Gravel Driveway Calculator
Work out both layers of a gravel drive: the Type 1 sub-base and the gravel on top. Get tonnes, bulk bags and a rough cost.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 0.90 m³.
If you buy bags
If you buy bulk bags
Do one layer at a time: pick the layer, then its depth. A drive holds weight, so check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
What it costs
£75 a bulk bag of 20 mm gravel, with VAT, is the middle of only 3 UK sellers (Oct 2026). Treat it as a rough guide.
Quick answers
- A 6 × 3 m drive
- About 1.44 tonnes of gravel at 50 mm, and 5.62 tonnes of Type 1 at 150 mm. That is 2 + 8 bulk bags.
- Gravel depth
- About 50 mm (2 inches) of 20 mm gravel, says Mainland Aggregates. Deeper gravel can rut.
- Sub-base
- 100–150 mm of Type 1, packed, says Marshalls. Mainland Aggregates says at least 100 mm, and 150 mm if you can.
- Whole dig
- About 200 mm: 150 mm of sub-base plus 50 mm of gravel. A UK government guide gives 200–250 mm in all.
- What a tonne of driveway gravel covers
- About 12.5 m² at 50 mm deep. One 800 kg bulk bag covers about 10 m².
How to work it out
- Measure the drive in metres. Split an L-shape into two parts. Length × width gives m².
- Gravel: m² × 0.05 (for 50 mm) × 1.6 = tonnes of gravel.
- Sub-base: m² × 0.15 (for 150 mm, packed) × 2.08 = tonnes of Type 1.
- Divide each by 0.8 for 800 kg bulk bags. Round each one up.
Area: 6 × 3 = 18 m²
Gravel: 18 × 0.05 × 1.6 = 1.44 t → 2 bags
Type 1: 18 × 0.15 × 2.08 = 5.62 t → 8 bags
What do I need for a gravel driveway?
A gravel drive is built in layers, from the bottom up:
- Dig out about 200 mm. The UK government's front garden guide gives 200–250 mm in all.
- Weed membrane on the dug-out ground, under the sub-base, says Mainland Aggregates. Not between the sub-base and the gravel.
- MOT Type 1 sub-base: 100–150 mm once packed, says Marshalls. Mainland Aggregates says at least 100 mm, and 150 mm if you can.
- Gravel: 20 mm stones, no more than 50 mm deep (Mainland). JT Atkinson gives 50–75 mm, by how busy the drive is.
Pack the Type 1 down hard before the gravel goes on. Our Type 1 calculator has more on packing.
Driveway gravel and sub-base for common sizes
Both layers, worked out together. Gravel is 50 mm deep, and Type 1 is 150 mm after packing.
| Drive | Gravel | Type 1 | Cost | Bags in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 3 m | 1.44 t (2) | 5.62 t (8) | £750 | 10 |
| 10 × 3 m | 2.40 t (3) | 9.36 t (12) | £1,125 | 15 |
| 10 × 5 m | 4.00 t (5) | 15.60 t (20) | £1,875 | 25 |
| 15 × 6 m | 7.20 t (9) | 28.08 t (36) | £3,375 | 45 |
Bags are 800 kg. Cost uses our middle price of £75 a bag, with VAT. Delivery not added.
For a big drive, loose loads cost less per tonne. One small tipper firm in Sussex and Kent sells Type 1 at £69.99 a tonne with VAT. See our aggregate calculator for more loose prices.
How much does it cost to install a gravel driveway in the UK?
Laid by a firm, one cost guide, MyJobQuote, gives £40–£70 per m². It does not say if VAT is in. For a 6 × 3 m drive, that is about £720–£1,260.
How to price a gravel driveway
- Work out the m² and the tonnes of each layer with the calculator.
- Materials: count the bulk bags and multiply by your supplier's price. Add delivery.
- Laid by a firm: m² × £40–£70. Use this to check the quotes you get.
For a 6 × 3 m drive, the bags alone cost about £750 with VAT, at our middle prices. To compare with tarmac, see our tarmac driveway cost calculator.
What size gravel or rock for a driveway?
- 20 mm gravel is what Mainland Aggregates says to use on drives.
- Not 6 or 10 mm. Mainland says these small sizes, like pea gravel, are not for drives. See our pea gravel calculator for paths.
- On grids: IBRAN says 20 mm angular gravel is best for drives. Nidagravel says angular gravel, 6–14 mm, and no bigger than 20 mm.
