Updated October 26, 2026 · Methods & editorial approach
Compare two gravel quotes.
Put a price per yard beside a price per ton. See the delivered cost, purchased quantity and leftover volume after each supplier’s order rules.
Example prices are invented, not market quotes. Confirm both products suit your project and use loose volume on both sides. Each weight quote uses its own supplier density; a cheaper result does not establish equivalent material quality. All money is USD; include taxes consistently in both quotes or leave both before tax.
Enter your quotes to see both calculations.
Put both quotes on the same basis
A price per ton cannot be compared directly with a price per cubic yard. First identify the exact product, the required quantity and the unit used by each supplier. Then add delivery and any minimum-order charge. The examples below use invented prices to explain the calculation; they are not current market prices or quotes for your address.
Calculate volume from a specified depth
Suppose your installer specifies a 20 × 10 foot area with a 4-inch layer for this estimate. Volume is 20 × 10 × 4 ÷ 324 = 2.469 cubic yards before allowance. A chosen 5% allowance brings it to 2.593 cubic yards. Four inches here is an example input, not a complete driveway design. A new driveway may have separately specified layers, drainage and ground preparation that this single-layer example does not describe.
Convert only with a stated density
Assume a supplier confirms 1.4 US tons per cubic yard for the product being quoted. The unrounded volume with allowance multiplied by 1.4 gives about 3.630 US tons. If another supplier quotes a different product or density, reconcile that difference before comparing totals. A US short ton is 2,000 pounds; do not silently substitute a metric tonne.
Example quote A: charged by the ton
At an illustrative $50 per US ton, the estimated material charge is about $181.48. Add an illustrative $80 delivery fee and the total is $261.48 before tax, assuming fractional-ton billing with no minimum. If the supplier instead requires a 4-ton minimum, material becomes $200 and the delivered total becomes $280. Ask whether a minimum is a billing rule, an actual load quantity, or both.
Example quote B: charged by the yard
At an illustrative $65 per cubic yard, 2.593 cubic yards costs about $168.52 using the unrounded estimate. Add $120 delivery: $288.52 before tax. If the supplier sells only whole yards, a 3-yard order costs $195 plus $120 delivery, or $315. The lower-looking unit price does not settle the comparison, and supplier rounding changes the bill.
Ask what the delivery fee covers
Request a written total for the same product and delivery address. Confirm the minimum, order increment, number of loads, tax treatment, and any access or unloading requirements. A price for tipping a pile is not a price for spreading and compacting it. If a contractor is installing the material, ask for excavation, removal, base preparation, edging, drainage and labour to be itemised as applicable.
Use the calculator without double counting
Enter measurements, allowance, the confirmed density and the quoted material price in the gravel calculator. Its cost result covers material only. Add delivery and other quoted charges separately, then apply the supplier’s actual billing rules. Keep the unrounded calculated quantity for the comparison and round money at the end. Do not add a second allowance if the quoted quantity already includes it.
A useful note to send with a quote request
Write down: product name; project dimensions; specified layer depth; estimated cubic yards; chosen allowance; density if supplied; and whether you need delivery only or installation. Ask the supplier to confirm the final purchase quantity and delivered total. That makes differences between quotes visible instead of hiding them in a single price per ton.
When the cheaper ton is the more expensive order
Consider 3 loose cubic yards with no minimums or order increments and identical $80 delivery fees. Supplier A quotes $50 per US ton at a confirmed 1.4 US tons/yd³: 3 × 1.4 × $50 + $80 = $290. Supplier B quotes $46 per US ton at 1.6 US tons/yd³: 3 × 1.6 × $46 + $80 = $300.80. B has the lower price per ton but costs $10.80 more to fill the same loose volume. These are invented inputs, not measured product densities or market prices.
Resolve different densities before choosing
A density difference can reflect a different product, grading, moisture or measurement condition. Ask each supplier to confirm the material specification and loose bulk density rather than substituting one number for both. If one quote describes a compacted layer, resolve its loose-volume yield first. The worksheet compares costs for the entered requirement; it cannot decide whether two products are interchangeable. A quote sold by cubic yard does not need density to price the volume.
Keep a comparison you can check with the supplier
After comparing, choose Print comparison / save PDF. The result records required loose volume, each density, price basis, minimum quantity, increment, minimum charge, delivery fees, purchased quantity and surplus. Editing an input disables printing until you recalculate. Check the printed figures against a written supplier quote, especially tax and total delivery for multiple loads. No quote is sent to a supplier by this tool.
Put your measurements to work.
Calculate volume, adjust your allowance and save a link to your estimate.
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