Crushed Stone Calculator
Size the crushed stone for any job from real geometry — area and depth, stone grade and compaction — with cubic yards, weight in tons, bag counts, U.S. pricing, and a downloadable PDF.
Crushed stone weight swings with grade and fines — dense-grade base rock is heavier. Prices use 2024-2025 U.S. figures. For planning purposes only.
| Depth | Cubic Yards | Weight (ton) | Bags |
|---|
For your 400 sq ft area, includes 10% compaction. Deeper layers need much more stone.
How to use the crushed stone calculator
Four quick steps turn your area and depth into a crushed stone order — cubic yards, tons, and bags — with the right stone grade, a compaction allowance, a depth comparison, and a downloadable PDF.
Enter the area
Length and width, or the square footage, for the area you’re covering with stone.
Set the depth
Enter how deep in inches — driveways and bases go deeper than paths, and depth drives the order.
Pick grade & compaction
Choose the stone grade, set a compaction %, and enter the price per ton or bag.
Read results & save a PDF
Get cubic yards, tons, and bags, a cost breakdown, a depth comparison, and a material list.
How the crushed stone estimate is calculated
Crushed stone is a volume that you then weigh. The calculator turns your area and depth into cubic feet, adds compaction, converts to cubic yards and tons using the stone’s density, and works out how many bags that is. Here is the exact math.
Worked example — a 200 sq ft area, 3 inches deep
Volume: 200 × 3 ÷ 12 = 50 cu ft
Cubic yards: 50 ÷ 27 ≈ 1.85 cu yd
Weight: 50 × 100 ÷ 2000 = 2.5 tons
Bags: 50 × 100 ÷ 50 = 100 × 50 lb bags
≈ 1.85 cubic yards, about 2.5 tons, or ~100 fifty-pound bags for 200 sq ft at 3″ deep.
Crushed stone estimating charts
Handy lookups for the questions people ask most — stone by depth, by area, unit conversions, and which grade to use. Figures use a density of about 100 lb per cubic foot, so confirm your own stone.
| Depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 8.3 | 0.31 | 0.42 |
| 2 inches | 16.7 | 0.62 | 0.83 |
| 3 inches | 25.0 | 0.93 | 1.25 |
| 4 inches | 33.3 | 1.23 | 1.67 |
| 6 inches | 50.0 | 1.85 | 2.50 |
Per 100 sq ft, before compaction. Depth scales the stone directly — doubling the depth doubles the volume and weight, so it’s the number worth measuring carefully.
| Area | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 12.5 | 0.46 | 0.63 |
| 100 sq ft | 25.0 | 0.93 | 1.25 |
| 200 sq ft | 50.0 | 1.85 | 2.50 |
| 300 sq ft | 75.0 | 2.78 | 3.75 |
| 500 sq ft | 125.0 | 4.63 | 6.25 |
At 3 inches deep, before compaction. For other depths, scale up or down — 6 inches is double these figures, 1.5 inches is half.
| 1 of this | Equals | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic yard | 27 cubic feet | The bulk-delivery unit |
| 1 cubic yard | ~1.35 tons | Dense grade is heavier, ~1.8 tons |
| 1 ton | ~20 cubic feet | ~0.74 cubic yards |
| 1 cubic foot | ~100 lbs | Typical crushed stone density |
| 1 cubic yard | ~54 × 50 lb bags | Why bulk beats bags at scale |
Density varies with grade and fines, so these are working figures. Dense-grade base with fines and wet stone weigh more per cubic foot than clean, loose, dry stone.
| Stone grade | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| #57 stone (3/4 in) | Driveways & drainage | Clean angular, drains freely |
| #411 / crusher run | Compacted base | Stone plus fines, packs hard |
| #8 stone (3/8 in) | Paths & top dressing | Small clean crushed stone |
| #1 stone (2–4 in) | Drainage & erosion | Large rock, fills fast |
| Stone dust / screenings | Paver setting beds | Fine, packs tight and level |
| 3/4 in clean crushed | Drainage & French drains | Washed, no fines |
Match the grade to the task — dense grade with fines locks up for bases, while clean stone stays loose and drains. Ask your supplier if you’re unsure which grade or local name suits your project.
area × depth
~100 lb/cu ft
~54 bags / yd
Crushed stone is ordered by volume and often paid for by weight, and depth is the lever that swings both.
- Volume — area times depth gives cubic feet; depth scales it directly, so measure it well.
