, install pea gravel at least 2″ deep
- For decorative purposes, install river rock at least 2″ deep
Recommended Depths for Walkway and Driveway Foundations
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- Install crushed limestone/traffic bond/paver base 4″-6″ deep as a base material when installing paver paths, walkways and driveways
- Use 1″ of concrete sand on top of a paver base foundation to allow for easy leveling of paver stones or bricks
- Compact decomposed granite to a minimum depth of 2″ for pathways and other decorative landscape areas and 4″ for driveways
Adding stone to your landscaping is crucial for proper retaining wall and pathway installations. It can also be a great way to make your home stand out when used decoratively in landscaping beds around the house. Calculating the right amount of stone needed is the first step you should take before starting your project.
