How Much Does Pea Gravel Cost?

Average Cost of Pea Gravel

Bulk Pea Gravel Prices

Pea Gravel Cost Per Ton

The price range for a single ton of pea gravel is between $10 and $50, although this price drops to about $20 per ton if you buy at least 10 tons. Colored pea gravel costs an additional $20 to $50 per ton above these prices. Larger projects will require you to buy pea gravel in these quantities, which you can do through a landscaping supplier. The most important price variables are the geographic location and distance from the quarry or distributor.

Pea Gravel Cost Per Cubic Yard

The price range for a cubic yard ton of pea gravel is $15 to $75, with discounts for greater volume. Colored pea gravel costs an additional $20 to $50 per cubic yard. As with buying by the ton, location and distance from the source are the main price variables.

Truckload of Pea Gravel Cost

Dump trucks can typically carry about 25 tons of pea gravel. The cost of pea gravel in this quantity will cost $10 to $20 per ton, or $250 to $500 per truckload.

Bag of Pea Gravel Cost

Home improvements stores typically sell pea gravel in bags of 0.5 cubic feet. A bag costs between $4 and $6 for plain gravel and $8 for colored gravel.

Pea Gravel Cost Per Square Foot

The volume of pea gravel needed to cover a square foot depends on the depth of coverage you want. It takes one-sixth of a bag to cover a square foot to a depth of one inch, which would cost about $0.83 cents per square foot if you buy by the bag. The cost of the labor needed to spread pea gravel ranges between $15 and $70 per hour, and a small project will require at least two hours to complete.

Pea Gravel Uses and Costs

The cost of pea gravel for a particular project relates directly to its use, since heavier use requires greater coverage. For example, a simple walking path may only require an inch of coverage, while gardens typically require two to four inches. Backyards and patios have higher levels of foot traffic, so these areas may require up to six inches of coverage.

A pathway made of gravel requires little maintenance and helps keep weeds from growing. At one inch of coverage, the material cost of installing a pathway would be $0.83 per square foot, not including professional installation.

Gravel on a driveway help smooth out the bumps in bare ground. The heavy weight and frequent use of drive ways means they need six inches of gravel, so the cost of a gravel driveway is about $5 per square foot.

Playgrounds need gravel to allow for rapid water drainage that prevents mud from accumulating. Four-inch coverage for this area would cost $3.35 per square foot.

Pea Gravel Pricing Factors

Using pea gravel for your project incurs additional costs above the cost of the material, especially delivery fees. This cost primarily depends on the quantity of gravel and the transportation distance.

Local gravel delivery services require a minimum order to deliver gravel, which may range from a cubic yard to 20 tons. They may offer free delivery within a certain radius like 10 miles by adding the transportation cost to the material cost.

In cases where the delivery and material costs are separate, the delivery charge for a truckload of gravel often starts at about $5 per mile. As you can see, the delivery charge can easily exceed the cost of the gravel itself when transporting it between cities.

DIY Pea Gravel Installation vs. Hire a Pro

The simple act of placing pea gravel on a work site and smoothing it out doesn’t take any particular skill, although it is hard work when you’re doing it with tons of material.

The most important benefit in using a pro for this work is determining the coverage depth necessary to accomplish your intended purpose. Providing adequate drainage with gravel is a particular challenge, since it depends on the soil composition and materials under the soil. Some projects also require excavating the site before laying the gravel down, which a gravel driveway installer in your area should do.

FAQs

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using pea gravel?

How much does a yard of pea gravel weigh?

A cubic yard of pea gravel weighs about 1.5 short tons, or about 3,000 pounds. The size and composition of the gravel can affect this figure.

How much does a yard of pea gravel cover?

A cubic yard of pea gravel will cover 324 square feet to a depth of one inch, equal to an 18-foot square. Divide this area by the desired depth of the gravel in inches to determine the area you can cover with a cubic yard of gravel.

How do you pick pea gravel?

Standard pea gravel has sharp edges that can present a danger in applications such as playgrounds. Polished gravel is safer, but also more expensive. Some types contain ochre, a dark pigment that can stain surrounding materials when it leaches out of the gravel.