Your Result Explained: Exact Takeoff Breakdown
A 10 ft × 20 ft area equals 200 square feet—the standard footprint of a single-car residential driveway, side-yard RV/boat parking pad, or detached shed foundation. At a 4-inch loose depth with a 10% compaction factor, you need 73.33 cubic feet (2.72 cubic yards) of aggregate. Because a driveway must support 4,000-to-7,000-lb passenger vehicles without rutting, this preset uses Driveway Crusher Run / Quarry Process (DGA) at 2,800 lbs per cubic yard, totaling 3.80 US short tons (7,605 lbs).
Without the 10% compaction factor, the exact geometric volume of a 10×20×4" box is 66.67 cubic feet (2.47 cubic yards or 3.46 tons). However, when you run a vibratory plate compactor or drive vehicle tires over loose crusher run, the angular 3/4-inch stones and stone-dust fines lock together and compress by roughly 12%, reducing a 4.0-inch loose layer to about 3.52 inches compacted. Ordering the full 3.80 tons (typically rounded to a 4-ton quarry order) ensures your finished driveway meets grade.
At a typical quarry price of $35 to $50 per ton for crusher run ($42/ton average), 3.80 tons of stone costs about $159.60 before delivery. With a standard $75–$125 single-axle dump truck delivery fee, expect a total bulk material budget of $235 to $310. Buying the equivalent 147 retail 50-lb bags at $5.50 each would cost over $808 and require hauling 3.8 tons by hand.
Step-by-Step Math: 10 ft × 20 ft Driveway at 4" Depth
Calculating bulk Quarry Process / Crusher Run (2,800 lbs/yd³) for a 200 sq ft single-car parking pad at 4 inches deep with 10% mechanical compaction overage.
- Surface Area: 20 ft length × 10 ft width = 200.00 sq ft (18.58 sq m).
- Net Cubic Feet: 200 sq ft × (4 in ÷ 12) = 66.67 cu ft.
- Gross Cubic Feet (with 10% compaction allowance): 66.67 cu ft × 1.10 = 73.33 cu ft.
- Gross Cubic Yards: 73.33 cu ft ÷ 27 = 2.72 cubic yards (2.08 cu m).
- Total Weight in Pounds: 2.716 yd³ × 2,800 lbs/yd³ = 7,605 lbs (3,450 kg).
- Total US Short Tons: 7,605 lbs ÷ 2,000 = 3.80 tons (typical moisture range: 3.67 to 4.21 tons).
- Retail 50-lb Bag Equivalent (0.5 cu ft/bag): ceil(73.33 ÷ 0.5) = 147 bags.
Bottom Line: Call your local aggregate yard and order 4 tons (or 2.75 cubic yards) of crusher run / dense-grade base stone.
How This Scenario Is Calculated
We multiply the 20-foot length by the 10-foot width to get 200 square feet, then multiply by 4/12 of a foot (0.3333 ft) to find the exact geometric volume of 66.67 cubic feet. Adding 10% for plate compaction brings the required loose volume to 73.33 cubic feet, which divided by 27 cubic feet per cubic yard equals 2.72 cubic yards.
To convert volume into scale weight, we apply the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) planning density for dense-graded crusher run: 2,800 lbs (1.40 tons) per cubic yard. Multiplying 2.716 cubic yards by 1.40 tons/yd³ yields 3.80 US short tons, with a real-world quarry scale range of 3.67 to 4.21 tons depending on stockpile moisture.
Cubic Yards = [ Area (sq ft) × (Depth (in) ÷ 12) × (1 + Waste%) ] ÷ 27 Tons = [ Cubic Yards × Material Density (lbs/yd³) ] ÷ 2,000 Compacted Depth (in) ≈ Loose Depth (in) × 0.88 Project-Specific Tips & Common Mistakes
Crown the Center by 2 Inches for Drainage
Standing water softens a crusher-run driveway and causes potholes. Rake the center line of your 10-foot width about 1.5 to 2 inches higher than the outer edges (a 2% to 3% cross-slope) so rainwater sheets off into the yard.
Ask the Driver to Tailgate-Spread the Load
If your 10×20 driveway is straight and free of low tree limbs or power lines, an experienced dump truck driver can chain the tailgate and slowly drive forward while tipping, spreading 80% of the 3.80 tons evenly and saving you hours of wheelbarrow work.
Switch to #57 Stone If Resurfacing an Existing Base
If you already have a solid compacted sub-base and are only refreshing the top layer, switch the material dropdown to #57 Crushed Stone and reduce depth to 2 or 3 inches (which takes 2.53 tons at 3" or 1.69 tons at 2").
Mistake Dumping gravel directly over sod without stripping topsoil
Recommended Fix: Organic grass and soft black topsoil decompose and turn mushy when wet. Excavate 4 inches of sod and topsoil down to firm mineral subsoil and lay woven geotextile fabric before spreading your 3.80 tons of crusher run.
Mistake Using round pea gravel for a vehicle parking pad
Recommended Fix: Car tires sink into rounded pea gravel and spin out. Always use angular crushed stone (#57 or crusher run) whose fractured faces interlock under tire load.
Reference Coverage Table (Driveway Crusher Run / Quarry Process (DGA Base with Fines))
Compare how coverage changes across common depths for Driveway Crusher Run / Quarry Process (DGA Base with Fines) (default planning density 2800 lbs/yd³):
| Depth | 1 Cubic Yard Covers | 1 Ton Covers | Yards / 100 sq ft | Tons / 100 sq ft | Bags (0.5 ft³) / 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 115.7 sq ft | 0.62 yd³ | 0.87 tons | 34 bags |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 77.1 sq ft | 0.93 yd³ | 1.3 tons | 50 bags |
| 4 in Active | 81 sq ft | 57.9 sq ft | 1.23 yd³ | 1.72 tons | 67 bags |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 38.6 sq ft | 1.85 yd³ | 2.59 tons | 100 bags |
Reference Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) & ICPI Tech Spec 2 base aggregate guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 4 inches of gravel thick enough for a 10×20 driveway?
Four inches of compacted crusher run is sufficient when refreshing an existing gravel driveway or building a parking pad over firm, well-drained sandy or gravelly subsoil. If you are excavating a brand-new driveway over soft clay soil, increase total depth to 6 inches (5.70 tons) or 8 inches (7.61 tons) installed in two compacted lifts.
How many dump truck loads is 3.80 tons of gravel?
3.80 tons (2.72 cubic yards) fits easily into a single small landscape dump truck (which carries 5 to 7 tons). You will only pay a single delivery drop fee.
What if I use #57 clean crushed stone instead of crusher run for a 10×20 pad?
Because clean #57 stone lacks fine stone dust, it has more air void space and weighs 2,700 lbs/yd³ (1.35 tons/yd³) instead of 2,800 lbs/yd³. For a 10×20 pad at 4 inches deep with 10% overage, the volume stays 2.72 cubic yards, but the weight drops slightly from 3.80 tons to 3.67 tons (7,333 lbs).
How long does it take to spread 3.8 tons of gravel by hand?
Moving 3.80 tons (7,605 lbs) with a standard 6-cubic-foot contractor wheelbarrow takes about 20 to 25 full loads. Two people with square transfer shovels and a steel bow rake can move and grade the pile in roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
Should I wet crusher run before compacting my 10×20 pad?
Yes. Lightly misting crusher run with a hose nozzle (until damp like a wrung-out sponge, not puddling) lubricates the limestone or granite dust fines so they wash into the voids and cure into a tight, erosion-resistant surface after plate compaction.