Project guide
Gravel for a Garden Path
A wider section should change its own measurement, not disappear into an unexplained average.
Your measurements
Changing units changes the display, not the stored measurement.
Results
Example inputs
Your result will appear here
Enter the measurements and product details, then calculate.
These tools estimate material quantities from dimensions you choose. They do not specify structural depth or load capacity.
List changes in width
Measure each run of the path separately when its width changes. Include a turning or seating area only once. At a junction, use rectangles with shared boundaries rather than overlapping rectangles that both claim the same patch of ground.
Keep the depth with each section. If depths differ, calculate each volume before adding them; an unweighted average depth can give the wrong total.
Example: two widths at one depth
Suppose one run is 6 m by 0.8 m and another is 3 m by 1.2 m. At an illustrative user-selected depth of 0.05 m, their volumes are 0.24 m³ and 0.18 m³. The net volume is 0.42 m³.
A chosen 10% allowance gives 0.462 m³. With a user-entered bag capacity of 0.025 m³, 19 bags supply 0.475 m³. The purchase surplus beyond the adjusted requirement is 0.013 m³.
Keep the capacity beside the bag count
Nineteen bags is useful only when the list also identifies the product and capacity. Another bag size changes the count. A weight-labelled product needs a compatible mass calculation rather than an assumed volume per bag.
Use the calculation for quantity planning
The sample depth and allowance are not construction recommendations. The calculator does not choose edging, drainage or path preparation. Compare the measurements with your chosen specification and keep any separate sand or other material layer on its own line.
Frequently asked questions
Can a curved path use this approach?
Use measured, non-overlapping rectangular sections to represent the footprint and review whether that approximation is precise enough for your project. The current form does not calculate curved boundaries or accept a separate irregular-area value.
Sources and method
- PackLedge quantity methods
Original derivations using geometry, ratios, sums and whole-package rounding. Each calculator explains its assumptions and worked examples.
- Your selected product label or technical sheet
The source for the coverage, mixed yield, density, package capacity, sheet dimensions or wallpaper repeat that you enter.