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How Much Road Base for a 14x120 Driveway?

How much road base for a 14x120 driveway is a quick volume problem. 1,680 square feet at 4 inches comes to 20.74 cubic yards. Road base usually weighs about 1.4 to 1.65 compacted tons per cubic yard, so plan on roughly 31.1 tons.

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The math for a 14x120 driveway

  1. Area: 14 × 120 = 1,680 sq ft.
  2. Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
  3. Cubic feet: 1,680 × 0.333 = 560.0 cu ft.
  4. Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 20.74 yd³.
  5. Tons: × 1.5 = 31.1 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

Road base needed by depth

DepthCubic yardsTons (approx.)Tons +10%
4 in20.7431.134.2
6 in31.1146.751.3
8 in41.4862.268.4

About road base

Road base (also called base rock, ABC, or Class 2 base in different states) is a graded mix of stone and fines made to compact into a load-bearing layer. If the yard sells by the cubic yard instead of the ton, use the cubic-yard column directly.

Preparing the driveway

Strip sod and soft topsoil, grade for drainage and compact the subgrade before any stone goes down. Gravel drives last longer with a compacted base layer under the top stone and a slight crown so water runs off. For car and truck traffic, the depths in the table above are a reasonable starting range.

Ordering tips

  • Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
  • Delivery size. 34.2 tons may take more than one typical dump truck load; small loads may carry a delivery fee. See how many tons of gravel in a dump truck.
  • Bulk vs bags. At this size bulk delivery is usually the practical choice.
  • Where it drops. Have the truck dump as close to the driveway as firm ground allows.

Good and poor uses for road base

Works well for:

  • Base under asphalt and concrete
  • Gravel roads and drives
  • Equipment and shed pads

Less suited to:

  • Drainage layers
  • Decorative surfaces
  • Surfaces that will stay uncompacted

Quick reference numbers

  • Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.46 tons of road base (0.31 cubic yards).
  • Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.6 tons.
  • Another size for comparison: a 12x24 area at 4 inches takes about 5.3 tons.
  • Weight used here: about 1.5 tons per cubic yard.

Where estimates go wrong

  • Ignoring the base. A thin surface layer over soft soil fails early no matter how much material is on top.
  • Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.
  • Measuring only the main rectangle. Aprons, turnouts and curved edges add real square footage.
  • Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons per yard.

Questions people ask

How many tons of road base for a 14x120 driveway?

About 31.1 tons at 4 inches deep, or 34.2 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 14x120 driveway at 4 inches?

About 20.74 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of road base weigh?

Usually around 1.4 to 1.65 compacted tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should road base be for a driveway?

The table above shows 4 to 8 inches. Shallower depths suit top dressing; deeper depths suit new installs and heavier use.

How many square feet is 14x120?

1,680 square feet.

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