Decomposed Granite Calculator

Measure the area, as one shape or several if it isn't a simple rectangle, then multiply by the compacted depth you want, in matching units, to get a volume. This calculator does that step directly for rectangles, circles, rings, triangles, trapezoids, or a straight area entry if you already know the square footage. Multiply that volume by the grade's compacted density (tons per cubic yard, from the table above) to get the finished weight, then divide by the loose density to see how many loose cubic yards to actually order, since decomposed granite is sold loose but measured compacted. Short version: area times depth times density, adjusted for the loose-to-compacted difference. Pick what you're building above and the depth field pre-fills with a sourced starting figure.

Natural (loose) decomposed granite is screened granite fines with no binder. It compacts firm underfoot when rolled, but the particles are not glued together, so it migrates at the edges over time and needs a physical border to stay put. Resin- or organic-binder-stabilized decomposed granite is the same fines pre-blended with a polymer or organic tackifier before installation, which locks the surface into a semi-solid, permeable finish that resists erosion and, according to supplier Kafka Granite, eliminates the need for traditional edging. Stabilized DG costs more per yard but holds up to heavier traffic and slopes where plain DG would wash out.

3 inches, compacted, is the recommended minimum for a pedestrian pathway according to Kafka Granite's pathway-mix specifications, and applies to both natural and stabilized grades. The UC Master Gardener Program gives a lighter-duty rule of thumb of 2 inches as a practical minimum for a basic gravel or DG path. This calculator defaults to 3 inches when you pick Pathway above, editable if your project calls for something different.

4 inches, compacted, is a reasonable default, especially once flagstone or pavers are set into the surface. The UC Master Gardener Program specifically recommends 4 inches rather than the 2-inch bare-path minimum once thicker stones are incorporated, and this calculator uses that figure as the Patio default.

Yes, with the right grade and depth. Kafka Granite specifies 4 inches of compacted DG, with 8 to 12 inches of compacted base material underneath, for vehicular use, and that figure applies to both grades on paper. In practice, suppliers position resin- or polymer-stabilized DG, not natural DG, as the grade actually suited to repeated vehicle loading; natural DG under a driveway ravels and needs re-compaction far sooner. This calculator flags that mismatch if you pick natural DG for a driveway above.

Natural, unstabilized decomposed granite does, because nothing binds the particles at the edges and it migrates into adjacent soil over time, the same failure mode plain gravel paths have. The UC Master Gardener Program specifically recommends a border, such as Bender Board, pavers, brick or lumber, to keep it in place. Resin- or organic-binder-stabilized DG's improved cohesion removes that requirement, according to Kafka Granite's own product literature.

Roughly 1.5 tons per compacted cubic yard for natural DG and about 1.59 tons per compacted cubic yard for resin- or binder-stabilized DG, both sourced supplier figures rather than a single industry average, since no DOT or USDA study measures decomposed granite specifically. As delivered, before compaction, loose DG runs closer to 1.2 tons per cubic yard, which is why this calculator reports both a compacted volume (what ends up in the ground) and a larger loose volume (what to actually order).

One compacted cubic yard covers about 108 square feet at a 3-inch depth or about 82 square feet at a 4-inch depth, following the coverage math a resin-stabilized DG paving manufacturer publishes for their own product. Coverage scales directly with depth, so use the calculator above with your own area and depth rather than treating this as a fixed rate.

Because decomposed granite is sold loose but you measure the finished, compacted depth you want in the ground. Weight stays the same between those two states, but volume does not: the same material takes up more room loose than it does once rolled and compacted. For natural DG, real supplier figures put that gap at roughly 24 percent (loose density near 1.2 tons per cubic yard versus a compacted ordering convention of 1.5 tons per cubic yard), which lines up with the 27 to 52 percent range Wisconsin DOT independently measured for comparable fine, dense-graded aggregate. Order the compacted volume you measured and you will come up short.

Yes. It is sized the same as a pedestrian pathway in this calculator (3 inches, compacted), since a dog run sees foot and paw traffic rather than vehicle loads. DG drains well and stays cooler underfoot than gravel, though like any loose or semi-loose surface it will track some fines indoors, and natural DG will still need a border to stay contained.

