Estimate Rock Volume, Weight, Bags and Cost
Calculate decorative rock by square footage, depth, density, tons, cubic yards, bags and installed material cost. Select the real bed shape and see the rock layer drawn with its measured depth.
Calculation direction
Area and depth
Available material
Rock, delivery and price
Bed and depth visual
Material estimate
River rock calculator without a duplicate page
Use the river-rock size presets for 3/4-inch, 1-inch, 1–3-inch and 2-inch stone. The reverse-coverage mode calculates how many square feet an available ton, cubic yard or number of bags can cover at the selected depth. These functions address river rock calculator, river rock coverage calculator and cubic yards of gravel searches within the existing indexed landscape-rock calculator.
How much landscape rock do I need?
Measure the bed area, convert the desired depth to feet, and multiply area by depth to obtain cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards. Weight is volume multiplied by the selected bulk density. This calculator keeps the geometric volume, bulk weight, bag count, allowances and cost separate so the result can be checked.
Coverage by depth
A shallow decorative layer covers more square feet per cubic yard than a deep drainage layer. At 2 inches, one cubic yard covers about 162 square feet before waste; at 3 inches, about 108 square feet; at 4 inches, about 81 square feet.
Landscape rock calculator questions
Should I order by ton or cubic yard?
Use the unit quoted by your supplier. Volume is useful for the bed itself; tons depend on material density.
Why add waste and settlement?
Irregular edges, uneven grade, spillage and stone settling can increase the delivered quantity needed.
Can this calculate bags?
Yes. Enter the actual bag weight; the tool divides the adjusted bulk weight by that bag weight and rounds up.
Landscape rock, river rock, gravel cubic yards and reverse coverage
The Landscape Rock Calculator now covers the closely related river-rock and gravel-yard questions without publishing duplicate calculators. Users can estimate material from area and depth or reverse the calculation to find how much ground a known number of cubic yards, tons or bags will cover.
River rock size and void adjustment
Small and large river rock do not pack identically. The material selector includes common river-rock size ranges and an editable stone-size or void adjustment. The labelled visual changes with the selected rock size, helping the user distinguish a shallow small-stone bed from a deeper large-stone installation.
Figure cubic yards of gravel
Multiply square footage by depth in feet to obtain cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. The calculator handles rectangles, circles, triangles, trapezoids and custom area, combines repeated sections and converts inches, feet, yards, centimeters or meters before applying density and waste.
Reverse coverage from available material
Choose the available-quantity direction when the material is already known. Enter cubic yards, tons or bag count, select depth and density, and the calculator reports the estimated square feet and square meters that can be covered. This is useful for leftover material, fixed truck deliveries and bagged-rock purchases.
Volume, weight, bags and cost
Geometric volume is converted to weight using the selected bulk density. Bags are rounded upward according to bag volume or weight. Price can be entered per ton, cubic yard or bag, with delivery and installation charges shown separately. A custom density remains available because supplier values can differ by moisture, quarry source, particle size and void space.
Landscape rock planning checklist
- Measure several sections instead of forcing an irregular bed into one rectangle.
- Use average depth and include low areas that need filling.
- Choose a depth appropriate for the stone size and intended weed suppression.
- Keep density, waste and compaction as separate assumptions.
- Confirm truck access, payload and supplier minimums before ordering.
Why river rock is not a separate calculator page
River rock uses the same area × depth volume model and density conversion as other decorative landscape stone. The dedicated material choices, visuals and supporting sections satisfy the specific intent while keeping one stronger canonical calculator instead of two pages competing for the same queries.
How many cubic yards of gravel cover 1,000 square feet?
At 2 inches deep, the geometric requirement is about 6.17 cubic yards before waste and other adjustments. At 3 inches deep, it is about 9.26 cubic yards.
Can I calculate tons from cubic yards?
Yes. Select the material density or enter the supplier’s value. The result displays both units and the conversion assumptions.