Free, code-sourced calculators for ground work and landscaping — gravel, dirt, mulch, sand, sod, seed, pavers, retaining walls, and asphalt. Every formula is traced to a published spec so your material order is right the first time.
Almost every ordering error in sitework comes from mixing up the two units suppliers quote in. Cubic yards measure space. Tons measure mass. Converting between them requires the density of the specific material, and those densities are not close to each other — a cubic yard of dry mulch weighs around 400–800 lb, while a cubic yard of wet gravel can push 3,000 lb. Order "10 yards" when the quarry priced you "10 tons" of crushed stone and you will receive roughly a third of what you planned for.
The safe habit is to calculate volume first, because volume is what your tape measure gives you, then convert to the unit on the supplier's price sheet as the last step. Every calculator in this category shows both figures side by side for that reason.
| Material | Tons per cubic yard | Pounds per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Bark mulch (dry) | ~0.25 | ~500 |
| Compost / garden soil | ~0.55 | ~1,100 |
| Screened topsoil (dry) | ~1.0 | ~2,000 |
| Dry sand | ~1.35 | ~2,700 |
| Mason / paver sand | ~1.45 | ~2,900 |
| Crushed stone / gravel | ~1.4 | ~2,800 |
| Crusher run (compactable base) | ~1.5 | ~3,000 |
| Wet fill dirt | ~1.6 | ~3,200 |
| Hot-mix asphalt | ~2.0 | ~4,000 |
Densities vary with moisture content, aggregate size, and how recently the pile was screened. Ask your supplier for their working figure before a large order — most quarries publish one.
Depth drives volume more aggressively than people expect, because it multiplies across the entire area. Doubling a gravel base from 3 to 6 inches doubles the tonnage and the delivery cost. These are the depths the calculators default to, and why:
| Application | Typical depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch, established beds | 2–3 in | Deeper smothers roots and holds damp against stems |
| Mulch, weed suppression | 3–4 in | Below 3 in, light reaches weed seed |
| Topsoil for new lawn | 4–6 in | Sod needs less; seed on poor subsoil needs more |
| Paver bedding sand | 1 in | Thicker beds rut under load — the base does the work |
| Paver / patio gravel base | 4–6 in | Compacted in 2–3 in lifts |
| Driveway gravel base | 6–8 in | 8–12 in on soft or clay subgrade |
| Driveway top course | 2–3 in | Replenished periodically, not a one-time order |
| Residential asphalt | 2–3 in compacted | Over 6–8 in of compacted aggregate base |
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Spread flat, coverage falls off in direct proportion to depth, which makes this the fastest sanity check on any quantity you have calculated:
| Spread depth | Coverage per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft |
Bagged product is a different scale entirely. A 2 cu ft bag of mulch covers about 12 sq ft at 2 inches, so a cubic yard is roughly 13½ bags. Past about 3 cubic yards, bulk delivery is almost always cheaper than bags even after the delivery fee — the calculators show the crossover.
Bulk material is priced in two parts: the material and getting it to you. A tandem dump truck typically carries 10–14 cubic yards or 12–16 tons, and most suppliers charge a flat delivery fee per load regardless of how full it is. That means a 4-yard order and a 10-yard order often cost nearly the same to deliver, and two separate small deliveries almost always cost more than one correctly sized one.
Three practical constraints worth settling before you order:
Last reviewed August 2026 · how we source these figures