How much does a gravel driveway cost?

Gravel is cheap material and expensive hauling. Here is how depth, base preparation and stone choice decide whether a driveway lasts or ruts.

Updated October 25, 2026 · 11 min read

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A gravel driveway is only as good as the base under it: strip, line, place, compact, and crown the surface so water runs off.

The numbers at a glance

Crushed stone (#57): $42 – $68 per ton
Pea gravel: $48 – $78 per ton
Recommended driveway depth: 4 in compacted
Weight of 1 cubic yard: ≈ 1.4 tons
Extra for compaction: 10%

Price per ton, not per bag

Driveway gravel is sold by the ton or the cubic yard, delivered in bulk. One cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons, so a supplier quoting $50 per ton is close to $70 per cubic yard — always confirm which unit the price uses before comparing.

Delivered price depends as much on haul distance as on the stone itself. A quarry twenty minutes away delivers far cheaper than one two hours away, and that difference is outside your control.

The gravel calculator converts your driveway length, width and depth into cubic yards and tons, then applies a delivered price range for the type you choose.

Stone types and delivered price

Stone type	Delivered price per ton	Best used for
Crushed #57 stone	$42 – $68	Driveway surface course; angular faces lock together when compacted
Driveway-grade crushed stone	$36 – $60	Base lift under a driveway; the cheaper bulk material
Pea gravel	$48 – $78	Paths and beds; too round to hold a vehicle without rolling

One cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons, or about 2,800 lb, so always confirm whether a supplier quotes by the ton or the cubic yard before comparing two prices.

Depth is the decision that matters

A residential driveway needs about four inches of compacted gravel over a prepared base. Less than that and the stone migrates into the soil, which is what causes ruts and potholes within a season or two.

Paths and decorative beds can be two inches deep. A French drain or drainage bed needs at least six inches of clean, washed stone with no fines, or it clogs and stops draining.

Depth by use

Application	Depth	Why
Residential driveway	4 in compacted	Thin or loose stone migrates into the subsoil and ruts
Walkway or path	2 in	Foot traffic only; two inches is plenty underfoot
Decorative bed	2 in	Appearance only, no load to carry
French drain or drainage bed	6 in minimum of clean washed stone with no fines	Fines and dust clog the voids and stop the drain flowing

Depth is measured after compaction, not before. Loose stone settles by roughly a quarter when a lift is compacted, so order to the finished depth.

Remove topsoil first — gravel spread over grass or mud disappears.
Use a geotextile fabric on soft subsoil to stop stone sinking.
Compact in two-inch lifts rather than one thick layer.
Order about 10% extra for compaction and uneven ground.

Choosing the right stone

The stone matters as much as the depth. Crushed #57 stone locks together when compacted and is the standard driveway choice. Pea gravel is smooth and pleasant underfoot but rolls under tires, so it belongs on paths, not driveways. Decorative rock costs the most and is chosen for appearance.

A driveway that holds water needs drainage before it needs more gravel. If water crosses the drive, budget for a swale or a French drain at the same time — adding it later means digging up the stone you just paid for.

A worked example: 20 ft by 40 ft driveway at 4 inches

A 20 ft by 40 ft driveway is 800 square feet. At four inches of compacted stone, one ton covers about 58 square feet, so the job needs roughly fourteen tons of stone — about seven tons of base and seven tons of surface material.

The example below prices the whole build, not just the stone, because base preparation, fabric, delivery and spreading are what most people forget when they budget from the price of gravel alone.

A worked example: 20 ft by 40 ft driveway at 4 inches

Eight line items for an 800 square foot drive built with a base lift and a surface lift, priced at national averages.

Strip topsoil and rough gradeMachine time to remove 4–6 in of topsoil and dispose of it: $700
Geotextile fabricWoven fabric over the subgrade, seams overlapped and pinned: $300
Base stone (driveway-grade, 7 tons)At about $40 per ton delivered: $280
Surface stone (crushed #57, 7 tons)At about $48 per ton delivered: $336
CompactionPlate compactor or roller, one pass per two-inch lift: $350
DeliveryTwo truckloads to the property: $160
Spreading and rakingMachine spread, then rake the crown to shed water: $320
Edge restraintsSteel or timber edging along both sides to stop migration: $240

$2,686 — about $3.36 per sq ft

At the cheapest delivered stone, about $36 per ton for driveway-grade and $42 for #57, the same build lands near $2,600; at the top of the range it approaches $3,000. Materials are only about $600 of that, and the rest is preparation, delivery and spreading.

