Tons of crusher run from area and compacted depth — with the loose-order allowance built in.
Crusher Run Calculator
Inputs
Depth is in inches. Entering feet here is the most common ordering mistake.
Crusher run is ordered loose and compacts once rolled. 10–20% is typical.
Results
Delivered weight
21.30 tons
V = L × W × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27, then × 1.5 tons/yd³
Calculated with BuildCalculators.com
Calculated with BuildCalculators.com · buildcalculators.com/crusher-run-calculator
Estimates are for planning only — confirm quantities with your supplier or contractor before ordering.
Crusher run — crush and run, crusher run gravel, ABC stone, ¾ minus, depending on which state your quarry is in — is crushed stone with the fines left in, and it is ordered by a slightly different logic from clean gravel. You specify the COMPACTED depth the job needs, because that is what the finished layer has to be; the loose material the truck tips is 10–20% more than that. This calculator works the way the material does: enter the compacted depth, and the order figure carries the compaction allowance on top.
V = L × W × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27order = yd³ × (1 + compaction ÷ 100)tons = order yd³ × 1.5 tons/yd³1 ton ≈ 54 ft² at 4 in compactedClean gravel is all stones and voids; crusher run fills the voids with rock dust. Under a plate compactor the angular stone locks and the fines bind, producing a layer hard enough to walk a loaded truck over. That is why every base spec — under asphalt, under concrete, under pavers — calls for material with fines, and why crusher run at 3,000 lb per loose yard outweighs clean gravel at 2,800.
A 15% allowance means a 4 inch finished layer needs about 4.6 inches of loose material. Nothing is thrown away — the layer genuinely shrinks as the voids close. Skip the allowance and every layer lands thin, which is the most common reason a fresh gravel driveway ruts in the first month.
A plate compactor compacts the top 3–4 inches properly and bluffs below that. A 8 inch base goes down as two lifts, each compacted, not one generous tip. One thick lift feels firm on top while the bottom half stays loose — and shows up as settlement a season later.
Typical granite or limestone crusher run, dry, loose in the truck. Quarries quote anywhere from 1.4 to 1.7 depending on rock type and moisture — wet material weighs more per yard, which matters because you pay by the ton but need volume. If your quarry states its own conversion, use theirs.
A single-lane gravel driveway, compacted finish depth.
About 21 tons — one truckload and change
A tri-axle carries 15–18 tons, so this is one full load plus a small top-up. Ask the driver to tailgate-spread along the run — it saves hours of barrow work.
Base for a garden shed, compacted and levelled.
About 4 tons
Frame the pad with treated 4×4s or steel edging first — an unconfined pad sheds stone off its edges from the first season and the corners go soft.
The 6 inch compacted aggregate layer a paving quote calls out.
About 15 tons of base
This is the layer that decides whether the [[asphalt-calculator|asphalt above it]] lasts. Two 3 inch lifts, each compacted — the asphalt calculator handles the black layer on top.
At 3,000 lb per loose cubic yard, compacted in place.
| Compacted depth | Coverage per ton |
|---|---|
| 2 in | ≈ 108 ft² |
| 4 in | ≈ 54 ft² |
| 6 in | ≈ 36 ft² |
| 8 in | ≈ 27 ft² |
Compacted depths, laid in 3–4 in lifts.
| Use | Compacted depth |
|---|---|
| Path or patio base | 4 in |
| Car driveway, firm ground | 4 in |
| Driveway, soft ground | 6–8 in |
| Base under asphalt or concrete | 4–8 in per spec |
| Truck or equipment traffic | 8–12 in |
Crusher run typically runs $18–$35 per ton at the quarry in 2026, and $25–$45 delivered — distance from the quarry moves the number more than the stone does. Delivery is usually a flat truck fee, so a full 15–18 ton load carries the best per-ton price.
Quarries sell by weight, jobs are measured by volume, and the conversion is where quotes drift apart. At 1.5 tons per yard, a $30/ton price is $45 a yard — directly comparable with a landscape yard quoting cubic yards. A suspiciously cheap per-yard price sometimes assumes a lighter conversion than the material really is.
Recycled crushed concrete does the same base job at $15–$30 a ton — commonly 20–40% less. For a driveway or farm lane the performance difference is small; for a base under structural concrete, follow whatever the spec names. The crushed concrete calculator prices the swap.
A plate compactor rents for $60–$100 a day and is not optional — un-compacted crusher run is just expensive loose gravel. For driveways over about 50 feet, a skid-steer with a grading bucket ($250–$350/day) beats a week of raking.
The classic: 12 yards measured, 12 yards ordered, layer lands 15% thin. Order the loose figure — the calculator’s second line — not the finished one.
Eight inches tipped and compacted once looks done and is not. The bottom half stays loose, and the surface ruts when the first heavy load crosses it. Two lifts, compact each.
The fines that make it lock also make it near-waterproof. French drains, soakaways and drainage trenches want CLEAN stone — use crusher run there and the drain is a dam.
On clay or wet ground, stone without a separation fabric slowly disappears — the quarry’s finest product, pushed into the subsoil one axle at a time. $0.50 a square foot of geotextile saves re-buying the base in three years.
About 3,000 lb — 1.5 US tons — loose and dry. The stone dust in the mix fills the voids between stones, which is why it runs heavier than clean gravel at 2,800 lb and why it compacts so well.
At 4 inches compacted, about 54 square feet. At 2 inches, roughly 108. Divide your area by the coverage figure and add 10–20% for compaction to get order tons.
4 inches compacted for a car driveway on firm ground, 6–8 inches for soft ground or truck traffic — laid and compacted in 3–4 inch lifts. As a base under asphalt or concrete, most specs call for 4–8 inches.
Crusher run is crushed stone WITH the fines left in — usually ¾ inch down to dust. The fines lock the angular stone into a near-solid layer when compacted. Clean gravel drains better but never locks up, which is why bases use crusher run and French drains use clean stone.
Tons and cubic yards for gravel, stone, base and sand
Base course tons for driveways, patios and slabs
Cubic yards and bag counts for any bed
Cubic yards, tons and bags for lawns and beds
Hot mix by the ton or cold patch by the bag
Embed the Crusher Run Calculator anywhere — it is free, stays in sync with this page, and sizes itself to fit. The only condition is the credit line in the snippet, which links your readers to the full version with the formulas and worked examples.
This calculator uses published constants from named industry sources, each asserted in an automated test that runs on every build. The formula is printed with the result above, and any correction we make is logged on the changelog.
It is a planning estimate. It does not replace an engineer, a site visit or a written quote — confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.