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PROJECT PLANNER

Driveway Planner

Estimate how much gravel you need for a driveway by layer. Set the footprint, build a sub-base, base and surface plan, adjust material density and pricing, and calculate cubic yards, tons, truckloads and optional material cost.

Planning tool

Layer depths are editable examples, not structural recommendations. Soil, drainage, traffic loads and local specifications can change the required design.

PROJECT SETUP

Driveway measurements

Project type

Example setup: sub-base, base and surface layers. Adjust every depth for your actual project.

DELIVERY PLANNING

Truck payload

Use an editable planning payload to estimate how many separate loads each material layer may require.

Leave blank to hide load estimates.

LAYERS

Build the driveway section

Set a layer depth to 0 to leave that layer out of the project.

01

Sub-base

Active
02

Base

Active
03

Surface

Active

Densities are editable planning values. If your supplier provides a product-specific bulk density, use that value instead.

PROJECT OUTPUT

Turn the estimate into an action plan

Use the sequence as a planning checklist and the supplier summary as a concise handoff when requesting material pricing or delivery.

PLANNING SEQUENCE

Example project order

7 steps

This is a planning sequence, not a structural specification. Actual preparation, drainage, compaction and layer requirements depend on the site and project.

  1. 01
    Prepare and grade

    Confirm dimensions, drainage direction and finished level before placing aggregate.

  2. 02
    Place sub-base

    Large aggregate · 6 in

  3. 03
    Compact sub-base

    Compact in suitable lifts according to the project and equipment being used.

  4. 04
    Place base

    Crusher run · 4 in

  5. 05
    Compact base

    Re-check grade and levels before the surface course.

  6. 06
    Place surface

    General gravel · 2 in

  7. 07
    Final grade and check

    Confirm finished surface, edges and drainage before closing out the project.

SUPPLIER SUMMARY

Material request

Ready

Prices and truckloads are planning estimates. Confirm product density, payload limits, availability and final pricing with the supplier.

GRAVEL DRIVEWAY PLANNING GUIDE

How much gravel do I need for a driveway?

A gravel driveway estimate is more useful when each material stays separate. MetricSketch applies the same footprint to every active layer, then converts each layer into order volume, estimated tons or tonnes, optional material cost and delivery-load estimates.

01

Measure the footprint

Enter the driveway length and width in US or metric units. The same footprint is used for every active layer in the plan.

02

Build the layer stack

Keep sub-base, base and surface materials separate. Set a depth to zero when a layer is not part of your project.

03

Prepare the order plan

Add an ordering allowance, optional prices and a truck payload to produce a shopping list and supplier-ready material summary.

UNDERSTANDING THE LAYERS

Sub-base, base and surface stay independent.

Sub-base

The lower aggregate course in a layered plan. Material and depth are editable because site conditions and project specifications vary.

Base

The intermediate aggregate course. MetricSketch keeps its quantity, density, price and estimated loads separate from the other layers.

Surface

The upper material course. A refresh project can use only this layer, while a new driveway can include all three.

Layer depths in the planner are editable examples, not engineering recommendations. Soil, drainage, traffic loads, climate and local requirements can change the appropriate driveway design.

WORKED EXAMPLE

Example: a 40 ft × 18 ft layered gravel driveway

The default example has a 720 ft² footprint with 6 in of sub-base, 4 in of base and 2 in of surface material. With a 10% ordering allowance, the three layers total about 29.33 yd³ and approximately 46.20 US tons using the example densities in the planner.

Sub-base14.67 yd³≈ 23.47 US tons
Base9.78 yd³≈ 15.16 US tons
Surface4.89 yd³≈ 7.58 US tons

With the default 20 US ton payload, those example materials require four planned loads because each layer is treated as a separate material order. Confirm actual product density, load limits and driveway design with your supplier or project specification.

RELATED MetricSketch TOOLS

Use the Driveway Planner for layered gravel driveways. For one standalone gravel quantity, use the Gravel Calculator. For patios and walkways use the Paver Calculator. If the driveway surface will be asphalt, use the Asphalt Calculator, or move into Project Builder when you want geometry, materials and costs in one connected workspace.

Gravel CalculatorEstimate aggregate volume, weight and cost.Paver CalculatorEstimate pavers, base, sand, edging and waste.Asphalt CalculatorEstimate paved volume, tons and asphalt material cost.Project BuilderMove from one calculation to a complete 2D and 3D project.
View all MetricSketch tools

DRIVEWAY PLANNER FAQ

Common planning questions

How much gravel do I need for a driveway?

Enter the driveway length and width, then set a depth for each active layer. MetricSketch calculates cubic yards or cubic meters, estimated tons or tonnes, optional cost and truckloads for each material before combining them into a project total.

Can I use it to refresh an existing gravel driveway?

Yes. Choose Refresh existing to start with only the surface layer active. You can add base or sub-base again by entering a depth greater than zero.

How many tons and truckloads of driveway gravel do I need?

The planner converts each layer's volume to estimated weight using its material density. Enter a planning payload per load and MetricSketch divides each layer weight by that payload and rounds up, keeping different materials as separate delivery estimates.

What driveway layer depth should I use?

The planner does not prescribe a structural depth. Use the requirements for your site, design or supplier, then enter those depths to estimate quantities.

Why add extra material?

The extra-material percentage adds an ordering allowance above the calculated compacted volume. Set it to zero when you only want the geometric quantity.

Are the prices and quantities final order values?

No. They are planning estimates. Confirm the product density, delivery units, availability, final quantity and current pricing with your supplier before purchasing.