Yes, it's one of the most common xeriscape ground covers, valued for its permeability and neutral, natural coloring. This calculator defaults xeriscape/ground cover use to a 2-inch depth, the UC Master Gardener Program's practical minimum, since a non-trafficked decorative bed does not need the deeper, more compacted build a pathway or patio does.

Both are crushed aggregate that can compact under a roller, but decomposed granite is a finer, screened material (roughly 1/4 inch minus with fines) sold specifically as a walking-surface and hardscape material, in a natural and a resin-stabilized grade. Gravel, as this site's Gravel Calculator covers, spans a much wider range of gradations built for structural and drainage work, driveways, sub-bases and French drains, rather than a decorative or pedestrian surface. If your project is a structural driveway base rather than the finished, walkable top surface, the Gravel Calculator's multi-layer build is the better tool.

Decomposed granite compacts into a near-solid, walkable surface, which is exactly what pea gravel does not do: pea gravel is rounded and stays loose, shifting underfoot, which makes it comfortable to look at but awkward to walk on for long stretches or to place furniture on. If you want a firm, low-maintenance walking surface, decomposed granite is the better fit; if you want a purely decorative, low-cost ground cover where firmness does not matter, pea gravel works and is covered by this site's Gravel Calculator.

It's debated even among professionals. Fabric suppresses weeds growing up from below and keeps DG from mixing into the soil beneath it as long as it stays intact, but it does nothing to stop weed seeds that land on top of the DG itself from germinating. If you use it, choose the heaviest weight available. Size the fabric with this site's Landscape Fabric Calculator using the same area you enter here.

This calculator won't give you a price, deliberately. Cost varies by region, grade, supplier and order size in a way that cannot be stated as one reliable figure the way a compacted density can. As a starting point for the conversation: resin- or binder-stabilized DG costs meaningfully more per yard than natural DG, since you are paying for the binder and the labor to mix and place it, in addition to the raw aggregate.

Calculate above and read it straight off the results. The panel converts your loose-yard total into a bag count using a standard half-cubic-foot bag, alongside the equivalent pickup-truck and dump-truck loads, so there is no separate conversion to do by hand.

Bulk, past about 2 cubic yards. That is already more than 100 half-cubic-foot bags, which costs considerably more per yard than a bulk delivery and takes several trips to move in most vehicles. DG is typically sold in smaller, pricier decorative bags than utility gravel, so the bulk crossover point lands a little lower here than it does for a plain gravel project.

Natural, unstabilized DG can, especially on a slope or under concentrated runoff, since nothing binds the fines together once water or repeated traffic works them loose. Resin- or organic-binder-stabilized DG is specifically formulated to resist this: supplier Kafka Granite describes it as resisting the erosive powers of weather and heavy traffic while remaining permeable. For a sloped path or a site with heavy rain, the stabilized grade is the safer choice.

Roughly 18 cubic feet for compacted natural DG, using its 1.5 tons-per-compacted-cubic-yard figure (27 cubic feet per yard divided by 1.5), or about 17 cubic feet for compacted stabilized DG at 1.59 tons per cubic yard. Loose, pre-compaction DG runs closer to 22.4 cubic feet per ton, using the 1.2 tons-per-loose-cubic-yard figure. These are the same sourced densities as the rest of this page, just expressed as cubic feet instead of cubic yards.

Yes. Every measurement field accepts metric or imperial units and converts automatically, and the results show weight in kilograms and metric tons alongside US tons, and volume in cubic meters and liters alongside cubic yards. The densities behind the numbers are the same sourced figures either way; only the displayed units change.

The two grades on this page, natural and resin- or polymer-stabilized, cover the structural distinction that actually changes the math: binder or no binder. Regional colors (buff, gold, salt-and-pepper and similar names) and specific supplier product lines are cosmetic variations on one of those two grades rather than a third density category, so pick whichever of the two grades matches your product's binder status and use that grade's figures.