Planning a Rock Landscaping Project
When you start planning a project that involves landscaping rock, a common question that we get asked is, how much landscaping rock do I need?
Calculating this accurately can save you a bunch of money and headaches.
You don’t want to order too much as you will waste money and all that extra labor spreading it around.
If you order too little, you won’t have enough to cover the landscape adequately.
There are two main factors you need to consider when calculating how much landscaping rock you need for your project:
- The size of the project area you will be covering
- How deep you want the rock to be
Tools you will need:
- Measuring Tape
- Calculator
Tip
Use rock as mulch only in beds for plants that require minimal moisture like alpine plants and cacti.
Install barriers around rock areas that are next to yards.
This will keep the rock in its area and keep it from spilling over onto your lawn, where it could cause extensive damage to your lawnmower.
Rock Coverage Calculation
To calculate this size, measure the length and width of the project area.
Multiplying those numbers will give you the square footage (or square meters for our metric friends).
For example, if your project area is 20 feet long by 20 feet wide, your coverage area is 400 square feet.
The next step is deciding how deep you want your rock coverage.
For most purposes, 2 inches (or 50mm) of landscaping rock is adequate.
If you use a material that is larger than this, then the depth will be the same size as the rocks themselves.
That is, you will want one layer of 3 to 8 inches (75 to 200mm) of rocks.
The amount of rock you will need will depend partly on what size of gravel or rock you want for your landscaping project.
The chart below will help you figure out how large of an area 1 ton of different types of landscaping rocks will cover.
Landscaping Rock Calculator
The Easy Way!
Using this chart, you will be able to estimate the amount of material you will need.
Take the square footage or meters you calculated earlier when you measured your area, then divide it by the coverage number in the table above for the type of rock you will be using.
If you use the recommended depth in the chart above, the formula will look like this:
Length x Width = Square footage (or square meters) of coverage area
Square footage of coverage area/coverage per 1 ton of rock = tons of rock needed for your project.
Here is an Example.
You calculated you need 400 square feet of rock with a rock size of 1″ to 3″.
You will need approximately 5 tons of rock. If you want to use a smaller material like ¾” to 1″, you may only need 4 tons of rock.
If you have any questions or need help calculating your project’s coverage area, then call your local landscaper for assistance.
They will be more than happy to help you estimate how much rock you need for your project and even recommend what would be suitable for your property.
We have you covered if you live in North or Central Okanagan.
For more information, visit the Phyxter Home Services page for more information.
We offer various landscaping services that can save you money and make your home look great.