Loose gravel can scatter, says the government guide. A strip of block paving or tarmac at the entrance limits this.
Gravel grids for a driveway
A gravel grid is a panel of cells that you fill with gravel. IBRAN and Nidagravel, two UK makers, sell panels 500 × 500 mm and 40 mm deep. That is 4 panels per m².
Nidagravel says a filled panel weighs 20–21 kg. So the cells take about 75–79 kg of gravel per m². A tonne fills about 12.7–13.4 m².
| Area | Grids | Gravel to fill | Grid cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 m² | 72 | 1.3–1.4 t | £298 |
| 30 m² | 120 | 2.2–2.4 t | £497 |
| 60 m² | 240 | 4.5–4.7 t | £994 |
Grid cost is Nidagravel's £13.80 per m² plus VAT (£16.56 with VAT, used here), from one maker. Gravel on top of the grid is extra; no maker gave a depth.
For grids, IBRAN digs out 150–300 mm, by use. That holds the Type 1 sub-base, 10–20 mm of sharp sand or granite dust, and the 40 mm grid.
Planning permission and drainage (England)
The rule is in a 2008 UK government guide to front gardens:
- No permission needed for a new or replacement front drive of any size, if it lets rain soak through. Gravel does.
- It is also fine if rain runs off to a lawn or border.
- Permission needed for over 5 m² of a surface that drains to the road and does not let rain through. Plain concrete or tarmac are like this.
This guide is for England. Wales and Scotland have their own rules, so check with your council.
Questions people ask
How much gravel do I need for my driveway?
Area in m² × 0.05 × 1.6 gives tonnes at 50 mm deep. A 6 × 3 m drive takes about 1.44 tonnes, or 2 bulk bags. Add the sub-base too.
How much sub-base do I need for a gravel driveway?
Marshalls gives 100–150 mm of Type 1 for a drive. At 150 mm, packed, a 6 × 3 m drive takes about 5.62 tonnes. That is 8 bulk bags.
How deep does a gravel driveway need to be?
About 200 mm (8 inches) in all: 150 mm of packed Type 1 and 50 mm of gravel. The UK government's front garden guide gives 200–250 mm.
What size gravel do I need for my driveway?
20 mm gravel, says Mainland Aggregates. It says don't use 6 or 10 mm gravel on a drive.
Do I need planning permission for a gravel driveway?
Not in England, if the gravel lets rain soak through or rain runs off to a lawn or border. You need it for over 5 m² of front drive that sheds rain onto the road.
Do you need gravel grids for a driveway?
Our sources do not say you must. Two UK makers sell grids for gravel drives, 4 panels per m². IBRAN says 20 mm angular gravel is best for drives. Nidagravel says no bigger than 20 mm.
How much gravel to top up a driveway?
Measure how deep the gravel is now. Keep it to 50 mm in all, says Mainland Aggregates. Each 10 mm you add takes about 16 kg per m². That is about 288 kg on a 6 × 3 m drive.
How much gravel per m² for a driveway?
About 80 kg of gravel per m², at 50 mm deep. Under it goes about 312 kg of Type 1 per m², 150 mm deep once packed.
Where our numbers come from
- Mainland Aggregates: gravel driveway guide
- Marshalls: sub-base depths; MOT Type 1 for driveways
- JT Atkinson: gravel depth guide
- UK government guide to paving front gardens
- Gravel weight: Wickes UK 20 mm gravel bulk bag (800 kg covers 20 m² at 25 mm)
- Type 1 weight and price: Wickes 800 kg bag (checked Oct 2026)
- Small bags: Wickes Major Bags (22.5 kg sand, 22.5 kg gravel)
- Packing down: Penn State road-stone guide (8 in loose packs to 6 in)
- Bulk bag prices: the middle price from 3 UK sellers each (Wickes, Tippers, Lawsons; Oct 2026)
- Mainland Aggregates: 850 kg bulk bags
- Gravel grid size and build-up: IBRAN UK maker
- Gravel grid fill weight and price: Nidagravel NG040
- Pea gravel bulk bag covers about 12 m²: Heidelberg data sheet
- Small-access loose loads per tonne: Tiny Tipper (inc VAT)
- Tarmac per tonne, resurfacing and drive surfaces: MyJobQuote (VAT not stated)
- Unit sizes: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (1 ft = 0.3048 m; 1 US gallon = 231 cubic inches)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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