Material calculators
Bulk material is ordered by the cubic yard — or by the ton for river rock — and the right depth depends on the job more than the material: a quarter inch to topdress a lawn, four to six for a driveway, a foot or more for a french drain. Pick the material, then the job, and each calculator gives the depth, the volume, the weight on the truck and a delivered price range.
Start with the material
Mulch calculators
400–800 lb per cubic yard · $25–55 per yard delivered
- Mulch for around trees 2–3″ deep
Compost calculators
1,000–1,600 lb per cubic yard · $25–55 per yard delivered
- Compost for garden beds 2–3″ deep
- Compost for topdressing 0.25–0.5″ deep
Fill Dirt calculators
1,800–2,200 lb per cubic yard · $5–25 per yard delivered
- Fill Dirt for leveling 1–3″ deep
River Rock calculators
2,400–2,700 lb per cubic yard · $40–200 per yard delivered · usually sold by the ton
- River Rock for garden beds 2–3″ deep
- River Rock for french drains 12–18″ deep
Gravel calculators
2,800–3,000 lb per cubic yard · $25–80 per yard delivered
- Gravel for pathways 2–3″ deep
- Gravel for shed bases 4–6″ deep
- Gravel for concrete slab bases 4–6″ deep
Decomposed Granite calculators
2,800–3,000 lb per cubic yard · $25–70 per yard delivered
- Decomposed Granite for driveways 4–6″ deep
- Decomposed Granite for pathways 2–3″ deep
Pea Gravel calculators
2,700–2,900 lb per cubic yard · $25–80 per yard delivered
- Pea Gravel for patios 2–3″ deep
How these are worked out
Volume is length × width × depth, converted to cubic yards, with 10% added because loose material settles. Weight is a band, not a number, because moisture moves it more than grade does — mulch can double when soaked. Prices start from published per-yard ranges and are scaled to your region; they are a sanity check before you call a yard, not a quote. Where a material is usually sold by the ton, the calculator says so.