River Rock Calculator
Decorative river rock is sold by the cubic yard or ton in bulk and by the bag at the store. Enter the area and depth for all three.
Cubic yards
0.62cu yd
- Tons (approx)
- 0.86 tons
- Cubic feet
- 16.7 cu ft
- Bags (0.5 cu ft)
- 34 bags
How it’s calculated
Volume = area × depth. Area is length × width; multiply by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12) for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. Tons ≈ cubic yards × 1.4 (river rock runs roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard). Bags = cubic feet ÷ the bag's size, rounded up.
Worked example
A 10 ft × 10 ft bed, 2 inches deep: 100 sq ft × (2 ÷ 12) ≈ 16.7 cubic feet ÷ 27 ≈ 0.62 cubic yards (~0.86 tons). In 0.5-cu-ft bags: 16.7 ÷ 0.5 ≈ 34 bags.
FAQs
- How deep should river rock be?
- 2–3 inches covers the ground and hides soil for most decorative beds; use more for drainage swales or high-traffic paths. Over landscape fabric, 2 inches is usually enough.
- How much does a cubic yard of river rock weigh?
- Around 1.4 tons (≈2,800 lb), varying with stone type (granite, limestone, and basalt all differ), size, and moisture. This calculator uses ~1.4 tons per cubic yard as a planning figure — confirm your supplier's per-yard weight.
- Should I order by the yard or the ton?
- Stone yards quote both; the ton figure here lets you compare. For anything past a yard or so, bulk delivery beats bagged on both price and effort.
Sources
- Coverage geometry: 1 cu yd = 27 cu ft. River rock density ≈1.4 tons/cu yd (varies with stone size/moisture). Bagged stone ≈0.5 cu ft — verify on the bag.