Crushed Stone Calculator

Extra material covers small dips, settling, spillage, and measurements that are not perfectly square. The calculated amount remains visible so you can compare both figures.

Both are shown. “Calculated” bags cover the measured volume; “Order” bags include the 10% allowance and round partial bags up to whole bags.

Volume comes directly from your dimensions. Weight is a range because moisture, particle size, composition, and compaction change bulk density.

Crushed stone is an artificial aggregate produced by mining rock formations (such as limestone, granite, dolomite, quartzite, or traprock) and crushing them through mechanical rock crushers into specific, screened angular sizes.

The standard size under concrete slabs is #57 crushed stone (clean 3/4-inch washed stone) or #4 crushed stone (1 to 1.5 inch). A 4-inch layer of clean crushed stone provides uniform load distribution, prevents slab cracking, and acts as a capillary break to stop ground moisture from rising through the concrete.

To calculate crushed stone: multiply length (ft) by width (ft) to get square footage, multiply by depth in feet (depth in inches ÷ 12), and divide by 27 to find cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by 1.3 to 1.4 for tons. For example, a 12×24 ft driveway section (288 sq ft) at a 4-inch depth requires 3.56 cubic yards, or approximately 4.8 to 5.0 tons of crushed stone.

One cubic yard of typical crushed stone weighs approximately 2,400 to 2,800 pounds (1.2 to 1.4 tons). Clean #57 stone weighs around 2,500 to 2,700 lb/yd³, while dense-graded aggregate with stone dust weighs 2,600 to 3,000+ lb/yd³ when compacted.

The standard foundation for paver patios and walkways is a 4-to-6-inch base of dense-graded crushed stone (such as crusher run, #411, or 3/4-inch minus with fines) compacted in layers, topped with a 1-inch bedding layer of coarse concrete sand or #8 / #9 stone chips.

Crushed stone typically costs $25 to $55 per ton from a quarry, or roughly $35 to $75 per cubic yard, with delivery adding $10 to $20 a yard depending on the haul; decorative stone such as white marble or trap rock runs $75 to $120+ a yard. Bagged crushed stone costs $4 to $7 per 50 lb bag, about $160 to $280 per ton. Installed with excavation, fabric, and compaction, crushed stone runs about $3 to $8 per square foot.

Crushed stone is used for driveway and road construction, base courses under concrete slabs and asphalt, paver patio sub-bases, French drain and septic drainage systems, retaining wall backfill, railroad track ballast, and concrete/asphalt aggregate mixes.

The construction and civil infrastructure industry uses the vast majority of crushed stone worldwide—primarily for highway and road construction, commercial and residential foundations, concrete and asphalt production, and airport runway bases.

3/4 inch crushed stone (#57 clean stone) is the most versatile aggregate in construction. Its uniform size and absence of dust allow rapid water drainage while providing strong load-bearing capacity, making it ideal for French drains, driveway top surfaces, slab drainage beds, and concrete mixes.

Crushed stone is manufactured by mechanically breaking large bedrock into angular stones with sharp edges that interlock firmly. Gravel is formed naturally through erosion and water weathering, resulting in smooth, rounded stones that roll easily and do not lock together under load. For rounded and mixed gravel, the gravel calculator carries those weights.

Measure the driveway length and width in feet, multiply them for total area, multiply by thickness in feet (usually 4 to 6 inches, or 0.33 to 0.5 ft), and divide by 27 to find cubic yards. Multiply by 1.35 for total tons. For a multi-layered driveway, calculate the dense-graded sub-base (4 to 6 in) and the #57 surface course (2 to 3 in) separately.

To calculate for a circular area: measure the radius in feet (half the diameter), calculate Area = π × radius² (or 3.1416 × r × r), multiply by depth in feet (depth in inches ÷ 12), and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by 1.35 for tons.

3/8 inch crushed stone (#8 stone, also called pea stone or chip stone) is clean, fine angular stone screened between 1/4 and 3/8 inch. It is commonly used for permeable paver jointing, asphalt chip seals, decorative garden paths, and pipe bedding.

Half-inch clean crushed stone sits between #8 (3/8 in) and #57 (3/4 in). It is a common choice for walkways, a smoother top layer on a driveway, pipe bedding, and the drainage layer under pavers or a shed, because it makes a firmer walking surface than #57 while still draining. It weighs about the same as #57, roughly 2,400 to 2,700 lb per cubic yard, so either clean-stone option in the calculator gives a good estimate.

Dense-graded crushed stone (also known as crusher run, road base, #411, or ABC stone) is a composite blend of crushed rock ranging from 3/4-inch down to fine stone dust. When watered and compacted, the fines fill every void between larger stones, locking them into an extremely rigid, cement-like base.

Stone dust (screenings or rock dust) is the finest byproduct of rock crushing. It is used as a setting bed for flagstones and concrete pavers, a crack filler between stones, and an additive to improve soil texture and remineralize garden soil.

One ton of crushed stone (2,000 lb) equals approximately 0.7 to 0.8 cubic yards, or about 19 to 22 cubic feet. At a 2-inch depth, one ton covers roughly 110 to 130 square feet; at a 4-inch depth, one ton covers about 55 to 65 square feet.