Stone calculator for Texas
Tonnage for every graded stone we stock, from 3/8 inch chips to railroad ballast.
Enter your project dimensions
Crushed stone is ordered by the ton, and the conversion is steady across most grades: about 2,800 lb per cubic yard, so 1.4 tons per yard. This stone tonnage calculator covers the twelve graded products we stock, from 3/8 inch chips to 2.5 inch railroad ballast, and applies the exact weight for whichever you pick. Contractors tend to arrive with a spec number. Homeowners describe the job. Both routes end at the same stone, and the guide below translates between them.
The calculation
- Measure the footprint in feet: length times width for pads and drives, length times trench width for drains.
- Match depth to the layer's job. Top courses run 2–3 inches, bases 4 inches, French drains 12 inches or more.
- Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Yards × 1.4 = tons of typical crushed stone.
Stone weights by product
| Product | Weight per cubic yard | Tons per yard |
|---|---|---|
| #57 / #67 / 3/4" crushed stone | ≈ 2,800 lb | 1.40 |
| #89 / #8 / 3/8" chips | ≈ 2,800 lb | 1.40 |
| Stone screenings / dust | ≈ 2,900 lb | 1.45 |
| Crusher run / road base | ≈ 3,000 lb | 1.50 |
| #4 stone / railroad ballast | ≈ 2,900 lb | 1.45 |
| Rip rap | ≈ 3,100 lb | 1.55 |
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 1 ton covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | ≈ 116 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft | ≈ 77 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | ≈ 58 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | ≈ 39 sq ft |
Decoding the size numbers
Stone grades are size bands, and smaller numbers mean bigger rock. #4 runs 1–2 inches. #57 is the 3/4 to 1 inch all-rounder that handles drainage, driveways and concrete work. #67 is its slightly finer cousin at 1/4 to 3/4 inch, common in pipe bedding. #8 sits around 3/8 to 1/2 inch and #89 runs 3/8 inch down to fines; both fill paver joints and tighten finish layers. Screenings are the dust and chips that compact into a hard, screedable bed. Railroad ballast, 1 to 2.5 inches of heavy angular rock, carries load and drains fast under tracks and equipment pads.
Clean stone or stone with fines? Get this one right
Everything on this page divides into two families. Clean (washed) stone like #57 stays loose and passes water, so it's what drainage wants. Blends with fines, crusher run and road base, lock up tight when compacted, so they're what bases want. Swap them and both jobs fail: a crusher-run French drain holds water like a bathtub, and a #57 driveway base never stops shifting. If a plan or permit calls out a gradation, order that exact spec. Text the line item to (512) 412-3378 if the naming is unclear; "3/4 clean" and "#57" are often the same rock wearing different names.
Typical stone orders
| Project | Typical size | Depth | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 30 ft x 12" x 12" | 12" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.6 tons |
| Pipe bedding (#67) | 40 ft x 18" wide | 6" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.6 tons |
| Retaining-wall backfill | 30 ft x 18" wide | 24" | 3.3 yd³ | 4.7 tons |
| Construction entrance (#4) | 40 x 12 ft | 6" | 8.9 yd³ | 12.9 tons |
| Dog run | 15 x 8 ft | 3" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.6 tons |
| Shed pad top course | 10 x 12 ft | 2" | 0.7 yd³ | 1 tons |
Worked example: a 30-foot French drain
A trench 30 feet long, 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep holds 30 cubic feet, which is 1.1 cubic yards, or 1.6 tons of #57. A 4-inch pipe through the middle displaces only about 0.1 yards, so order the full 1.6 tons and use the small surplus at the outfall. Wrap the trench in non-woven fabric before the stone goes in; that's what keeps soil from clogging the voids that make the drain work.
Two habits that prevent bad stone orders
- Order by spec, then confirm the nickname. Crusher run, crush and run, and ABC are one product with three names; #57 and "57s" are the same stone.
- Expect 5–10% compaction on anything angular that gets rolled. The calculator's extra-percent toggle covers normal settling; engineered base work follows its own compacted-depth spec.
- Under pavers, structure comes from compacted base stone and the thin leveling course is screenings or concrete sand. Never bed pavers on dust alone over soft ground.
- Weigh the trench, not the pipe. Displacement from pipes under 6 inches rarely changes an order by more than a wheelbarrow load.
Crushed stone, by the numbers
How much does a yard of crushed stone weigh?
How much area does a ton of #57 stone cover?
What's the difference between #57, #67 and #89 stone?
How thick should stone be for a driveway?
Should I use stone dust or sand under pavers?
What size stone for a French drain?
Does crushed stone compact?
What is railroad ballast used for outside of railroads?
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Twelve graded stone products, priced per ton, free delivery across Texas.