What this crushed stone calculator returns
Quick answer: Convert the dimensions of a crushed-stone layer into cubic yards and estimated short tons for base, drainage, access, and landscape work.
Use the placed length, width, and finished installed depth for each course. A driveway base and a surface course should be separate calculations because gradation, density, thickness, and material state are rarely identical. If the density is for loose delivered stone, convert installed yards only with a documented supplier or specification yield factor.
Formula used by the calculator
Installed cubic feet = length × width × (depth in inches ÷ 12)
Installed cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Base short tons = cubic yards × density for the same material state
Recommended short tons = base short tons × (1 + stated allowance ÷ 100)
Crushed-stone source basis: unit conversions follow NIST. FHWA granular-base guidance explains why gradation, crushed faces, fines, stability, and permeability affect whether an aggregate fits a base application. The selectable densities are planning presets, not specification values. Method and limits.
On the Crushed Stone Calculator, estimated cost equals recommended short tons multiplied by the entered price per ton. Bag count converts recommended tons to pounds, divides by the selected bag weight, and rounds upward. Coverage is length multiplied by width; depth is still required before area becomes volume.
Density is an editable conversion, not a universal constant
The page opens with 1.6 short tons per cubic yard as an example density for crushed stone. Angular stone can interlock under compaction, but #57, crusher run, screenings, recycled aggregate, and other products are not interchangeable. Fines content, moisture, source rock, and delivered state all influence tons per cubic yard.
If a supplier provides a different tons-per-yard figure, first confirm whether it describes loose delivered yards or the installed state used by your geometry. Use it directly only when the states match; otherwise obtain a documented yield conversion. Never substitute solid-stone density for bulk aggregate because void space between particles is part of the bulk volume.
Worked crushed stone example
Example values: 30 ft × 12 ft × (4 in ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 4.44 yd³. At 1.60 short tons/yd³, base weight is 7.11 short tons; with 10% allowance, the example order is 7.82 short tons. Replace these values with project and supplier data.
Turn the result into an order
Ask the quarry whether it dispatches by scale weight, loader bucket, or nominal cubic yard. Use the calculator's tons result only after entering that quarry's bulk-density relationship for the specified product.
Clean #57 is an open-graded, free-draining product used where the section calls for it; crusher run or another dense-graded base includes fines and behaves differently. Do not assign both the same density or loose-to-installed factor without quarry documentation, and keep the drainage layer separate from the compacted base in the order.
Common crushed stone estimating errors
- Treating every crushed-stone grade as if it had the same density and compaction behavior.
- Combining several courses into one depth even though they use different products.
- Using finished surface area but forgetting shoulders, over-excavation, or separate trench zones.
Questions specific to crushed stone
What density should I use for crushed stone?
Use a quarry tons-per-cubic-yard value for the exact gradation and the same state as the volume being converted. If the quarry value is for loose delivered yards and your geometry is an installed layer, obtain a documented yield factor first. The editable default is planning data, not a universal property.
Is #57 stone the same as crusher run?
No. Product names vary regionally, but open-graded stone and dense-graded material with fines behave differently. Confirm the gradation on the quote rather than relying on a nickname.
How does compaction affect the order?
Installed depth is measured after placement. If the supplier or specification gives a loose-to-compacted factor, apply that defined factor; do not assume the page's waste field automatically represents compaction.
Can I use the result for a French drain?
You can estimate trench stone volume, but pipe displacement, fabric, bedding, cover, slope, and the required clean aggregate remain project-specific. The French Drain Calculator documents those limits more directly.