Tons of stone, from square feet.
The spec says inches of depth, the quarry sells by the ton. This turns one into the other, using the weight per yard your supplier gives you, not a number from a chart.
Once you know the tonnage, Redline puts the stone, the delivery and the labor on one quote, drafted from a chat message.
Try Redline freeHow the math works
Area x depth
400 sq ft at 4 inches (0.333 ft) is 133.3 cu ft.
Into yards
Divide by 27: 4.94 cubic yards.
Add your extra
Loose stone shrinks when it's compacted, and subgrade is never flat, so you buy more than the finished volume. With 10%, 5.43 yards.
Yards to tons
Times the weight per yard: 5.43 x 1.4 = 7.60 tons. The 1.4 is an example; get the real figure from your yard.
Three example jobs
10% extra, 1.4 tons per cubic yard (example weight).
| Job | Area | Depth | Cubic yards | With 10% | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walkway, 3 x 40 | 120 sq ft | 3 in | 1.11 | 1.22 | 1.71 |
| Patio base, 16 x 25 | 400 sq ft | 4 in | 4.94 | 5.43 | 7.60 |
| Driveway, 12 x 50 | 600 sq ft | 6 in | 11.11 | 12.22 | 17.11 |
Depths are examples for the math, not a base spec.
What to watch for
- Weight per yard is the supplier's number. Crushed stone, pea stone, river rock and recycled concrete all weigh differently, and wet stone weighs more. Ask when you order.
- Compaction extra is yours. It depends on the material and how hard you compact. Track what your last few base jobs actually took.
- Layers are separate runs. A base course and a top course of different stone each get their own depth and weight.
- Truck loads. Divide the tons by what your supplier's truck carries to see how many deliveries to book.
- Depth is a spec, not a guess. This tool doesn't decide how deep a driveway or patio base should be. That comes from the job's spec.
Questions contractors ask
How many tons are in a yard of gravel?
It depends on the stone, which is why it's an input here. Your yard or quarry can tell you what their material weighs per cubic yard.
Does it work for sand, topsoil or millings?
Yes, with the weight per yard for that material. The math doesn't change.
What about a round area?
Work out the area first: 3.14 x radius x radius. A round fire pit pad 12 ft across is about 113 sq ft. Enter that as the area.
How does Redline use the tonnage?
Put it on the quote with the delivery and the labor: "quote the Pruitts: 16 x 25 patio base, 7.6 tons crushed stone, delivery, compact in two lifts." Redline drafts it at your prices and saves it to their file. On Solo and up, file the scale ticket against the job from Money's Expenses tab (you type the vendor and amount), and Reports shows what the patio made after materials.
More for hardscape and site work
Keep reading
- Concrete calculatorSlab size and thickness into cubic yards to order, or bags.
- Mulch calculatorBed area and depth into bulk yards or bags. Also topsoil and compost.
- Expenses and reportsReceipts filed against the job, profit per job after materials, and CSV exports.
- Job profit calculatorSee what a job really makes after materials, labor and overhead.