Don’t get stuck between a rock and a hard place when picking driveway materials
Gravel is the most durable and budget-friendly driveway material.
Gravel driveways are possible to DIY, while other types need professional installation.
Larger crushed stones (>1 inch) are the best type of gravel for driveways.
An attractive gravel driveway paves the way for a good impression, whether it’s giving off curb appeal, defining your hardscape, or greeting you as you come home. With that in mind, it’s a good area to invest in, but concrete and asphalt aren’t the end all, be all for building materials (especially if you’re on a budget).
A gravel driveway can also be a solid choice, but is it a good investment in the long run? Here’s everything you need to know about the best gravel for driveways and how gravel stacks up against your other options.
When choosing the best gravel for your driveway, it’s important to factor in the type of style you want and the best properties for the job. From the different gravel color options to the price to the level of maintenance, you should consider all avenues before you decide.
For instance, some homeowners may prefer the modern look of crushed marble, while others might prefer a more cost-friendly gravel type. Meanwhile, pea gravel offers a natural appearance but may be less suitable for sloped areas due to its smooth, easy-to-shift shape.
With this in mind, here’s a breakdown of popular gravel driveway types to help you decide.
If you’ve ever driven on a country road in the middle of nowhere, there’s a good chance you’ve driven on caliche. Caliche is a sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate and is most commonly used in rural areas for unpaved roads and driveways. You’ll find caliche gravel in arid climates like the Southwest.
This type of gravel is an affordable option ranging from $25 per cubic yard or $32 per ton. Once caliche gets graded and packed, it will harden and hold its shape, but keep in mind that caliche can vary in size. Some caliche is very fine and almost powdery—called base—serving as a more suitable base for other types of gravel or stone. Meanwhile, other caliche can be chunky and unsuitable for gravel driveways.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable | Not as durable |
| Widely available in the Southwest | Thins and spreads fast initially |
| Sturdy once compacted | Can be inconsistent sizes |
Best for: Rural driveways, long driveways, or those on a budget
While bluestone is stunning for a paverstone driveway or patio, crushed bluestone is another form that can have just as powerful of an effect on your curb appeal. This medium-dark gray stone carries an air of sophistication that can give your contemporary home that extra oomph needed to bring the whole look together.
Crushed bluestone gravel costs around $45 per cubic yard or $60 per ton, putting it right around average in terms of gravel costs. However, bluestone is less available than other gravel depending on where you live and may vary in price. You’re most likely to find bluestone on the East Coast.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Attractive color | Not widely available |
| Most available for East Coast homes | May cost more in some regions |
| Versatile and durable |
Best for: Homes on the East Coast
If you want a tried-and-true gravel for your driveway, crushed limestone is a solid choice. This material is durable, comes in a range of colors, and can help offset heat in hotter regions because of its lighter color compared to other darker gravel options. And, because it’s a porous natural stone, limestone can aid in proper drainage and water runoff management, making it excellent for permeable driveways.
However, crushed limestone might not be the right choice if you’re looking to save the most money, as it does come in at the higher end of the price range, falling around $55 per cubic yard or $75 per ton on average. Limestone also shifts during freeze and thaw cycles, making it less ideal for climates with extreme lows.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Durable material | Higher price tag |
| Cooler to the touch than darker stones | Susceptible to temperature fluctuations |
| Increased drainage properties |
Best for: Regions with high levels of rainfall and mild temperatures
If your house is decked out with marble countertops, then what better way to make use of one of your favorite and timeless stones than to choose marble chips for your gravel driveway. Marble is a durable stone—we have ancient statues to show for its longevity. It can also handle the heavy weight of vehicle traffic, all while keeping your driveway cooler due to its white hue.
At the same time, marble’s lighter color makes dirt more obvious. Crushed marble also comes at a cost, with prices falling around $60 per cubic yard or $85 per ton. You’ll pay the most for marble, so it’s not the most economical option, but there’s something about marble that continues to captivate homeowners for centuries.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Timeless beauty | Highest cost |
| Durable | Discoloration and dirt more obvious |
| Cooler surface temperature |
Best for: Homes in hotter climates
Pea gravel isn’t just for children’s playgrounds, trails, and dog parks; it’s also a trendy gravel material for driveways. Valued for its affordability, appearance, and pleasant crunch when walked on, pea gravel consists of small, colorful stones.
You’ll pay around $45 per cubic yard or $65 per ton for pea gravel, putting pea gravel driveway costs on the more affordable side compared to other materials. While pea gravel is a popular choice for those looking for a warm, even rustic vibe, pea gravel alone is not the best type of gravel for driveways.
Because the pea-shaped gravel is so smooth and tiny, it’s far more susceptible to shifting and spreading over time. You can combat this by mixing other aggregates in with the gravel or using edging, but these extra steps can also mean extra money invested into your project.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Low cost | More susceptible to shifting |
| Warm, inviting appearance | May require edging or other aggregates |
Best for: Those looking for a warm, earthy, or rustic driveway aesthetic
Also called crusher run or dense grade, quarry process is a crushed stone mixture that usually contains some combination of granite, limestone, trap rock, or other natural stones. This material costs around $20 per cubic yard or $28 per ton, putting it at the lower end of the price range.
As one of the most affordable gravel options for driveways, quarry process doesn’t have much variety to it in terms of appearance—this material is light brown and gray and lacks the wow factor of other natural stones. It’s also composed of finer particles, meaning the dust is more likely to shift and blow away initially before it becomes compact.
