How much does a gravel driveway cost in South Alabama?
Published 2026 guides disagree by a wide margin on gravel driveway cost. LawnStarter puts it at $1 to $3 per square foot, with a national average of $1,500. HomeGuide’s 2026 guide puts it at $4 to $10 per square foot for materials and installation. That comes to about $4,000 to $10,000 for a driveway 100 feet long and 10 feet wide.
Both guides say the same four things move the number: size, depth, stone and site preparation. These are published market ranges. Our price for building a new gravel driveway comes from a free written estimate after an on-site look. You can rough out a budget first with the guides’ own math.
Already have a gravel driveway that needs fresh stone? That is a different job, and our regravel cost guide covers its price.
What does a gravel driveway cost by size?
Size moves the price more than anything else. LawnStarter calls size the biggest factor, and HomeGuide says length and width have the biggest impact. HomeGuide also says most home driveways run 400 to 2,000 square feet. The table sets its installed ranges beside LawnStarter’s $1 to $3 rate at the same sizes.
| Driveway size | HomeGuide’s installed range | At LawnStarter’s $1 to $3 per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| 500 square feet | $2,000 to $5,000 | $500 to $1,500 |
| 800 square feet | $3,200 to $8,000 | $800 to $2,400 |
| 1,000 square feet (10 by 100 feet) | $4,000 to $10,000 | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| 1,200 square feet | $4,800 to $12,000 | $1,200 to $3,600 |
| 1,500 square feet | $6,000 to $15,000 | $1,500 to $4,500 |
| 1,800 square feet | $7,200 to $18,000 | $1,800 to $5,400 |
| 2,000 square feet | $8,000 to $20,000 | $2,000 to $6,000 |
| 2,500 square feet | $10,000 to $25,000 | $2,500 to $7,500 |
The gap holds at every size. At 1,000 square feet, HomeGuide’s low end of $4,000 sits above LawnStarter’s high end of $3,000. LawnStarter’s own examples are about $600 for a single-car driveway and $2,000 for a three-car one.
A long driveway or private road back to a house on acreage can run past the last row. The math works the same way at any length.
Why do the two guides land so far apart?
Both guides say their per-foot numbers cover materials and labor. LawnStarter says grading and other land preparation add to its total. HomeGuide lists grading as a cost factor of its own.
HomeGuide adds that challenging terrain raises labor costs by 20% to 50%. LawnStarter says the more land preparation a driveway needs, the steeper the price tag. So your ground, and the work it needs, decides where your price lands.
What does gravel cost per ton?
Gravel is usually sold by the ton, and the type of stone moves the price. HomeGuide’s per-ton prices include delivery. It lists crusher run at $25 to $50 a ton and crushed stone at $30 to $60. Crushed shell runs $40 to $80, pea gravel $50 to $100 and river rock $60 to $150.
LawnStarter puts gravel at $30 to $100 a ton on average. Its list shows crushed clamshell at $25 to $60 and crushed limestone at $30 to $40.
For a driveway, HomeGuide’s pick is crushed stone over a base of crusher run. Crusher run is crushed stone mixed with sand and stone dust, and it packs tight. The angular crushed stone on top locks together when it is packed down.
Crushed shell, made from oyster and clam shells, is popular in coastal areas, HomeGuide says. Pea gravel and river rock cost the most per ton on its list. They are also the two it warns against as a driving surface, because they shift under tires and leave ruts.
How much stone does a gravel driveway need?
HomeGuide says one ton covers about 60 to 80 square feet at a 4-inch depth. Its worked example is a driveway 10 feet wide and 100 feet long. At 4 inches, those 1,000 square feet take about 16.7 tons.
Four inches is thinner than HomeGuide recommends, though. It puts the minimum at 5 to 6 inches, laid in layers. Most driveways get a 3 to 4 inch base of crusher run or crushed stone. Then 2 to 3 inches of top stone goes over it.
Heavier traffic needs more depth. HomeGuide says a driveway that carries trucks or RVs should be 8 to 12 inches deep. At 8 inches, its 1,000 square foot example takes 33.4 tons. HomeGuide also says to plan on 10% to 15% extra stone for compaction and settling.
Why does South Alabama rain add to the cost?
The Mobile area averages 66 inches of rain a year. HomeGuide says wet climates need better drainage systems. LawnStarter says places with heavy rainfall or a high flood risk pay more for drainage.
That water is what grading has to handle. HomeGuide says poor grading leads to puddles and erosion. A crown, the slight hump down the middle of the driveway, sheds rain to the sides. HomeGuide puts grading at $1 to $3 per square foot, and LawnStarter lists it at $100 to $3,400.
Where the driveway crosses a ditch, a driveway culvert carries the water under it. HomeGuide puts culverts or drains at $500 to $2,000, depending on the property.
How do you price your own gravel driveway?
Build the number from its parts. Take HomeGuide’s example driveway, 10 feet wide and 100 feet long, at 6 inches deep.
- Measure the area. Length times width gives 1,000 square feet.
- Figure the stone. At HomeGuide’s coverage rate, 6 inches of stone comes to about 19 to 25 tons.
- Price the stone. At HomeGuide’s $25 to $60 a ton for crusher run and crushed stone, that runs roughly $500 to $1,500.
- Add the grading. At $1 to $3 per square foot, grading runs $1,000 to $3,000.
- Add a culvert if the driveway crosses a ditch, at $500 to $2,000.
- Add the labor to spread the stone and shape the crown. HomeGuide says labor is about half of a typical project.
Stone and grading alone come to roughly $1,500 to $4,500 here, before labor and any culvert. LawnStarter’s rate gives $1,000 to $3,000 for the same 1,000 square feet, and HomeGuide’s table gives $4,000 to $10,000.
Open, level ground needs less of that work than wet or wooded ground. On a wooded route, HomeGuide’s site preparation covers clearing the plants and debris along with the grading.
Both guides also count where you live. LawnStarter lists Alabama among the states with the lowest cost of living.
What goes into our estimate for a new gravel driveway?
We build new gravel driveways and private roads across Baldwin and Mobile County from our base in Elberta. Each one gets a proper base and a crown, with a culvert where the ground calls for one. We grade the route with our compact track loader and spread the stone in layers.
The free written estimate comes after an on-site look. It spells out the stone and how it reaches the property. When you compare quotes, HomeGuide suggests asking whether each estimate includes site prep and grading. Two quotes only line up when they cover the same depth and the same ground work.
Before the on-site look, pace off the route and note where water stands after a rain. Mark any ditch the driveway has to cross, since that is where a culvert goes.
Still choosing a surface? Our guide to gravel versus concrete lays the two side by side for coastal lots. For a free written estimate on a new gravel driveway, call (251) 747-7839.