Crushed Stone Calculator
Crushed stone is sold by the ton but spread by volume, so you need both. Enter the area and depth for the cubic yards — and, using the stone's density, the tons to order.
Crushed stone
2.59tons
- Crushed stone
- 1.85 cu yd
- Volume
- 50 cu ft
- Area
- 200 sq ft
How it’s calculated
Volume = length × width × (depth ÷ 12) cubic feet, ÷ 27 for cubic yards. Tons = cubic yards × the stone's density. Density depends on the stone size and type (crushed stone runs roughly 1.3–1.5 ton/cu yd), so it's an editable input — use your supplier's figure for an accurate ton order.
Worked example
A 20 × 10 ft area (200 sq ft), 3 in deep, at 1.4 ton/cu yd: 200 × 3 ÷ 12 = 50 cu ft = 1.85 cu yd × 1.4 ≈ 2.59 tons.
FAQs
- How deep should the crushed stone be?
- About 2–3 inches for a decorative ground cover or top dressing, and 4 inches or more for a path, driveway, or structural base (built up in compacted lifts). Deeper layers and driveways are where ordering by the ton really matters.
- Why do I have to enter a density?
- Because crushed stone isn't one material — pea gravel, #57 stone, and crusher run all weigh different amounts per cubic yard (roughly 1.3–1.5 ton). The cubic-yard volume is pure geometry, but turning it into tons needs the density of your specific stone, so we keep it editable rather than guessing.
- Should I add extra for compaction?
- It depends on the stone. Dense-graded stone like crusher run is meant to be compacted into a base — order about 20% more than the in-place volume, since it loses volume when tamped. Open-graded stone (#57, pea gravel) and loose decorative layers compact very little, so the figure here is about right as-is.
Sources
- Volume = L × W × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27 (geometry). Tons = cu yd × density; density (~1.3–1.5 ton/cu yd, by stone type) is an editable, supplier-confirmed material property — not baked in.