Gravel is a catch all term covering everything from fine decorative stone to coarse road base. The type changes how it performs, how it compacts, and how much a cubic yard weighs, so picking the right one matters as much as ordering the right amount.
Common types
- Crushed stone: angular and sharp edged, it locks together under compaction. The workhorse for driveway surfaces and bases.
- Pea gravel: small, smooth and rounded. Good for paths and decorative beds, but it shifts underfoot and does not stay put on a slope.
- Crusher run or road base: a blend of crushed stone and fine dust that compacts into a hard, stable layer. The standard sub base under driveways, patios and slabs.
- River rock: larger smooth stone for drainage and decoration, not for surfaces you walk or drive on.
- Drainage stone: clean, uniform stone with no fines, used around pipes and in French drains so water moves freely.
Matching type to job
| Job | Best type |
|---|---|
| Driveway surface | Crushed stone |
| Driveway or patio sub base | Crusher run |
| Garden path, decorative bed | Pea gravel |
| Drainage, French drain | Clean drainage stone |
Coverage and weight
Crushed gravel runs roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard, though this varies with stone size and how wet it is, so always confirm the density with your supplier before converting volume to tons. As a coverage guide, one cubic yard spread 3 inches deep covers about 108 square feet.
| Depth | Coverage per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft |
Choosing by depth
A decorative top layer over an existing base is usually 2 to 3 inches. A structural sub base for a driveway is deeper, often 4 to 6 inches of crusher run compacted in layers, sometimes topped with a finer stone. Going deeper than needed wastes material, while going too shallow lets the surface break up under traffic.
Buy by the ton, calculate by volume
Suppliers usually price gravel by weight, but you measure the job by volume. Work out the cubic yards from your area and depth, then convert to tons using the density of your chosen stone. Getting the density right is where most gravel orders go wrong, since a wet, dense crusher run weighs noticeably more per yard than a dry, clean stone.