Gravel driveway guide
A gravel driveway is cheap to build and easy to fix — if it's built as layers with drainage, not a pile of stone on dirt. This is the whole playbook: layers, depths, materials, edges, and the maintenance rhythm.
The anatomy: three parts
- Subgrade — the shaped ground itself, stripped of topsoil, crowned toward the edges, sloped so water exits somewhere useful.
- Base layer — 4–6" of dense-graded crushed stone (crusher run / road base), compacted in lifts. This is the structure.
- Top layer — 2–3" of clean angular stone (#57 or #67). Drains, sheds water, and can be raked level when it ruts.
Depth by use
| Use | Base | Top |
|---|---|---|
| Cars only | 4" | 2–3" |
| Cars + trucks | 5–6" | 3" |
| Heavy / soft ground | 6–8" (+ #1–#4 stone sub-base) | 3" |
Choosing the stone
Base: angular with fines — crusher run, dense-graded base, or your state's equivalent spec — because fines lock the layer into something truckproof. Top: washed angular stone (#57/#67) that drains and stays put. Never: pea gravel or river rock on anything driven — round stone rolls, ruts, and scatters. The full code-by-code reference lives in gravel types and sizes explained.
Details that decide whether it lasts
- Crown and slope: center 2–3" above edges so water runs off, never pools. Water is the enemy; standing water is a pothole factory.
- Compaction: plate compactor in 2–3" lifts on the base. Compaction is what turns loose stone into pavement.
- Geotextile fabric: on soft ground, one layer under the base stops stone migrating into mud — the cheapest insurance in this whole guide.
- Edging or borders: keep the top layer where it belongs; gravel spreads sideways without a constraint.
- Drainage: where water crosses the drive, a culvert or a French drain — not a hope.
Maintenance rhythm
Expect to rake, fill potholes, and re-dress the surface every year or two — a few tons of #57 spread into ruts, re-crowned. Every 5–10 years a full regrade. That's the honest cost of gravel: far cheaper to build than paving, and it asks for a little attention in return.
Do the math
Two tools, one question each: how much gravel does my driveway need (two-layer quantities), and what will it cost (the same layers at your supplier's rates). Refreshing only? The driveway calculator skips the base layer for resurfacing runs.
Last updated: September 21, 2026