Crushed Stone Calculator

Estimate the cubic yards and tons of crushed stone for a driveway base, drainage bed or patio, with cost by the ton or the yard.

Shape
Driveway bases often run 4″ to 8″; drainage beds vary.
Material
Crushed stone averages about 2,700 lb per cubic yard (1.35 tons); mixes with fines weigh more.
%
Add 10% or more for compaction and uneven ground.
Cost
$
Fractions work too: try 12 1/2.
Cubic Yards
Area
Cubic feet
Cubic meters
Weight
Cost
Add a price to estimate

Project Areas

Areas you add are saved in this browser.

AreaSizeDepthCubic YardsTonsCostRemove

How to Calculate Crushed Stone

Crushed stone is ordered by the cubic yard or the ton. Multiply length and width in feet by the depth in inches ÷ 12 to get cubic feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by the weight per yard and divide by 2,000 for tons.

Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27
Tons = cubic yards × weight per cubic yard (lb) ÷ 2,000

There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard (3 × 3 × 3). For a circle, the area is 3.1416 × diameter² ÷ 4; for a triangle, base × height ÷ 2.

Worked Example

Crushed Stone Weights

NameLb. per Cubic YardTons per Cubic YardNotes
Crushed stone, average2,7001.35Typical #57 or similar washed stone
Crushed limestone2,7001.35Common road and driveway base
Dense-graded base (with fines)3,0001.50Compacts tight; heavier per yard

How Far a Cubic Yard Goes

DepthOne Cubic Yard CoversNeeded per 100 Sq. Ft.

Tips for Crushed Stone

Stone with fines, like dense-graded base or crusher run, packs into a hard surface and is best under driveways and pavers. Clean stone without fines, like #57, drains well and is used for drainage and under slabs.

Compact in layers of about 3″ to 4″ with a plate compactor. Ask the quarry for its weight per yard, since it varies with the rock type.