How Much Road Base for a 16x70 Driveway?
How much road base for a 16x70 driveway: at 4 inches deep you need about 13.83 cubic yards, which is roughly 20.7 tons at 1.5 tons per yard. The driveway covers 1,120 square feet, so every inch of depth adds about 3.46 yards.
Volume and tonnage calculator →The math for a 16x70 driveway
- Area: 16 × 70 = 1,120 sq ft.
- Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
- Cubic feet: 1,120 × 0.333 = 373.3 cu ft.
- Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 13.83 yd³.
- Tons: × 1.5 = 20.7 tons.
The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.
Road base needed by depth
| Depth | Cubic yards | Tons (approx.) | Tons +10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 13.83 | 20.7 | 22.8 |
| 6 in | 20.74 | 31.1 | 34.2 |
| 8 in | 27.65 | 41.5 | 45.6 |
About road base
Road base is meant to be compacted at close to the right moisture. Dry base rock does not lock up well; a light spray of water before rolling helps. Ask your supplier for their own tons-per-yard figure, since stone source and moisture shift it.
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. 22.8 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
Good uses:
- Base under asphalt and concrete
- Gravel roads and drives
- Equipment and shed pads
Poor fit for:
- 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 10x20 area at 2 inches takes about 1.9 tons.
- Weight used here: about 1.5 tons per cubic yard.
Mistakes that throw off the order
- Ignoring the base. A thin surface layer over soft soil fails early no matter how much material is on top.
- Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.
- Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons per yard.
- Forgetting that compaction shrinks loose material. A loose 4-inch spread of a dense-graded stone may finish closer to 3 inches after rolling.
Questions people ask
How many tons of road base for a 16x70 driveway?
About 20.7 tons at 4 inches deep, or 22.8 tons with 10 percent extra.
How many cubic yards is a 16x70 driveway at 4 inches?
About 13.83 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 16x70?
1,120 square feet.
Related guides
- Crushed Stone vs Gravel: Differences and Best Uses
- Tons to Cubic Yards for Gravel: Conversion Chart
- How Many Tons of Gravel in a Dump Truck? Loads and Coverage
- How Much Does a Ton of Gravel Cover? Depth Chart
- How Much Road Base for a 16x50 Driveway?
- How Much Road Base for a 16x60 Driveway?
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