How to use the crusher run calculator
Measure the proposed base. For a rectangular section, enter its length and width in feet. For a plan that already gives square footage, select Known square feet. Enter the required depth of the finished compacted layer in inches. If the project contains distinct pads or strips, measure them separately; calculate each and combine compatible quantities before applying a supplier's order minimum. Do not count overlapping rectangles twice.
Next, ask the quarry how its material weight is measured. If it supplies compacted dry density, choose the compacted model. If it supplies loose bulk density, enter the corresponding loose-to-finished volume factor obtained for the material and installation. Do not combine a compacted density with an unrelated generic compaction percentage. The separate handling allowance is for a justified loss, not another compaction adjustment.
Finally, enter the supplier's selling unit, order increment, minimum, quoted unit price, and total delivery fee. Leave a field blank when that value is unknown; do not treat a hypothetical default as a supplier quote. The optional truck calculation needs the carrier's actual legal weight payload.
How much crusher run do I need?
Area (ft²) = length (ft) × width (ft)
Finished volume (ft³) = area (ft²) × finished depth (in) ÷ 12
Finished volume (yd³) = finished ft³ ÷ 27
Model A, compacted: US tons = finished ft³ × compacted lb/ft³ ÷ 2,000
Model B, loose: US tons = finished yd³ × supplier loose-volume factor × loose US tons/yd³
Both models describe approximately the same material when the densities and volume factor represent the same aggregate at compatible moisture and measurement conditions. Use one model for weight. Supplier order rounding follows any distinct handling allowance; it never changes the geometric finished depth.
Crusher run cubic yards to tons
A cubic yard is a volume; a US short ton is 2,000 pounds of weight. One loose cubic yard does not weigh the same as one compacted cubic yard of the same graded stone. The spaces between aggregate particles change with grading, placement and moisture. To convert purchased loose cubic yards to tons, multiply by the product's loose bulk density in short tons per loose yard. For compacted finished quantities, calculate from compacted density or convert to equivalent loose volume first.
Washington State DOT's 2024 Design Manual, Exhibit 620-1, lists 2,950 lb/yd³ truck measure and 3,700 lb/yd³ compacted on roadway for its crushed surfacing base course. It explicitly labels these dry weights and calls for water-content corrections. These values demonstrate why measurement state matters; WSDOT's product is not a certified density for every locally named crusher run product.
Loose vs. compacted crusher run
Imagine an area with a planned 4-inch finished compacted layer. The finished 4 inches is the design geometry. If a supplier or installer confirms a 1.20 loose-volume factor for that specific material and installation, 1.00 finished yd³ requires an estimated 1.20 loose yd³. That does not mean weight increases by 20% again when using a verified compacted density.
Compaction depends on gradation, fines, water content, equipment and field effort. ASTM C29/C29M-23 distinguishes bulk density in loose and compacted laboratory conditions, and explains that hauling and stockpiles can have moisture conditions different from dry lab tests. For important structural projects, use project specifications and field measurements rather than a generic percentage.
Worked example: 45 × 12-foot driveway base
Consider a hypothetical 45 × 12 ft driveway strip at a finished depth of 4 inches. Area is 540 ft². The finished volume is 540 × 4 ÷ 12 = 180 ft³ = 6.6667 yd³. With a hypothetical supplier loose-volume factor of 1.20, the loose delivery volume is 8.00 yd³. At a hypothetical loose density of 1.30 US short tons per loose yd³, the required material is 10.40 US short tons.
Suppose a separate 5% handling loss is justified: 10.40 × 1.05 = 10.92 US tons. Rounding upward in half-ton increments gives an 11.0-US-ton order (22,000 lb). At an invented price for this example only of $42 per ton and a total $75 delivery quote, material is 11 × $42 = $462 and material plus delivery is $537 before tax, labor or equipment. At a separately verified 12-US-ton payload, that order fits one weight-limited truckload; the site access and truck's volume limit still need checking.
If the supplier instead provides a compacted dry density, enter that density in Model A and remove the loose-density weight conversion. If the supplier sells in loose cubic yards, confirm the loose-volume factor and round the resulting loose-yard order to that supplier's increment.
How much does one ton of crusher run cover?
Coverage depends on finished depth and the same density method used to estimate weight. In the worked example, 540 ft² ÷ 10.40 US tons ≈ 51.9 ft² per ton at a finished 4-inch depth, before separate handling allowance. That number is valid only for the sample's combined loose factor 1.20 and loose density 1.30 short tons/yd³. A different material, compacted density or intended depth changes the coverage; it is not a general promise of square feet per ton.
Crusher run for driveways and compacted bases
Crusher run is often sold as graded crushed aggregate containing both coarse particles and smaller material or fines. Those particles can pack together into a dense base. The Federal Highway Administration's granular-base guidance explains how particle size distribution, shape, fines and drainage affect base behavior. It does not authorize a single driveway thickness for every climate, soil, load or specification.
