Calcolatrice ghiaia
The detailed guide below is currently available in English.
Choosing a depth
Decorative ground cover can sit at 2 inches, but anything driven on needs more: 4 inches for a passenger-car driveway, 6 or more with a compacted base course for trucks and RVs. Because stone settles into soft subsoil over time, ordering about 10% extra is cheap insurance on fresh, uncompacted ground.
Why volume and weight both matter
Quarries sell crushed stone by the ton, but what you measure on site is an area and a depth — a volume. Converting between them needs a density assumption, here about 1.4 US tons per cubic yard for typical crushed rock. Ask your supplier for the exact density of their material when the load is large; a few tenths per yard moves the bill noticeably.
Domande frequenti
How much area does a ton of gravel cover?
At a 2-inch depth, one ton covers roughly 100 square feet; at 4 inches, about 50. Driveways usually land between those extremes depending on the base underneath.
Should I order extra for compaction?
Yes for anything load-bearing. Compacted aggregate settles to 85–95% of its loose volume, so adding 10% to the calculated tonnage keeps the finished surface at spec depth.