Pea Gravel Calculator for Patios
A pea gravel patio takes about 2 inches of pea gravel over a compacted base — one cubic yard covers roughly 160 square feet at that depth.
Work out what you need
Measure the area, set the depth, and this converts it to cubic yards, what it weighs on the truck, how many bags that replaces, and roughly what it should cost delivered.
Weight is quoted as a band because moisture moves it more than grade does — pea gravel after heavy rain runs to about 105% of its dry weight. The delivered range starts from a published $25–80 per cubic yard and is scaled by how your region's material prices compare with the national average, so treat it as a sanity check and not a quote.
Get a real price from yards near youNot a patio? The landscape rock guide covers every other job.
Why 2–3 inches for a patio
Thin is the trick. Over two inches it behaves like dry sand: chair legs sink and every step shifts, while a thin layer over a firm base stays walkable.
What goes wrong
It is a poor driveway material for the same reason — rounded stone never locks, so tyres rut it. Use a solid edge, and expect to rake it back level every season.
Deeper than about two inches and it behaves like dry sand underfoot. It needs an edge or it leaves the area entirely.
Pea Gravel by the numbers
| Weight per cubic yard | 2,700–2,900 lb dry |
|---|---|
| Tons per cubic yard | about 1.4 |
| Bags in a cubic yard | 54 × 0.5 cu ft bags |
| Half-ton pickup, one trip | about 0.25 cubic yards |
| Usually priced by the | cubic yard |
| Typical delivered price | $25–80 per cubic yard |
Rounded stone, so it does not lock together — it stays loose and it migrates. Weight barely moves with rain because it does not absorb.