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How Much Road Base for a 22x300 Driveway?

A 22 by 300 foot driveway is 6,600 square feet. How much road base for a 22x300 driveway depends on depth: at 4 inches it is about 81.48 cubic yards or 122.2 tons. Suppliers usually sell by the ton, so the tonnage is the number to give them.

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The math for a 22x300 driveway

  1. Area: 22 × 300 = 6,600 sq ft.
  2. Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
  3. Cubic feet: 6,600 × 0.333 = 2,200.0 cu ft.
  4. Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 81.48 yd³.
  5. Tons: × 1.5 = 122.2 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

Road base needed by depth

DepthCubic yardsTons (approx.)Tons +10%
4 in81.48122.2134.4
6 in122.22183.3201.7
8 in162.96244.4268.9

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. 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. Since the driveway carries car and truck traffic, a little extra depth is cheap insurance.

Ordering tips

  • Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
  • Delivery size. 134.4 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

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 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.
  • Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.
  • Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.
  • Skipping drainage. Water sitting under any surface softens the base and leads to ruts and potholes.

Questions people ask

How many tons of road base for a 22x300 driveway?

About 122.2 tons at 4 inches deep, or 134.4 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 22x300 driveway at 4 inches?

About 81.48 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 22x300?

6,600 square feet.

Related guides

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