Driveway build-up from the bottom up: compacted subgrade, a woven geotextile, base stone compacted in two-inch lifts, then a crowned surface course.

Where the cost estimate goes wrong

Two surprises dominate gravel budgets: a base that needs excavation, and a load that arrives short because the depth was measured in loose inches rather than compacted inches. Both are avoidable with a tape measure and a phone call before ordering.

Ask the supplier how many tons a full truck carries and whether the price includes spreading. A driver who can tailgate-spread the load saves hours of wheelbarrow work.

How long a gravel driveway takes to build

Durations assume a small machine, a helper and dry weather. Wet ground is the usual cause of a delay, because each lift has to be compacted before the next one goes down.

Site and drainage check
Half a day
Walk the run after rain, check the slope and where water crosses the drive, and flag any soft spot that needs excavation.
Strip topsoil and grade
1 day
Remove four to six inches of topsoil and organics, rough-grade to a consistent crown, then compact the exposed subgrade.
Place geotextile
2 – 4 hours
Roll out woven fabric over the subgrade, overlap the seams and pin them so base stone cannot punch through.
Spread and compact base in two-inch lifts
1 – 2 days
Place base stone in two-inch lifts and compact each one before the next, working from the edges toward the centre.
Place surface stone and dress edges
Half a day
Spread the surface stone, compact lightly, then rake the crown and finish the edges and restraints.

A typical residential drive is a two to four day project with a machine and a helper, plus drying time between lifts when the ground is wet.

The six most expensive gravel driveway mistakes

Every one of these costs money on a real driveway, and every one is avoidable before the first load leaves the quarry.

Spreading gravel over living grass or topsoil
Stone laid on turf or topsoil sinks into the organic layer and ruts within a season. Strip and compact the subgrade first, or the whole load is wasted.
Measuring depth in loose inches
A loose four-inch layer compacts to about three. Order to the finished depth, or the drive ends up an inch thin and short on stone.
Skipping a geotextile on soft subsoil
Without a separation fabric the base stone pumps down into wet ground and mud pumps up into the surface. The fabric is cheap next to redoing the base.
Using pea gravel on a driveway
Rounded pea gravel rolls under tires instead of locking, so it will not hold a vehicle. Keep it on paths and beds, and use angular crushed stone on the drive.
Ignoring water that crosses the drive
A driveway that sits in the path of runoff fails no matter how much stone is added. Fix the drainage with a swale or French drain before ordering more gravel.
Ordering without asking if the truck can tailgate-spread
A driver who can tailgate-spread drops the load where it is wanted. Without that, the stone lands in one pile and every barrow of it is handled twice.

Before you order: eight checks

Run through this before the first load leaves the quarry — most gravel budget surprises are decided at the order, not on site.

Measure the length and width of the run and work out the area in square feet.
Set the finished depth: four inches compacted for a driveway, two for a path.
Convert area and depth to tons, then add about ten percent for compaction.
Ask the supplier whether the price is per ton or per cubic yard, and whether delivery is included.
Confirm the truck can tailgate-spread, or line up a machine and a spreader in advance.
Check that the delivery truck can reach the drop point without crossing a soft lawn.
Have geotextile fabric and edge restraints on site before the first load arrives.
Fix drainage — a swale or a French drain — before you order stone, not after.

Put a number on your project

Gravel Calculator

Estimate gravel, depth and total cost.

French Drain Calculator

Size a French drain, stone and pipe.

Retaining Wall Calculator

Count blocks, caps and backfill.

Planning estimate only — confirm quantities with your supplier or contractor before ordering.

Frequently asked questions

How deep should gravel be for a driveway?

A residential driveway needs about four inches of compacted gravel over a prepared base. Paths and decorative beds can be two inches deep, and a drainage bed should be at least six inches of clean washed stone.

How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?

One cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons, or about 2,800 lb. That is why suppliers price gravel by the ton rather than by volume, and why two quotes can look very different once you know which unit each one uses.

How long does a gravel driveway last?

A properly based and compacted driveway lasts ten to twenty years with occasional top-ups. A driveway laid directly on soft ground without a prepared base can rut within a single wet season.