Before ordering, confirm required grading and finished depth with your plan, local requirements or qualified installer. A base used for wheel loads is not interchangeable with a clean-drainage-stone layer simply because both are sold as crushed rock.
Crusher run vs. #57 stone, drainage rock and crushed limestone
| Material name | Important distinction | Check before purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run / crush-and-run | Generally crushed aggregate blended across sizes, often including fines, intended to compact. | Specific quarry gradation, local name, moisture and density basis. |
| #57 clean stone | Screened, more open-graded aggregate; void spaces support water movement differently from dense-graded base. | Project drainage function, size specification and clean stone requirement. |
| Drain rock | Often clean stone selected for drainage, not a compacted fines-rich base mix. | Drain detail, pipe bedding and specified gradation. |
| Crushed limestone | Describes source rock; limestone may be screened clean or blended into a crusher-run-style base. | Do not treat "limestone" and "crusher run" as mutually exclusive product grades. |
Regional names—including ABC (aggregate base course), DGA (dense-graded aggregate), 21A and CR-6—are not nationally interchangeable specifications. Virginia DOT has listed crusher run No. 25/26 separately from aggregate base material 21A/21B in procurement documents. Ask for the exact local product description, not just a familiar nickname.
Crusher run cost and truckload estimates
For a supplier quoting by US short ton, multiply the rounded ton order by the quoted price per ton. For a supplier quoting by loose cubic yard, round and price the loose cubic-yard order instead. A minimum may increase what you must purchase above what the project consumes. Add the supplier's total delivery charge separately. This tool does not automatically include sales tax, spreading, excavation, compaction equipment, dumping or labor.
For delivery counts, divide ordered weight by the carrier's verified usable payload in US tons and round up to whole loads. A truck advertised by dump-bed cubic yards can still be restricted by gross vehicle weight or access conditions; never assume its cubic-yard rating is also its weight payload.
What to ask the quarry before ordering crusher run
- What is the exact product, source material, gradation and applicable local specification? Is it appropriate for the planned base?
- Is the supplied density loose bulk or compacted dry, and are quoted tons dry or wet truck scale tons?
- If estimating from a finished compacted depth, can the supplier or installer support a loose-volume factor for the same material and placement method?
- Does the supplier sell by short ton or loose cubic yard? What are the smallest increments and minimum order?
- What is the confirmed total delivery fee, vehicle weight payload, site-access requirement and unload arrangement?
Common crusher run calculation mistakes
- Loose versus finished depth: entering the truck's loose layer thickness as finished depth makes the state model inconsistent.
- Inches versus feet: forgetting to divide inches by 12 can overstate the volume twelvefold.
- Wrong density: solid stone density is not aggregate bulk density; grading and moisture matter.
- Double compaction: multiplying finished volume by compacted density and then adding a generic loose factor to mass counts the state change twice.
- Wrong units: a US short ton is 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is different.
- Truckload guesses: a truck's nominal bed volume does not establish its legal tonnage payload.
- Product names: 21A, ABC, crusher run and clean #57 stone are not identical specifications nationwide.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons of crusher run are in one cubic yard?
That depends on whether the yard is loose or compacted and on the actual material. Multiply one loose yard by the quarry's loose density in US tons per loose cubic yard. Do not use a single national conversion for all crusher run.
How much crusher run should I order for a 4-inch driveway base?
Measure area in square feet, multiply by 4 ÷ 12 and divide the cubic feet by 27. Then use either supplier compacted dry density, or a matching loose-volume factor and loose bulk density. Add only a justified separate handling allowance and round to the supplier increment.
Do I always need 20% extra for compaction?
No. The worked example's 1.20 factor is hypothetical. A credible factor depends on the exact material and placement method; with compacted density you do not add it again to material weight.
Does crusher run drain like #57 stone?
Usually not: mixes with fines can have substantially different permeability from clean open-graded aggregate. Confirm the specified drainage layer, since a fines-rich base is not automatically a suitable drain-rock substitute.
Can the calculator give a real-time local price?
No. Price is entered by the user. Taxes, labor, preparation, equipment and unquoted charges are not included; the sample $42 per ton is invented for arithmetic illustration.
Technical references and limits
These references describe material properties and unit conventions; none makes the illustrated density or factor a universal crusher-run value. Checked November 4, 2026.
- FHWA, Granular Base Materials (archived) — base material types and proper gradation considerations.
- FHWA, Granular Base application guidance — aggregate gradation, fines, permeability and base properties.
- WSDOT Design Manual M 22-01.23, Exhibit 620-1 (PDF, page 620-2) — separate dry truck-measure and compacted-roadway weights for crushed surfacing.
- ASTM C29/C29M-23 — bulk density and voids measured in loose or compacted aggregate conditions.
- NIST SP 811, conversion factors — US short ton equals 2,000 lb.