How this stone calculator works
Any stone sold over a scale is the same two-step — volume, then weight — with the stone type setting the density. This is the general tool; the material-specific pages go deeper:
tons = yd³ × density × (1 + waste%) → rounded up to ¼ ton
At the defaults — a 15 × 10 ft bed, 3 in of crushed stone, 5% waste — the scale order is 2.25 tons, about $101; the full chain is in the load math section below.
Crushed, clean, or decorative stone?
Three families cover almost every stone job, and the one you need is decided by whether it has to carry load, drain, or look good:
- Crushed stone (¾″ minus) — 1.4 t/yd³: angular, with fines, compacts into a structural mat. Bases and driveways — the road base and gravel driveway pages price the builds.
- Clean #57 / washed stone — 1.35: fines-free, stays open and drains. French drains, #57 driveway toppings, pipe surrounds.
- Decorative (river rock, pea) — 1.3: rounded, stays loose, never under load — beds and borders. The river rock calculator ties depth to stone size.
- Crushed limestone: the regional workhorse where it’s quarried — same math, on the limestone calculator.
What the stone size numbers mean
The washed grades carry a size number from the standard gradations. #57 is the ¾-in-to-1-in workhorse for drainage and driveway topping; #8 is a pea-sized ⅜ in for paver joints and toppings; #4 is a fist-sized 1½-in stone for heavy drainage and rip-rap bedding. “¾-in minus” means everything from ¾ in down to dust — and it is that dust that lets crushed stone lock up, because the fines fill the gaps between the larger pieces when you compact it.
How deep should stone be?
Depth is set by the job, not the stone. A decorative bed only has to hide the fabric and soil, so it stays shallow; a base that carries traffic needs enough compacted thickness to spread the load without rutting. The rough rule for a loose bed is twice the largest stone diameter — go thinner and single stones migrate and the layer wears through:
- Decorative beds: 2–3 in over landscape fabric — about twice the largest stone diameter.
- Driveway top course: 2–3 in of clean stone over a compacted base.
- Driveway / paver base: 4–6 in of compacted crushed stone.
- Drainage: 4–12 in of clean stone around pipe, no fines.
- Fabric under decorative, not under structural: it keeps beds clean but would stop a crushed base from locking to the subgrade.
How much does a ton of stone cover?
Table 1 is the density and 3 in coverage per stone type; Table 2 points to the deeper material-specific calculator for each job.
| Stone | t/yd³ | 1 ton @ 3″ |
|---|---|---|
| Crushed (¾″ minus) | 1.4 | 77 ft² |
| Clean #57 / river rock | 1.35 | 80 ft² |
| Pea / small decorative | 1.3 | 83 ft² |
| Job | Use |
|---|---|
| Driveway build | Gravel driveway |
| Base course | Road base |
| Decorative beds | River rock |
| Size lookup | Size chart |
How to measure for stone
- Measure length and width; total odd shapes with the square footage calculator.
- Set the depth by the job — 2–3 in decorative, 4–6 in base — from the depth guide.
- Pick the stone type so the density is right — crushed, clean, or decorative.
- Set the allowance: 5% for a decorative or top course, 10% for base you’ll compact.
- Enter the per-ton price, delivered — decorative colors cost multiples of construction stone.
Worked example: stone tons for a 15 × 10 bed
The default, worked line by line — 15 × 10 ft, 3 in of crushed stone at 1.4 t/yd³, 5% waste, $45 a ton:
volume = 150 × (3 ÷ 12) = 37.5 ft³ = 1.39 yd³
weight = 1.39 × 1.4 = 1.94 tons exact
waste = 1.94 × 1.05 = 2.04 → order 2.25 tons
cost = 2.25 × $45 = $101 · 1 ton covers ≈ 77 ft² at 3″
The stone type barely moves the tonnage — the same bed in clean #57 (1.35) or pea (1.3) lands within a few percent — but it moves the price a lot: swap crushed for a decorative color and $101 can become $250 for the identical volume. Pick the stone by the job, then price it, not the other way round.
What this stone estimate doesn’t include
The tonnage covers the stone on the scale and nothing else. On most jobs the stone is the cheap part; the list below is where the rest of the budget goes, and skipping any one line is how an estimate ends up short on delivery day:
- Sub-layers. Base under decorative stone or a driveway top — a separate order.
- Landscape fabric. Under decorative beds to keep them clean; priced by the ft².
- Delivery. A flat per-load haul fee, plus short-load minimums.
- Edging. Restraint to hold loose stone out of the lawn.
- Compaction. A plate compactor for structural lifts.
- Excavation and spreading. Digging the bed and raking the pile flat.
Stone FAQ
How many tons of stone do I need?
Area × depth ÷ 12 ÷ 27 for cubic yards, then × the stone’s density: the default 15 × 10 ft bed at 3 in is 1.39 yd³ of crushed stone — 1.94 tons, ordered as 2.25 with 5% waste, about $101 at $45 a ton.
How much stone do I need for a 10x10 area?
At 3 in of crushed stone a 10 × 10 ft area (100 ft²) is about 1.5 tons with 5% waste — roughly 0.93 yd³ before the allowance. At 2 in it drops to 1 ton, at 4 in it climbs to 2 tons. Pick the material and depth and the scale order lands in ¼-ton steps.
How do I convert yards of stone to tons?
Multiply by the density: 1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone with fines, 1.35 for clean #57 and river rock, 1.3 for pea and small decorative stone. The picker applies it for you — and the reverse trip lives on the cubic-yards-to-tons converter.
How much does a ton of stone cover?
About 77 ft² at 3 in deep in crushed stone — 80 in clean #57, 83 in pea. Halve those at 6 in. The live coverage line under the drawing recomputes for your depth and stone.
What is the difference between crushed, clean, and decorative stone?
Crushed stone with fines compacts into a structural mat — bases and driveways. Clean (washed) stone stays open and drains — French drains, #57 toppings. Decorative stone (river rock, pea) is round and stays loose — beds and borders, never under load.
How much does a ton of stone cost?
Roughly $35–60 per ton for crushed and clean construction stone in 2026, and $70–130 for decorative river rock and specialty colors, plus delivery. The editable price fields track your local quote.
Sources and standards
The size names and estimating densities on this page trace back to a handful of published standards — the same ones every quarry and state DOT works from:
- AASHTO M43 / ASTM C33: the size and gradation designations behind the stone types.
- Standard estimating densities: 1.3–1.4 t/yd³ by type, one set across every stone page on the site.
- State DOT aggregate specs: the crushed-vs-clean distinctions that decide which stone a job calls for.
- The quarry ticket: moisture and gradation move the weight — the scale governs the invoice.
Embed this stone calculator on your site
Run the stone calculator on your own site, free. Paste the snippet where you want it; the visible credit link is the only condition.