Home / Home projects / Gravel
Gravel calculator
Work out how much gravel or decorative chipping a drive, path or border needs, in tonnes and in bulk bags.
Your details
Measure the area and choose a depth.
In metres.
In metres.
In millimetres. 40 to 50mm for a path, 50mm over a membrane for a drive.
A percentage. Most trades allow ten per cent.
How deep
Forty to fifty millimetres is right for most paths and drives. Deeper does not look better and makes walking hard work; on a driveway it also lets tyres cut ruts. Under a new drive, a compacted sub-base with a weed membrane on top does the work, and the gravel is the wearing layer.
Bulk bags and loose loads
A bulk bag is usually around 850 kilograms rather than a full tonne, which is where most short orders come from. Above about three tonnes, a tipped loose load is normally cheaper, provided there is somewhere to tip it.