Crusher run and road base calculator
A 20 × 10 ft base 4 in thick, compacted, takes about 4.69 tons of crusher run. At $43.36 a ton, the middle of eight yards' 2025 price lists, that's about $203 before delivery.
What crusher run is
Crusher run is crushed stone with all its fines left in, from about 1½ in down to dust. The fines fill the gaps between the stones, so it packs into a hard, firm layer, which is why it's the usual base under driveways, patios, pavers, sheds and artificial turf, and the top layer of many gravel driveways. Clean stone such as #57 has the fines washed out; it drains, but it doesn't lock together the same way.
Every region has its own name for it, often the state highway department's specification number:
| Name | Where it's used |
|---|---|
| Crusher run | Georgia and western New York |
| Road base | Texas |
| Dense-graded crushed stone | Vermont |
| Class 5 | Minnesota |
| 2A modified | Pennsylvania |
| #411, 304 | Ohio |
| Item #4 | Westchester County, New York |
| 21AA, 22A, 23A | Michigan |
Compacted or loose
A base is spread loose and rolled or tamped until it's dense, so a cubic yard of space in the finished base holds more stone than a cubic yard on the truck. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation measured dense-graded base at 1.75 to 2.1 tons a cubic yard compacted, and Caltrans plans 2.0; the calculator uses 1.9. Loose, Wisconsin measured 2,430 to 2,810 lb a cubic yard and Caltrans plans 1.5 tons; the calculator uses 1.4. Choose "Yes, compacted as a base" and the calculator gives the tons for the finished depth and the loose yards to order.
| Compacted depth | Tons per 100 sq ft | Loose cu yd to order | Sq ft one ton covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 1.17 | 0.84 | 85 |
| 3 in | 1.76 | 1.26 | 57 |
| 4 in | 2.35 | 1.68 | 43 |
| 6 in | 3.52 | 2.51 | 28 |
| 8 in | 4.69 | 3.35 | 21 |
| 12 in | 7.04 | 5.03 | 14 |
Area: 20 ft × 10 ft = 200 sq ft
200 sq ft × 4 in = 66.67 cu ft ÷ 27 = 2.47 cu yd
2.47 cu yd × 3,800 lb per compacted cu yd ÷ 2,000 = 4.69 tons
Spread and compact it in layers of a few inches at a time; a thick layer packs hard on top and stays soft underneath.
What crusher run costs
Eight stone and landscape yards' 2025 price lists put crusher run and road base at $27.50 to $71.43 a ton, with a middle of $43.36 and most between $36.25 and $55.18, counting per-yard prices at 1.4 tons a loose cubic yard. Counties buying thousands of tons pay much less at the quarry: Defiance County, Ohio, took bids of $12.75 to $19.50 a ton for 304 base in January 2025. Delivery is extra; see gravel prices for yards' delivery fees.
| Product | Yard | Price | List date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crusher run | Pallas Landscape Supply, Georgia | $60.00 a ton | January 2025 |
| 1 in crusher run limestone | S. St. George Enterprises, Fredonia, NY | $37.00 a ton | April 2025 |
| 2 in crusher run limestone | S. St. George Enterprises, Fredonia, NY | $33.50 a ton | April 2025 |
| Class 5 | Rock Hard Landscape Supply, Twin Cities, MN | $34.00 a ton | 2025 |
| 2A modified | Ricupero Supply, Verona, PA | $46.00 a ton | 2025 contractor list |
| Item #4, 1½ in minus | Lawton Adams, Somers, NY | $57.00 a cu yd | March 2025 |
| #411 limestone with dust | Natorp Landscape Supply, Mason, OH | $75.00 a cu yd | 2025 wholesale list |
| Road base | Nature's Way Resources, Conroe, TX | $100.00 a cu yd | January 2025 |
| Dense-graded crushed stone | William E. Dailey (Just Deliveries list), Bennington, VT | $27.50 a ton | June 2025 |
Where it goes
For a driveway, the gravel driveway calculator works out a coarse bottom layer with crusher run on top, and gravel driveway cost prices it with delivery. Under pavers, the paver base calculator adds the sand bed; under artificial grass, the artificial turf calculator counts the base with the turf and infill.
What you'll need
- A plate compactor packs a base in a few passes; most people rent one for the day rather than buy.
- A hand tamper does the edges and small areas a plate compactor can't reach.
- A landscape rake spreads each layer level before you compact it.
Sources
- Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WHRP 0092-22-05), Wisconsin Highway Research Program, Michigan State University, December 2023. Measured loose and compacted weights of base aggregates, recycled asphalt and recycled concrete; tons per compacted cubic yard.
- Maintenance Manual Volume 1, Appendix: Useful Information, California Department of Transportation, July 2014. Loose weights of crushed gravel, limestone, granite, screenings, sand and soil; 111 lb of asphalt mix per square yard per inch; 2.0 tons per compacted cubic yard of base.
- Price sheet, Pallas Landscape Supply (Georgia), 1 January 2025. Crusher run $60, #57 granite $68 and pea gravel $135 a ton; fill dirt $20 and screened topsoil $40 a cubic yard; delivery from $75.
- 2025 product price list, S. St. George Enterprises (Fredonia, New York), 1 April 2025. #57 stone $36, 1 in crusher run limestone $37, 1A pea stone $33.50 and fill dirt $7 a ton.
- 2025 price list, Rock Hard Landscape Supply (Minnesota), 2025. Class 5 $34 a ton; delivery $85 to $105 for a single axle (5 tons) and $125 to $140 for a quad or quint axle (17 to 20 tons); fabric 4 × 100 ft $48.
- Supply yard: contractor price list, Ricupero Supply (Verona, Pennsylvania), 2025. 2A modified $46 and pea gravel $49 a ton; delivery at least $45.
- Materials, supplies and recycling price list, Lawton Adams Construction (Somers, New York), 17 March 2025. Per cubic yard at the yard: Item #4 base $57, fill $2, structural screened fill $14; delivery $8 to $16 a cubic yard more by load size.
- Bulk and bag material pricing, 2025, Natorp Landscape Supply (Mason, Ohio), 2025. Per cubic yard, wholesale: #57 washed gravel $70, #411 limestone $75, pea gravel $35.
- Retail price sheet, Nature's Way Resources (Conroe, Texas), 1 January 2025. Per cubic yard: road base $100, pea gravel $110.45, fill dirt $36.
- Local material prices, Just Deliveries (Bennington, Vermont), 26 June 2025. William E. Dailey: #2 stone $28.80 and dense-graded crushed stone $27.50 a ton.
- 2025 crushed aggregate bid tabulation, Defiance County Engineer (Ohio), 30 January 2025. At the quarry: #57 stone $19.50 to $25.37 and 304 base $12.75 to $19.50 a ton.
- Gravel surfacing bid tabulations, Allegan County Road Commission (Michigan), 16 April 2025. Furnish, haul and spread road gravel: 1,000 cu yd of 22A from $18.75 a cubic yard; 600 cu yd of 21AA at $54.90 and $75.00.