- Weight — at ~100 lb per cubic foot, a cubic yard of stone is around 1.35 tons.
- Bulk vs bags — a cubic yard is ~54 fifty-pound bags, so bulk wins for all but small jobs.
Everything the calculator works out
One area and depth gives you a complete crushed stone order — the volume, the weight, the bags, and the cost, however you buy it.
Key figures every crushed stone order depends on
Built for any crushed stone job
From a drainage bed to a driveway base or a paver sub-base, the same calculator scales to the area, the depth, and the stone grade.
Building a path, drainage bed, or dry well and wants the right bags or yards without over-buying.
- Measure the area and depth
- Pick the right stone grade
- Compare bags vs a bulk load
Ordering bulk stone for driveways and bases and needs yards, tons, and cost with delivery in one place.
- Work in cubic yards for bulk
- Add compaction to the order
- Save the PDF material list for the quote
Buying stone for a driveway base, paver sub-base, or French drain and wants volume and weight figured right.
- Use crusher run for a hard base
- Convert volume to tons to order
- Total stone across the job
7 tips for an accurate crushed stone order
Small habits keep your volume right and your delivery sensible, whether you buy bags or bulk.
Crushed stone calculator FAQ
The volume, weight, bag, and grade questions people ask most before ordering crushed stone.
Work out the volume as area times depth, then convert to weight. Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in feet to get cubic feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, and multiply cubic feet by about 100 pounds to get the weight.
A 200 sq ft area at 3 inches deep is about 50 cubic feet, or 1.85 cubic yards, which is roughly 2.5 tons of crushed stone.
A cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly 2,400 to 2,900 pounds, or about 1.2 to 1.45 tons, depending on the grade. Dense-grade base like crusher run is heavier, closer to 1.8 tons per yard.
As a working figure, one cubic yard of clean crushed stone is about 1.35 tons and covers roughly 100 square feet at 3 inches deep. Delivery is usually sold by the cubic yard or the ton.
Multiply the cubic feet by the stone’s density in pounds per cubic foot, then divide by 2,000. Crushed stone is roughly 100 pounds per cubic foot, so cubic feet times 100, divided by 2,000, gives tons.
For example, 40 cubic feet of crushed stone is about 4,000 pounds, or 2 tons. Dense-grade stone with fines is heavier, so treat it as an estimate.
A cubic yard of crushed stone is about 54 fifty-pound bags, or roughly 45 bags at 60 pounds each. A 50-pound bag holds only about half a cubic foot, so it takes a lot of bags to equal bulk stone.
For anything more than a small job, bulk crushed stone by the cubic yard or ton is far cheaper and easier than bagged. Bags make sense for small repairs and top-ups.
For a crushed stone driveway, aim for about 4 to 6 inches of compacted stone, often a #411 or crusher-run base with a #57 stone top course. Paths and drainage beds need less, usually 2 to 3 inches.
Lay it in layers and compact each one so the surface holds up under traffic. A geotextile fabric under the base helps stop the stone sinking into soft ground.
#57 stone is clean, uniform 3/4-inch rock with no fines, so it drains freely and stays loose, which suits drainage and top courses. Crusher run (#411 dense grade) mixes stone with fine screenings so it compacts into a hard, stable base.
Use crusher run where you need a solid, load-bearing base, and #57 where you need drainage or a free-draining top layer. Many driveways use both — crusher run below and #57 on top.
Yes. Add about 5% to 15% extra for spillage, uneven ground, and compaction, and a bit more for dense-grade base that you’ll tamp hard, since compaction reduces the loose volume you ordered.
It’s better to have a little stone left over than to stop part-way and wait for more. Round up to the nearest half or full cubic yard when ordering bulk.
Both. Bulk crushed stone is commonly sold by the cubic yard or by the ton, while bagged stone is sold by weight, such as 50-pound bags. The calculator gives you cubic yards, tons, and bags so you can order either way.
When comparing prices, convert to the same unit first, since a cubic yard is roughly 1.35 tons of stone. Delivery fees often make bulk the better value once you pass a few bags’ worth.
General Estimating Notice: This calculator estimates crushed stone volume, weight, bags, and cost from your area, depth, stone grade, compaction, and the prices you enter, using a typical density of about 100 lb per cubic foot and standard conversions. Actual weight varies with the grade, fines, and moisture — dense-grade base and wet stone weigh more — and delivered quantities can differ. Always confirm the density and quantities with your supplier and allow for compaction before ordering. For planning purposes only.