We have calculators that give us the exact tonnage or yardage using the dimensions of the area to fill or cover. But, if you are up for a mathematical challenge, here goes:
- Multiply the length of the area to cover by the width. Make sure that all numbers are either in inches, feet, or yards. Don’t mix increments!
- Next, multiply the value from above by the depth of the cover you want to provide. For example, you may want to top-dress a driveway with crushed stone and have a 2” cover.
- Take this final number, known as the volume of material, and convert it to yards as follows:
- If you were using yards as your increments, do nothing more.
- If you were using feet as your increments, divide the number by 27.
- If you were using inches as your increments, divide the number by 46,656. (You really don’t want to use inches!)
- River Rock – 2.0
- Sand/Gravel – 1.5
- Crushed stone – 1.3
- Topsoil – 1 yard is equal to about 1 ton
- If you are buying product that is sold by the ton, multiply your “yardage” value by the following number to get tons:
