Calculate pea gravel yardage and bag count for paths and beds.
A decorative bed and a route used by loaded carts have different requirements, even when their area is identical. Record who will use the surface, whether furniture will stand on it, and whether loose stone movement is acceptable before comparing bag prices.
UC Master Gardeners' Gravel Pathways in the Garden distinguishes rounded pea gravel, which moves rather than forming a solid surface, from angular material that packs more firmly. It also discusses containing gravel at the edges. That distinction helps select a candidate material; it does not establish accessibility, load capacity or a universal installation depth.
Consider a hypothetical 20 × 3 ft path with eight 18 × 18 in stepping stones. If each stone displaces the entire pea-gravel layer, exclude 8 × 1.5 × 1.5 = 18 sq ft. Net gravel area is 42 sq ft. At an illustrative 2 in depth and 10% allowance, the order is 42 × 2 ÷ 324 × 1.10 = 0.285185 cu yd, or 7.7 cu ft: 16 half-cubic-foot bags.
Without this exclusion the same example gives 22 bags. Do not subtract the stones from a separate base layer that continues beneath them. If gravel remains beneath part of a stone, a full-area exclusion removes too much; measure the actual remaining layer separately.
Reproduce this in the multi-area purchase planner: length 20, width 3, depth 2, excluded area 18, factor 1, extra 10%, bag yield 0.5. The quick rectangle form does not include this exclusion field. Compare the resulting purchase using delivery and supplier minimums; record stepping stones, edging and preparation as separate costs.
Path selection and example reviewed November 5, 2026. Depth and allowance are hypothetical inputs, not installation recommendations.
Material-choice review: November 2, 2026. These are planning choices, not a site inspection or a drainage specification.
These are independent worksheets. Inputs do not transfer between them. Use the download button beside the result you want to keep.
Whole packages round up. Prices include only the items you enter. Delivery, tax and installation may be extra.
Subtract objects that displace the full new gravel layer, then add separate path branches without counting their shared junction twice.
A 20 × 3 ft path has 6 sq ft occupied by a permanent feature that displaces the layer. Its net gravel area is 54 sq ft. The second case adds a separate 10 × 2 ft branch beyond the first rectangle; the junction is already excluded from that branch length.
Original hypothetical scenarios for checking the arithmetic. Depths, conversion factors and buying increments are editable assumptions, not construction or product recommendations. The two cases are alternatives, not quantities to add.
Factor 1; extra 10%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment none cu yd; individual bags.
Factor 1; extra 10%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment none cu yd; individual bags.
Loading a case replaces the multi-area worksheet’s measurements and resets its prices to unknown. Save your own worksheet first. These buttons require JavaScript; all example quantities remain readable above.
The additional branch increases net area from 54 to 74 sq ft. At the same illustrative 2 in loose depth, 10% extra and 0.5 cu ft bag yield, the purchase changes from 20 to 28 bags. Border restraints and any specified separator are separate products; they do not come from multiplying the gravel volume.
Name the selected pea-gravel product and confirm volume per bag or the supplier’s exact bulk conversion. Record edges, access and delivery separately. Do not infer bag volume from bag weight.
Check your sketch for overlap where paths or rectangles meet.
Combine non-overlapping rectangles at different depths, subtract exclusions and round bags once for the total. All rows must use the same material. This worksheet is independent of the quick calculator above.
How to split an irregular area · How to compare a bulk quote with bags
Use the average layer depth over the measured footprint. Bags are an alternative purchase method to bulk yardage, not an additional order.
Length (ft): 16 · Width (ft): 12 · Material depth (in): 2 · Bag yield (cu ft): 0.5 · Extra material (%): 10.
These inputs produce 1.3 cubic yards to order. Change the measurements above to match your project.
Measure the net path or bed footprint. Subtract permanent objects that displace the whole gravel layer, such as a raised planter base. Enter only additional depth when topping up existing gravel; do not order the full final depth again.
A 20 × 3 ft path at 2 in needs 0.3704 cu yd. With 10% extra, that becomes 0.4074 cu yd, or 11 cu ft. For bags labeled 0.5 cu ft, the exact alternative is 22 bags. A supplier’s bag weight alone is not enough to determine this count.
Small rounded stone can move beyond a path or settle into gaps in an existing layer. A purchasing allowance models extra material but does not establish suitability for wheelchairs, slopes or play-surface safety. Those uses need their own product and installation specifications.
Compare delivered bulk cost with the price of the rounded bag count. Confirm stone size, washing, color variation, product yield and whether a truckload includes unloading where needed. Keep edging and any base material separate.
Use a manufacturer-stated volume yield or a supplier conversion for that product. Equal-weight bags can occupy different volumes.
No. It describes one layer. Use a separate estimate for a base made of a different material. Combine rows only when they use the same material and product yield.
This worksheet uses the geometry and editable assumptions shown above. Product specifications and local quotes determine the inputs.
YardTakeoff · Revised October 21, 2026 · Formula checks and scope · Report a calculation error