Roadway Fill Calculator
Roadway Fill Calculator
Enter the length, width, and depth of the roadway or driveway base you're building to find how much fill material to order — in cubic yards and tons.
A driveway or roadway base typically needs a compacted fill layer of several inches to provide a stable foundation before the top surface (asphalt, gravel, or pavers) goes down, and underestimating that base depth is one of the more common causes of a driveway settling or developing ruts within just a few years. This calculator converts your planned footprint and depth into both cubic yards (how fill is typically ordered) and an estimated tonnage (how it's frequently priced), a 100×20 ft base at 6 inches deep working out to roughly 37 cubic yards or about 52 tons.
- Imperial: Cubic Yards = (Length × Width × Depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27; Tons = Cubic Yards × 1.4. Example: 100×20 ft at 6 in = 37.04 cubic yards ≈ 51.85 tons.
- Metric: Cubic Meters = Length × Width × (Depth in cm ÷ 100); Tonnes = Cubic Meters × 1.5. Example: 30×5 m at 15 cm = 22.5 m³ ≈ 33.75 tonnes.
- Density is an estimate in both systems for compacted road base fill.
What depth of fill do roads typically need?
Base depth varies widely by traffic load and soil conditions, commonly 4-12 inches — check local engineering guidance for your project.
Should I compact the fill in layers?
Yes — compacting in lifts (layers) of a few inches at a time gives better stability than compacting one thick layer at once.
Roadway Fill Calculator
Enter the length, width, and depth of the roadway or driveway base you're building to find how much fill material to order — in cubic yards and tons.
A driveway or roadway base typically needs a compacted fill layer of several inches to provide a stable foundation before the top surface (asphalt, gravel, or pavers) goes down, and underestimating that base depth is one of the more common causes of a driveway settling or developing ruts within just a few years. This calculator converts your planned footprint and depth into both cubic yards (how fill is typically ordered) and an estimated tonnage (how it's frequently priced), a 100×20 ft base at 6 inches deep working out to roughly 37 cubic yards or about 52 tons.
- Imperial: Cubic Yards = (Length × Width × Depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27; Tons = Cubic Yards × 1.4. Example: 100×20 ft at 6 in = 37.04 cubic yards ≈ 51.85 tons.
- Metric: Cubic Meters = Length × Width × (Depth in cm ÷ 100); Tonnes = Cubic Meters × 1.5. Example: 30×5 m at 15 cm = 22.5 m³ ≈ 33.75 tonnes.
- Density is an estimate in both systems for compacted road base fill.
What depth of fill do roads typically need?
Base depth varies widely by traffic load and soil conditions, commonly 4-12 inches — check local engineering guidance for your project.
Should I compact the fill in layers?
Yes — compacting in lifts (layers) of a few inches at a time gives better stability than compacting one thick layer at once.