The amount of gravel you need per square foot depends on the desired thickness or depth of the gravel layer. A common recommendation is to use a depth of about 2 inches (0.17 feet) of gravel for most applications. To calculate the amount of gravel needed per square foot at this depth, you would multiply the square footage by the depth in feet.
For example, if you have an area that is 10 feet by 10 feet (100 square feet) and you want to cover it with 2 inches of gravel, you would need: 100 square feet * 0.17 feet (2 inches) = 17 cubic feet of gravel.
How much gravel do I need for my driveway, or garden, to fill excavation will depend on desired length and width and gravel depth you need. Calculating the total amount of gravel you will need for your pathways can sometimes be overwhelming.
If you want to estimate the required quantity of gravel per square foot, chipping, pebbles or cobbles for your driveway, pathway, patio or for your planting area, you should know the dimension of your projects, what is their area and how your depth should be.
Gravel is consist of fine to coarser aggregate formed of different size 1/4″, 1/2″, 1″, 1 1/2″, 2″ and some are pea sizes gravel, others are pebbles. It is categorised as per shape and size.
Most common size of gravel or aggregate which are used in construction are as fine gravel (1/4″), medium gravel (1/2″), coarse gravel (1′- 1 1/2″), pebbles (1 1/2″ – 2″), cobbles (2 1/2″ – 10″) and Boulder more than 10″.
Gravel or coarse aggregate is one of the most important construction material required in every civil construction work, for landscaping projects, gravel rods, its required for fill the excavation area, used as backfills, required for preparing the concrete mix, it will be in round or oval, angular, pea size shaped gravel.
What thickness of gravel do I need?, you would usually lay a 1/2″ and 3/4″ size of gravel. If you used 1/2″ gravel for your projects, their depth should be at least 1 1/2″, but on a driveway this would need to be at least 2″.
Gravel coverage will depend on size of gravel. At 2 inches thick gravel, gravel coverage per ton are following: 1) 1/4 to 1/2 inch size of gravel will cover 100 square feet per ton; 1/2 to 1 inch gravel, 90 square feet per ton; and 1 1/2 to 2 inches gravel, 80 square feet per ton.
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How much gravel do you need per square foot?
A cubic yard of typical gravel or aggregate weighs about 3,000 pound, or 1.5 US tons, which is approximately equal as 110 pound per foot. A square foot of gravel with a depth of 2 inches weighs about 18 pound or 0.009 tonnes.
To calculate how much gravel do you need per square foot, simply measure depth of your project in inches, then divide it by 12 to convert feet. Then multiply one square foot area to the depth in feet to get amount of cubic feet volume of gravel per square foot.
For example, if your project area is one square foot, and depth is 2 inches, then calculate required gravel quantity as follows: 1) Thickness 2 inches in feet = 2/12 = 0.166 feet, 2) Volume of project equal to required gravel quantity = 1 ft^2 × 0.166′ = 0.166 cubic feet. Thus, you would need 0.166 cubic feet, or 18 pound, or 0.009 tonnes of gravel per square foot at standard depth of 2 inches.
You would need approximately 18 pounds (8 kilograms) of gravel per square foot with a standard depth of 2 inches, or 28 pounds (13 kg) at 3 inches thick, or 36 pounds (17 kg) at 4 inches thick, or 9 pounds (4 kg) at 1 inch thick.
To calculate gravel quantity per square foot at 3 inches
● 1) Thickness = 3/12 = 0.25 feet
● 2) Volume of gravel = 1 ft^2 × 0.25′ = 0.25 ft^3
● 3) Required gravel in pound = 0.25 × 110 = 28 pound
● 4) Required gravel in tonne = 28/2000 = 0.014 tonne
● 5) Thus, you would need 0.25 cubic feet (28 pound, or 0.014 tonnes) of gravel per square foot at 3 inches depth.
To calculate gravel quantity per square foot at 4 inches
● 1) Thickness = 4/12 = 0.33 feet
● 2) Volume of gravel = 1 ft^2 × 0.33′ = 0.33 ft^3
● 3) Required gravel in pound = 0.33 × 110 = 36 pound
● 4) Required gravel in tonne = 36/2000 = 0.018 tonne
● 5) Thus, you would need 0.33 cubic feet (36 pound, or 0.018 tonnes) of gravel per square foot at 4 inches depth.
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Conclusion:
You would need approximately 18 pound of gravel per square foot with a standard depth of 2 inches, or 28 pound at 3 inches thick, or 36 pound at 4 inches thick, or 9 pound at 1 inch thick.