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How Much Gravel for 24×24 ft at 6 Inches Deep?

24×24 ft of ground at 6 inches needs this much gravel, converted to cubic yards, tons and 50 lb bags. Here is the answer, plus a calculator you can adjust if your measurements are slightly different.

Answer: 10.67 cubic yards

How it changes with depth (in)

Same area, different depth (in):

Depth (in)	2	4	6
Gravel needed	3.56 cubic yards	7.11 cubic yards	10.67 cubic yards
Depth	2 in	4 in	6 in

What 24×24 ft at 6 inches deep actually involves

24×24 ft at 6 in is 14.93 tons, so this is a delivery rather than a collection. The order is roughly 2 full dump-truck loads — more than any pickup should carry. Book the delivery and decide where the truck dumps before it arrives: on a driveway it will be in the way, on the lawn it will leave a crater, and on the finished area it is in the wrong place forever.

The area is 576 ft². At 6 in deep that is 288.0 ft³ of stone, or 10.67 yd³. Gravel is sold by weight, so the number that matters at the yard is 14.93 tons, assuming the usual ≈1.4 tons per cubic yard. Everything below is worked out from those figures.

Base course or surface dressing?

6 in is base-course depth for a driveway or parking area. Stone this deep only works if it is placed in two lifts and compacted between them — dumping 6 in at once leaves the lower half loose, and the surface will rut the first time a loaded vehicle crosses it. Below the gravel you still want geotextile or a compacted sub-base on soft ground.

Match the depth to the job rather than picking a number:

Use	Depth	What goes below
Decorative bed, top-up	2 in	woven weed fabric over soil
Garden path, foot traffic	2–4 in	compacted sub-base or fabric
Driveway surface layer	2–3 in	4–6 in compacted crushed base
Driveway base, bare ground	6 in+	geotextile on soft soil

Ordering: bags, tons or trucks

Option	Quantity	Estimated cost
50 lb bags	598 bags	$3,588
Bulk, loose	10.67 yd³ — 14.93 tons	$480
Pickup collection	22 trips	$480 + fuel
Dump truck delivery	2 loads	$480 + delivery
Perimeter edging	101 lin ft	24 ft + 24 ft doubled, plus 5% for corners

The area is square at 24 ft × 24 ft, so there is no long run and no awkward narrow end: spread it in even passes, working back toward the entrance. The perimeter is 101 linear ft once you allow 5% for corners.

Bulk comes to about $480 for 10.67 yd³ against $3,588 in 50 lb bags — a large saving that gets bigger as the order grows. Bagged stone only makes sense when the quantity is tiny or the truck cannot reach the spot.

Costs assume $6 per 50 lb bag and $45 per cubic yard loose. Weight uses 1.4 US tons per cubic yard, though decorative and lighter stone runs nearer 1.25 and dense crushed rock up to 1.45. Delivery and minimum-order charges are local, so get a delivered price before you decide.

Laying gravel so it stays put

Strip the topsoil. Gravel spread over grass or soft earth sinks within a season — the soil pumps up through it and the surface turns to mush.
On soft ground lay a woven geotextile before any stone. It separates the stone from the soil so the two do not mix, and it does most of the work of keeping the surface firm.
Build in lifts. Compact each ≤4 in layer with a plate compactor before the next, and water it lightly as you go so the fines bind.
You are moving 14.93 tons — about 10.67 yd³. Work from the far end back toward the entrance so you are not walking on the finished surface.
Edge it, or it will migrate into the lawn. Timber, steel strip or a shallow concrete curb all work; without an edge the stone spreads a little further every month.
Weed fabric belongs under decorative beds, not under a driveway base: traffic tears it, and once it rucks it creates a soft spot right where you need the surface firmest.

Common questions

How much gravel for 24×24 ft at 6 inches deep?

About 10.67 cubic yards, or 14.93 tons. The area is 576 ft² and 6 in deep gives 288.0 ft³ of stone; dividing by 27 gives cubic yards and multiplying by 1.4 gives the tonnage. That is roughly 598 × 50 lb bags if you buy bagged.

How many tons are in a cubic yard of gravel?

Roughly 1.4 US tons. It ranges from about 1.25 tons for lightweight decorative stone to 1.45 for dense crushed rock, and wet stone weighs more than dry. This calculator uses 1.4, a safe middle figure. At this depth one cubic yard covers about 54 ft².

How many pickup loads is 14.93 tons of gravel?

About 22 trips allowing half a cubic yard per trip. Be careful here: a half-ton pickup is rated for about 1,000 lb, which is only 0.35 cubic yards, and a full load of stone is well over that. Check your payload sticker rather than filling the bed.

How deep should gravel be for a driveway?

Six inches of compacted crushed base for a driveway, placed in lifts and compacted between them, topped with two to three inches of decorative stone if you want a finished look. Paths need two to four inches. This page is worked at 6 in — 6 in is base-course depth for a driveway or parking area.