How Much Gravel for a 8x10 Patio?

A 8 by 10 foot patio is 80 square feet. How much gravel for a 8x10 patio depends on depth: at 3 inches it is about 0.74 cubic yards or 1.0 tons. Suppliers usually sell by the ton, so the tonnage is the number to give them.

Volume and tonnage calculator →

The math for a 8x10 patio

Area: 8 × 10 = 80 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 3 ÷ 12 = 0.250 ft.
Cubic feet: 80 × 0.250 = 20.0 cu ft.
Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 0.74 yd³.
Tons: × 1.4 = 1.0 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

Gravel needed by depth

Depth	Cubic yards	Tons (approx.)	Tons +10%
2 in	0.49	0.7	0.8
3 in	0.74	1.0	1.1
4 in	0.99	1.4	1.5
6 in	1.48	2.1	2.3

About gravel

Plain gravel is a loose term. Yards use it for rounded bank or river stone as well as for crushed rock, so ask whether the load is washed, crushed or a mix before you lock in a tonnage. Ask your supplier for their own tons-per-yard figure, since stone source and moisture shift it.

Preparing the patio

Remove sod, level the area with a slight slope away from the house, and lay landscape fabric if weeds are a concern. Edging keeps loose material inside the patio footprint. For foot traffic and furniture, 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. 1.1 tons fits in a single 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 about 1.0 tons this job is small enough that bagged material could work; a 0.5 cubic foot bag holds about 1/54 of a yard, so compare the bag count with a bulk minimum.
Where it drops. Have the truck dump as close to the patio as firm ground allows.

Where gravel fits

Good uses:

Rural driveways and lanes where low upfront cost matters
Drainage areas and around downspouts
Temporary access while a site is under construction

Think twice for:

Steep slopes, where loose stone washes downhill
Spots plowed often, since plows push gravel into the lawn
Areas next to doors, because stone tracks inside

Quick reference numbers

Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.43 tons of gravel (0.31 cubic yards).
Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.3 tons.
Another size for comparison: a 8x16 area at 2 inches takes about 1.1 tons.
Weight used here: about 1.4 tons per cubic yard.

Mistakes that throw off the order

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.
Using inches as if they were feet. Depth has to be divided by 12 before you multiply; skipping that step inflates the order twelvefold.
Skipping drainage. Water sitting under any surface softens the base and leads to ruts and potholes.

Questions people ask

How many tons of gravel for a 8x10 patio?

About 1.0 tons at 3 inches deep, or 1.1 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 8x10 patio at 3 inches?

About 0.74 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of gravel weigh?

Usually around 1.3 to 1.5 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should gravel be for a patio?

The table above shows 2 to 6 inches. Shallower depths suit top dressing; deeper depths suit new installs and heavier use.

How many square feet is 8x10?

80 square feet.

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