Pea gravel calculator for North Dakota
For fire pits, patios, paths, and play spaces, calculate tons of 3/8 inch rounded stone.
Enter your project dimensions
At 3/8 inch, pea gravel is a rounded, pea-sized stone. Although it feels soft underfoot, it is dense at 2,800 lb per cubic yard, or 1.4 tons, matching crushed gravel. The right depth matters, especially where deep frost makes base preparation important. Below 2 inches, the surface can show through; above 3 inches, it shifts under each step like loose beach sand. Use this pea gravel calculator to convert your measurements to tons, with preset depths for the exception to the 2 to 3 inch guideline: play areas.
Convert your area to tons
- Calculate the footprint from length times width, or use the diameter when the fire-pit surround is round.
- For areas people walk on, use 2 to 3 inches. Playground fall zones need 9 to 12 inches kept at depth.
- Divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply yards by 1.4 for tons.
Material coverage
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 1 ton covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | ≈ 116 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft | ≈ 77 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | ≈ 58 sq ft |
| 12 inches, play area | 27 sq ft | ≈ 19 sq ft |
| Project | Typical size | Depth | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patio / seating area | 12 x 12 ft | 3" | 1.3 yd³ | 1.9 tons |
| Garden walkway | 25 x 3 ft | 2.5" | 0.6 yd³ | 0.8 tons |
| Fire-pit surround | 12 ft round | 3" | 1 yd³ | 1.5 tons |
| Playground fall zone | 20 x 20 ft | 12" | 14.8 yd³ | 20.7 tons |
| Dog run | 15 x 8 ft | 3" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.6 tons |
Edging keeps stone contained
Because pea gravel is round, it moves. When stone leaves its bed, the usual cause is no border or edging that has settled. Set steel, aluminum, timber or paver edging an inch above the finished surface to hold the gravel in place. Flush edging allows stones to spill over during a season. At grades over about 5%, rain and foot traffic can move gravel downhill even with edging. For slopes, place a honeycomb stabilizing grid beneath the gravel, or choose angular crushed stone that interlocks.
Comparing pea gravel, crushed gravel, and river rock
For bare feet, pea gravel is the softer option, though it can move around. Crushed walkway gravel has sharper edges but grips together and handles slopes. River rock is larger and decorative, suited to beds instead of foot traffic. Prices generally rise in that same order. One yard might have crushed gravel on a sloping side path, pea gravel by a fire pit, and river rock beside the foundation. Compare material amounts for the same footprint with each calculator in about a minute.
Field project notes
- Patios: Start with 2 inches of compacted screenings to support chair legs, then place 2 to 3 inches of pea gravel above it.
- Play areas: Check the equipment manual, since the standard fall-zone specification calls for 9 to 12 inches of maintained depth. One ton at 12 inches reaches only about 19 square feet, so calculate the amount instead of judging by sight.
- Fire pits: Use 3 inches. The stone will not burn, and rain can drain from the seating area overnight.
- Dog runs: Use 2 to 3 inches of rounded stone. It is easier on paws and washes clean.
- Walkways: Level the gravel with a rake twice yearly, then add material to the travel line every couple of seasons using a bucket or two kept aside.
Example calculation: a 12-foot fire-pit circle
For a circle measuring 12-foot in diameter, the area is 113 square feet. At 3 inches, 113 x 0.25 = 28 cubic feet = 1.05 cubic yards, a little less than 1.5 tons. Buy 1.5, then save the small excess for the high-traffic edge next spring.
Pea gravel weights and measurements
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For a walkway, pea gravel or crushed gravel?
Other calculators
Most patios need under two tons of material.
3/8 inch natural pea gravel sold by the ton.
