Pea Gravel Calculator

About 50 of the standard 0.5 cu ft (50 lb) bags. The math: 100 sq ft x 0.25 ft depth = 25 cu ft of pea gravel, and 25 / 0.5 = 50 bags. That is roughly 2,500 lb, which is just under the 1 cu yd bulk-delivery cutoff. If your local landscape yard charges $35 to $50 per cu yd for bulk plus a flat delivery fee, bulk usually beats 50 bags from the big-box store on price alone, even before you factor in the loading and the trips. The calculator flags bulk as the recommended delivery once the job hits 1 cu yd.

About 2,700 lb, or 1.35 short tons. Loose pea gravel weighs roughly 100 lb per cu ft, and a cubic yard is 27 cu ft, so 27 x 100 = 2,700 lb. Packed or compacted pea gravel is denser (around 110 lb per cu ft, or 2,970 lb per cu yd), but landscape yards quote and sell on the loose number because that is what fills the delivery truck. Plan your driveway or trailer accordingly: a half-ton pickup is at its rated payload with one cubic yard of pea gravel in the bed, with no margin for tools or passengers.

Foot paths and garden borders need 2 in over landscape fabric. Patios and fire-pit surrounds work well at 3 in, which is deep enough to walk on without your feet hitting the soil below. Pet runs and play areas go 4 in. Driveways need 4 to 6 in over a compacted crushed-stone base; do not put pea gravel directly on dirt for a driveway because the rounded stones migrate under tire loads. The calculator lets you sweep the depth field through 1 to 6 in to compare cost and weight before you order.

The rule of thumb is 1 cubic yard. Under 1 cu yd, the 50 lb bags from a home center are usually cheaper than a bulk delivery once you factor in the flat delivery fee (typically $50 to $150 in metro areas). At or above 1 cu yd, the per-ton price of bulk wins decisively. The calculator flips its recommended delivery mode at the 1 cu yd line and tells you the exact tonnage to ask the yard for, so you do not over- or under-order. If you have no way to transport bulk and no driveway to dump it on, bags stay the only option regardless of volume.

Loose pea gravel is the as-delivered state, roughly 100 lb per cu ft. Packed (mechanically compacted with a plate compactor) is roughly 110 lb per cu ft, about 10 percent denser. Always size your order against the loose number, because that is what fills the bag and the dump truck. Use the packed number only when you are checking finished volume against a void you have already excavated. The calculator uses 100 lb per cu ft throughout so the bag count and tonnage match what you will actually buy.