Pea Gravel Calculator

1. Choose the project shape. Select rectangle for patios, walkways, and most landscape beds. Use circle for tree rings, fire pit surrounds, or round garden beds. Pick "Known area" if you already measured square footage from an irregular layout.
2. Enter your dimensions. Measure length and width in feet. For depth, most pea gravel patios and walkways use 2 inches. Playgrounds need 6 to 9 inches for fall protection. Drainage strips work well at 3 to 4 inches. The pea gravel calculator converts inches to feet automatically.
3. Check the density setting. Standard pea gravel weighs about 96 lb/ft³ (roughly 1.3 tons per cubic yard). If your supplier lists a different density on the product sheet, switch to "Custom density" and enter their number. Wet pea gravel weighs 5% to 10% more than dry.
4. Set the waste factor. 10% is a safe default. Curved beds, tree rings, and uneven subgrade always use more material than the math predicts. Drop to 5% only for flat rectangular areas with solid edging. Bump to 15% for projects with lots of curves or loose borders.
5. Choose a bag size (optional). Select 0.5 or 1 cu ft bags if buying bagged pea gravel from a home center. Skip this for bulk delivery orders where you need cubic yards or tons.
6. Enter a price (optional). Leave at 0 to skip cost. Pea gravel typically costs $30 to $55 per ton or $40 to $70 per cubic yard in most US markets (2026). Delivery adds $50 to $150 per load depending on distance.
7. Review your results. The pea gravel calculator shows cubic feet, cubic yards, tons, bag count, and cost. Use cubic yards or tons when calling a supplier for bulk delivery. The bag count tells you exactly how many bags to pick up for small DIY projects.

Pro tip: Measure the finished area after edging is installed, not before. I've watched homeowners measure the open space, install 4-inch plastic borders, and end up needing 10% less gravel than they ordered. That overage costs money on bagged purchases and wastes a partial bulk delivery.

This pea gravel calculator uses three steps: area, volume, and weight. Each step builds on the previous one so you can trace how your measurements become tons and bags.

Volume:

Cubic feet = Area (sq ft) × Depth (ft)

Cubic yards = Cubic feet / 27

Weight:

Pounds = Cubic feet × Density (lb/ft³)

Tons = Pounds / 2,000

Bags:

Bag count = Total cubic feet / Bag size (cu ft), rounded up to the next whole bag

With waste:

Order quantity = Base result × (1 + Waste % / 100)

Variables:

• Area = project surface in square feet (length × width for rectangles, π × radius² for circles)
• Depth = pea gravel layer thickness in feet (divide inches by 12)
• Density = weight of one cubic foot of pea gravel in pounds (default 96 lb/ft³)
• Waste factor = percentage added for edging, low spots, settling, and spreading loss
• Bag size = volume per bag in cubic feet (typically 0.5 cu ft for bagged pea gravel)

Example:

A patio measures 10 × 12 feet at 2 inches deep, using standard pea gravel (96 lb/ft³).

• Area = 10 × 12 = 120 sq ft
• Depth in feet = 2 / 12 = 0.167 ft
• Cubic feet = 120 × 0.167 = 20.04 ft³
• Cubic yards = 20.04 / 27 = 0.74 yd³
• Pounds = 20.04 × 96 = 1,924 lb
• Tons = 1,924 / 2,000 = 0.96 tons
• With 10% waste = 0.81 yd³ / 1.06 tons (order quantity)

For a project this size, you could buy about 41 bags (0.5 cu ft each) from a home center, or order roughly 1 ton of bulk delivery. Bulk is usually cheaper once you pass 2 to 3 tons.

Circle example:

An 8 foot diameter tree ring at 2 inches of pea gravel.

• Radius = 8 / 2 = 4 ft
• Area = π × 4² = 50.3 sq ft
• Depth in feet = 2 / 12 = 0.167 ft
• Cubic feet = 50.3 × 0.167 = 8.40 ft³
• Cubic yards = 8.40 / 27 = 0.31 yd³
• Pounds = 8.40 × 96 = 807 lb
• Bags (0.5 cu ft) = 8.40 / 0.5 = 17 bags

For a project this small, bagged pea gravel from a home center is usually cheaper than bulk delivery after you add the $50 to $150 delivery fee.

Quick coverage reference: One cubic yard of pea gravel at 2 inches deep covers about 162 sq ft. At 3 inches deep, it covers about 108 sq ft. At 4 inches deep, coverage drops to about 81 sq ft. Playgrounds at 6 inches deep get about 54 sq ft per cubic yard.

Depth guide by project type:

Assumptions:

• The project area has uniform depth. For uneven ground, measure depth at several points and use the average
• Standard pea gravel density is 96 lb/ft³ (about 1.3 tons per cubic yard). Wet pea gravel weighs 5% to 10% more, but suppliers typically price by dry weight
• Pea gravel settles 10% to 15% after rain and foot traffic. The waste factor accounts for this settling plus edge and spreading loss
• Playground installations may require ASTM F1292 certified pea gravel. Check local codes before ordering
• For L-shaped or irregular areas, split into rectangles, calculate each section, then add the results before ordering