Once compact, you’ll have a durable, semisolid surface for your vehicles, making this gravel a practical option. Keep in mind that quarry process has poor drainage qualities, so it’s important to work with a pro to install this material to prevent water runoff from racing toward your home.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cost-friendly | Potentially unflattering appearance |
| Semisolid surface | Poor drainage quality |
| Practical gravel material | Requires a professional installer |
Best for: Homeowners looking for a low-cost, semisolid driveway material
River rock comes in a variety of colors and serves as an excellent material for homes where drainage is a concern. River rock is generally too large and smooth to serve as a good material for driveways. However, crushed river rock may be rough and small enough to serve as an appropriate stone for your driveway. This material costs around $40 per cubic yard or $55 per ton, putting it around the average gravel price.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Variety of colors | Can be too large and smooth |
| Great for drainage | Moderately priced |
Best for: Homes with high levels of rainfall
For many homeowners, the main draw of a gravel driveway is affordability. Out of all the driveway materials available, gravel is the least expensive. Plus, since you’re only dumping and spreading the gravel, your labor costs will be considerably lower. This low-cost material is also much more feasible for a DIY, though it still requires a good amount of heavy lifting.
Gravel’s other strong suit is its sturdiness: Where solid surfaces like asphalt and concrete can sustain cracks and other damage, gravel will never show the same impact. If individual stones chip or break, these won’t affect the driveway’s appearance or structural integrity.
When comparing gravel driveways against asphalt and concrete driveways, there are a few major strengths and downsides to note. Here’s how these materials compare to one another.
Gravel driveways cost significantly less than asphalt or concrete, making them ideal for low-budget and large-scale projects.
Gravel driveways typically go for $1.25 to $1.80 per square foot, while concrete driveways cost an average of $4 to $15 per square foot. Asphalt driveways cost the most, typically ranging from $7 to $15 per square foot.
| Driveway Type | Cost per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Asphalt | $7–$15 |
| Concrete | $4–$15 |
| Gravel | $1–$3 |
To add to the cost benefits of choosing a gravel driveway, it’s also the most DIY-friendly out of all the driveway materials. This means that you can potentially skip out on labor costs if you’re looking to keep your budget tight.
Concrete involves a much more skilled process of creating forms, setting rebar, and ordering the concrete in a mixing truck.
Asphalt is a more straightforward process, but it still calls for heavy equipment that most homeowners don’t have access to.
Gravel driveways can be repaired and replenished as needed, so they can easily last 100 years if properly maintained.
Concrete can last up to 50 years, while asphalt has the shortest average lifespan at around 20 to 30 years.
When opting for asphalt or concrete, sealing your driveway every two to three years can help extend its lifespan.
Gravel driveways require extra maintenance. As they’re made from loose materials, these can shift over time with continued exposure to heavy equipment, car tires, precipitation, and flooding. To keep your gravel driveway level and free of divots or potholes, you’ll need to rake and refill the stones from time to time.
Texture is the main point to consider when choosing a gravel material for driveways with maintenance in mind. Smooth, round gravels are prone to spreading beneath cars and other heavy objects, while rough-cut stones tend to self-stabilize and hold their shape.
For this reason, crushed stone will be your best option for driveways. Pea gravel and other naturally formed stones are rounded and often migrate beneath car tires, making them higher maintenance. Larger crushed stones with a diameter of at least 1 inch will be the top choice overall, as these will also provide optimal drainage while remaining in place—thus decreasing your level of maintenance.
While gravel might demand more regular maintenance practices, problems are generally easier to fix than with asphalt or concrete. For example, a pothole on a gravel driveway can be addressed with a simple refill, while concrete and asphalt call for the careful mixing and application of filler materials.
Texture is one of the main drawbacks of a gravel driveway. Gravel driveways are much harder (and louder) on car tires, plus they’re painful to kneel or walk on with bare feet.
Concrete and asphalt driveways are both smooth on tires and feet, as long as there are no cracks, potholes, or other damage. However, asphalt offers the smoothest and most uniform feel when comparing the two.
Gravel driveways lack the smooth, finished appearance offered by concrete and asphalt, which some may not find as aesthetically pleasing.
On the other hand, the natural, rugged appearance of the stones can work well in natural and rural settings. Either way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it’s up to the homeowner to decide what looks best for their property.
In its most basic form, a DIY-er can create a gravel driveway by having the stones delivered and smoothing them out. However, this will result in unstabilized gravel that will easily shift, migrate, or wash away. Keeping your gravel driveway dust-free and intact calls for a multi-step installation process that is often best left to the pros.
Building a proper gravel driveway involves removing topsoil, laying landscaping fabric, and starting with a layer of base rock. From there, several layers of gravel are added, each layer getting compacted in between with a mechanical compactor.
A local gravel driveway contractor has all the skills and equipment ready to get the job done—and done well—in a jiff.
Keeping your gravel driveway in tip-top shape requires more maintenance work than with asphalt or concrete driveways, but luckily, this is easy to DIY.
Here’s how to maintain your gravel driveway and keep it looking beautiful:
Rake and replenish it regularly to avoid pits and potholes.
Note areas of pooling water after rainfall and add more gravel to low areas.
Reduce dust from your gravel driveway by watering it during dry spells with a hose or a sprinkler.
Add a layer of landscaping fabric before installing the gravel.
Compact the gravel with a mechanical compactor after you install it.
If you notice sinking in your driveway or other issues you can’t fix on your own, a gravel repair company near you can help.
