Pea Gravel Calculator
Calculate how much pea gravel you need for a path, patio, play area or garden bed — in tons, cubic yards and bags, with the right depth for each use and a cost estimate.
Sets the depth below
Typical bulk pea gravel: $30–$60 per ton delivered
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Enter a price per ton to estimate cost.
You might also need:Gravel Calculator·Crushed Stone Calculator
How to calculate pea gravel
tons = cubic yards × 1.4
A 20 × 10 ft path at 2 inches deep needs 33 cubic feet — 1.24 cubic yards, or about 1.7 tons. Order to the next half-ton: suppliers rarely split loads finer than that, and a little spare covers the settling that happens after the first heavy rain.
Pea gravel coverage per ton
| Depth | Coverage per ton | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1″ | ~200 sq ft | Top-up over existing gravel |
| 2″ | ~100 sq ft | Walkways, ground cover, borders |
| 3″ | ~70 sq ft | Patios, dog runs, fire pit areas |
| 4″ | ~50 sq ft | Playgrounds (cushioning depth) |
Pea gravel vs crushed stone
Pea gravel is smooth, round and pleasant underfoot — great for paths, patios and play areas, but it rolls and migrates. Crushed stone is angular, locks together under compaction, and is what you want for driveways, structural bases and anything load-bearing. A common combination: crushed stone base with a pea gravel surface. For the base layer quantities, use thegravel calculator.
Installation tips
- Edge it properly: round stone escapes without a physical barrier — steel edging outlasts plastic by years.
- Fabric first: woven landscape fabric stops the gravel disappearing into the soil and blocks weeds from rooting through.
- Rake seasonally: pea gravel drifts toward foot-traffic edges; ten minutes with a rake each spring keeps it even.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a ton of pea gravel cover?+
One ton of pea gravel covers about 100 square feet at 2 inches deep, or 70 square feet at 3 inches. Pea gravel weighs roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard, similar to other small stone.
How deep should pea gravel be?+
Use 2 inches for walkways and decorative ground cover, 3 inches for patios and dog runs, and 3–4 inches for playground areas where cushioning matters. Deeper than 4 inches gets hard to walk on — the stones roll underfoot.
How much does pea gravel cost?+
Bulk pea gravel runs $30–$60 per ton delivered, or roughly $45–$85 per cubic yard. Bagged pea gravel at big-box stores costs 3–4 times more per unit — worth it only for jobs under about a quarter yard.
Do I need edging and fabric under pea gravel?+
Both, ideally. Pea gravel is round and migrates more than angular crushed stone, so steel or composite edging keeps it contained. Woven landscape fabric underneath stops it sinking into soil, which otherwise happens within a couple of seasons.
Is pea gravel good for a driveway?+
Not on its own — round stones shift under tires and form ruts. If you want the pea gravel look on a drive, use angular crushed stone as the base and structural layers and keep pea gravel as a thin decorative top layer, accepting that it needs regular raking.