Free crushed stone calculator — cubic yards, weight and cost
Work out how much crushed stone to order for a base course, driveway, patio sub-base or drainage run. Add as many areas as you need and get cubic yards, tons and cost.
How deep should crushed stone go?
Under a patio or walkway, four inches of compacted stone base is standard on stable soil, and six inches where drainage is poor or the ground is clay. Under a driveway, plan on eight inches or more, laid and compacted in lifts.
Compaction is the part people underestimate. Crushed stone loses roughly 20% of its loose volume once properly compacted, so if you need four inches of finished base you should be ordering closer to five inches of loose material. The waste field on this calculator is a reasonable place to account for that.
Use dense-grade stone with fines where you want a base that locks up solid, and clean washed stone where you want water to move through it. They are not interchangeable.
Coverage at a glance
How far one cubic yard goes, and what 1,000 square feet takes, at each common depth:
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | 1,000 sq ft needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2" | 162 sq ft | 6.2 cu yd |
| 3" | 108 sq ft | 9.3 cu yd |
| 4" | 81 sq ft | 12.3 cu yd |
| 6" | 54 sq ft | 18.5 cu yd |
Weight and delivery
Crushed stone weighs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Most quarries and yards sell it by the ton, so the tonnage figure is usually the number you will actually be quoted on.
Before you order, check access. Bulk material is tipped, not carried — the truck needs room to back in and raise its bed, and most suppliers will not tip on a surface they might damage. Ask about the delivery fee and the minimum order separately, because both change the maths on small jobs.
Turn it into a quote
Hit Copy order and the whole breakdown goes to your clipboard, ready to paste into an estimate. Add your labour, price it with the profit margin calculator, and send it with the estimate generator.
Related: cubic yard calculator, gravel, topsoil, mulch and concrete calculators, plus state-by-state rate data for what landscapers and contractors earn.
FAQ
How much crushed stone do I need?
Multiply area by depth in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards. At 4 inches, one cubic yard covers 81 square feet. Then add for compaction — figure about 20% more loose material than your finished depth.
How many tons of stone are in a cubic yard?
About 1.4 tons for typical crushed stone, though it varies with the rock type and how much fine material is in the mix. Denser rock like trap rock runs heavier than limestone.
What is the difference between crushed stone and gravel?
Crushed stone is mechanically crushed, so the faces are angular and lock together under compaction. Gravel is naturally weathered and more rounded, so it stays loose. For any base course that has to bear load, you want the angular crushed product.
How much stone do I need under a patio?
Four inches of compacted stone base on stable ground, six on clay or poorly draining soil, plus about an inch of bedding sand on top. For a 200 square foot patio at 4 inches, that is roughly 2.5 cubic yards of stone before compaction allowance.
Should I order stone by the yard or by the ton?
Whichever your supplier quotes, but know both numbers before you call. Yards measure volume and tons measure weight, and at about 1.4 tons per yard they are not interchangeable — ordering 10 of the wrong unit is a costly mistake in either direction.