Adding rock to a landscaping design is suitable for those who are looking for a low-maintenance but beautiful sustainable design. The main challenge for stone and rocky landscaping design is that it’s important to have an accurate estimate of how much rock you need. Estimating the correct amount of rock can save both time and money. Not only that it also helped to achieve the desired design that the user looks for in their outdoor space. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the process of estimating how much rock you need for your landscaping project. If you are not in the mood to go through the detailing you can also check the below landscape rock calculator
Landscaping Rock Calculator
How to calculate how much rock I need for landscapingĀ
Estimating the amount of rock and stone needed for landscaping consists of three vital steps. They are as follows
- Estimate the landscape project area
- Select the types of stone
- Calculate the amount of stone or rock needed
1. Estimate the landscape project area
The initial step is to calculate the area of the landscaping project. This step includes measuring the length and width of the space that we’ll cover with stone and multiplying those measurements to estimate the square footage of the area.

It is recommended to use tape or a surveyor’s wheel to measure the dimensions of the area. Make sure to measure the area accurately. Because even small errors in measurements can lead to significant differences in the amount of rock we need.
2. Select the types of stoneĀ
Selection the types of stone are the second phase of this process. While selecting the rock it is important to consider two factors. They are – the look that we want to achieve and the function of the space. There is a variety of rocks and stones available that are used for landscaping. They are gravel, river rock, and crushed stone.

When selecting the right type of rock should keep in mind that different types of rocks have different densities. So it’s important to take this into account when calculating how much rock you need. For example, gravel is typically lighter than other types of rocks. So you may need a larger volume of gravel to cover the same area.
3. Calculate the amount of stone or rock neededĀ
After we successfully estimate the area and depth for rock landscaping the next step is to calculate the volume of rock needed. To estimate the volume of rock, multiply the square footage of the area by the depth of rock needed. If you are not interested to do the manual calculations you can also use our above calculator.
Last words
Estimating the amount of rock for landscaping in any area is important because proper calculation can save time and money and our effort. Moreover, having an accurate estimate can help us to avoid the frustration of running out of rock in the middle of your landscaping project. Calculating how much stone or rock we need for our landscaping project may look difficult initially. But we believe by following the steps that we provide in this blog post, and the landscape rock calculator that we provide here anyone can easily calculate an accurate estimate.