River Rock Calculator

Estimate river rock volume for a landscape bed or border.

01 / Your project

Measure. Adjust. Calculate.

Example values are editable, not installation specifications. A $0 price means costs have not been entered.

Your material takeoff
1.96
cubic yards to order
Measured area
192 sq ft
Before allowance
1.78 cu yd
Bag alternative
106 bags
Material subtotal (entered price only)
0 USD

Whole packages round up. Prices include only the items you enter. Delivery, tax and installation may be extra.

How to calculate

The rectangular volume approximates the space occupied by the stone layer, including voids. Large stones may need more depth to cover exposed soil.

Cubic yards = length × width × depth ÷ 324 × (1 + allowance / 100)

Worked example

Length (ft): 16 · Width (ft): 12 · Material depth (in): 3 · Bag yield (cu ft): 0.5 · Extra material (%): 10.

These inputs produce 1.96 cubic yards to order. Change the measurements above to match your project.

Before you order

Ask the supplier what depth suits your chosen rock size. Do not use a generic gravel density to convert large decorative rock to tons.

For an irregular footprint, split the project into rectangles. Calculate each section and combine unrounded quantities before rounding the final order. Ask the supplier to confirm product yield and available package sizes.

Common questions

Is the allowance an installation recommendation?

No. It is an editable purchasing buffer. Cuts, spills and product requirements vary. Confirm the allowance for your layout.

Does this include installation costs?

Only prices you explicitly enter are included. A material-only result is not an installed quote. Request an itemized quote for site preparation, access, removal, drainage, labor, delivery and tax.

Method maintained by YardTakeoff · Updated September 23, 2026. Assumptions and limitations.

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