Gravel Calculator for New York Yards and Drives
Enter your project dimensions
Lake-effect snow around Buffalo, a sloped lot in the Hudson Valley and a sandy side yard on Long Island all ask different things of the same few inches of stone. Before you open the gravel calculator, settle on a depth. The chart below is where to start.
Depths from Long Island to the North Country
| Job | Depth in the depth box | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| Garden path or walkway | 2-3 in | Sandy Long Island ground drains well under a path |
| Topping up a worn drive | 2 in | Fill ruts before adding the new layer |
| New drive, base layer | 3-4 in of Item 4, compacted | Clay valley floors and lake-plain ground stay soft into spring, so don't trim this |
| New drive, top layer | 2-3 in | Driveway gravel or #57 over the base |
| Patio sitting area | 2-3 in | Needs firm edging |
| Drain trench or wet spot | 12 in or more | Clean stone without fines |
Item 4 is the trade name New York yards use for compacting subbase stone. NYSDOT covers subbase under Section 304; that's how the material is specified locally, not a certification this store holds. In the calculator, Item 4 goes under the crusher run / road base row.
Frost reaches about 4 feet down across most of the state, with your local building department setting the exact footing depth. Gravel doesn't go that deep, which is why every spring the frost lifts and loosens thin drives upstate. Downstate, milder winters still freeze and thaw the ground each year.
Entering an L-shaped Westchester drive
Start by choosing the shape. Rectangle handles most drives and paths. Circle takes a single diameter, useful for turnarounds. Multiple areas lets you total up to five separate pieces, which is how an L-shaped Westchester drive or a split walk in Rochester gets done in one pass.
Enter lengths and widths in feet and depth in inches (0.25 to 24). Choose the material from the dropdown, since the ton figure depends on it. Tick "add 5% extra for compaction & spillage" for anything that will be packed. The result shows cubic yards, tons and cubic feet, and Email my quote sends the estimate to your inbox.
A foundation drain, a spring puddle and a Southern Tier ditch
All three are illustrations with made-up dimensions.
French drain along a foundation
A 60 ft run beside the house, dug 18 in wide and 18 in deep, filled with #57 stone. Because the width is 1.5 ft and the depth is 18 inches:
- 60 x 1.5 = 90 sq ft
- 90 x 18 ÷ 12 = 135 cu ft
- 135 ÷ 27 = 5.0 cu yd
- 5.0 x 1.40 = 7.0 tons
The pipe takes up a little space, but not enough to change the order. In the snow belts, where thaw water stands on flat clay, a drain like this is common along the uphill wall.
Low spot in a gravel parking area
An 18 x 14 ft dip holds water every spring. Readings at six points average 5 inches below grade. Fill with Item 4.
- 18 x 14 = 252 sq ft
- 252 x 5 ÷ 12 = 105 cu ft
- 105 ÷ 27 = 3.89 cu yd
- 3.89 x 1.50 = 5.83 tons
- With the 5% box: 4.08 cu yd, 6.13 tons
If the low spot is in lawn rather than gravel, fill it with soil instead, and size that on the dirt calculator.
Ditch lining in the Southern Tier
Creeks in the Southern Tier rise fast in heavy rain, and road ditches scour. Line 25 ft of ditch, 3 ft wide, with 4 inches of #57 stone.
- 25 x 3 = 75 sq ft
- 75 x 4 ÷ 12 = 25 cu ft
- 25 ÷ 27 = 0.93 cu yd
- 0.93 x 1.40 = 1.3 tons
Where the water is fast enough to move stone that size, step up to light stone fill and use the rip rap calculator.
What Item 4, stone dust and crushed stone weigh
A cubic yard is a fixed volume, but what it weighs depends on the stone. The calculator uses these dry figures:
| Calculator row | Local names it covers | lb per cu yd | Tons per cu yd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crusher run / road base | Item 4, crusher run | about 3,000 | 1.50 |
| Crushed stone (#57, 3/4") | #57 stone | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Pea gravel (3/8") | pea gravel, pea stone | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| Driveway / walkway gravel | driveway gravel, walkway gravel | about 2,800 | 1.40 |
| River rock (1-3") | river rock | about 2,700 | 1.35 |
To check any answer yourself: length x width x (depth ÷ 12) gives cubic feet; ÷ 27 gives cubic yards; x the tons figure gives weight.
Extra stone for Hudson Valley slopes
Tick the 5% option for compacted base and driven surfaces. Untick it for loose decorative stone. Measure depth in several places rather than once, especially on Hudson Valley slopes where the low end always takes more. Round up rather than down, because a second small delivery costs more time than a little spare stone.
Timing matters too. Base, drive and paver work runs from spring thaw into late fall; frozen ground won't compact.
Take the number to the product page
Open the product that matches your calculator row, enter the quantity and pick a delivery date. Delivery is arranged at checkout by ZIP code, and the truck needs a clear route to a firm dump spot. For help choosing between Item 4 and crusher run, or anything else, New York Rock Supply can be reached by call or text from the contact page.
Common questions
How much gravel goes under a patio seating area?
Plan on 2 to 3 inches of gravel inside solid edging. Enter the patio's length and width, a depth in that range, and the material you want underfoot.
Which figure matters when I order, the yards or the weight?
Both are shown because they answer different questions. Yards describe the space the stone fills; tons describe what it weighs. Use tons when you set the quantity on the product page, and yards to picture the pile.
My yard slopes. How should I measure it?
Measure the length along the ground, not in a straight line from above, and take depth readings at the top, middle and bottom. Average them, or split the slope into separate areas with their own depths.
I might end up with extra stone. Will it go to waste?
Rarely. Leftover Item 4 patches ruts after the thaw, and spare #57 or pea gravel works around downspouts, under a rain barrel or in a path.
How far down should I excavate before the gravel goes in?
Dig out to the total depth of all layers. For a new drive, that's the base plus the top course, so 5 to 7 inches, after stripping sod and topsoil.
Related calculators
That tonnage ships free.
Driveway gravel, #57, crusher run: priced by the ton, delivered across New York.
