Base layers · tons, cubic yards and compaction
Crusher run calculator
Enter the length, width and depth of a base layer to get crusher run in cubic yards and US tons. Crusher run is crushed stone with every size the crusher makes left in, so it compacts: order about 25% more loose volume than the finished layer, the ratio in WSDOT’s published weights for crushed base.
How much crusher run you need
Enter your dimensions to see cubic yards, tons and bags
The short answer
How much crusher run do I need?
Multiply length × width in feet by depth in inches, then divide by 324 for cubic yards. A 12 × 40 ft driveway base at 4 in needs 160 ft³, or 5.93 cubic yards, which is about 7.26 US tons at the Yard Works Landscape Supply figure of 2,450 lb per cubic yard (1.23 tons per yard). That is loose volume. Finished at 4 inches compacted, the same base needs about 7.43 loose yards (9.1 tons).
What the specs say
What is crusher run?
Crushed stone with nothing screened out. Virginia’s road specification says crusher run “shall contain all of the sizes produced when the original aggregate is reduced through a series of crushers to the maximum size specified”, and uses it for “backfilling and bedding pipe and box culverts, maintaining traffic, and repairing and constructing all-weather private access pavements”. Clean stone such as #57 is the opposite: screened to one size band.
Crusher run is not the same as graded aggregate base
Two states list both side by side, and the difference is the fines. Virginia grades crusher run only down to the No. 4 sieve, with no limit below it; its 21A and 21B base stones cap the dust passing No. 200. Maryland keeps its crusher run, CR-6, out of the structural part of state highway projects.
| Product | Grading | Fines (No. 200) |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run No. 25 VDOT §205 | 1½ in: 100 min · 1 in: 95 ± 5 · No. 4: 32 ± 18 Liquid limit ≤ 25, plasticity index ≤ 3 | No limit |
| Crusher run No. 26 VDOT §205 | 1 in: 100 min · ¾ in: 95 ± 5 · No. 4: 38 ± 22 | No limit |
| Dense-graded 21A / 21B VDOT Table II-9 | 2 in: 100 · 1 in: 94–100 / 85–95 · ⅜ in: 63–72 / 50–69 | 6–12 / 4–7% |
| Crusher run CR-6 MDOT SHA Table 901 A | 2 in: 100 · 1½ in: 90–100 · ¾ in: 60–90 · No. 4: 30–60 “Not to be used in the structural part of any Administration project”; up to 15% recycled asphalt allowed | 0–15% |
| Graded aggregate base (GAB) MDOT SHA Table 901 A | 2 in: 100 · 1½ in: 95–100 · ¾ in: 70–92 · No. 4: 35–55 | 0–8% |
Yards sell it under local names. On the price lists behind this page it appears as Limestone with fines 21AA (Southfield, MI), #310 Crusher Run (Loudonville, OH), ABC Stone (Concord, NC), Crusher Run (ABC) (Wake Forest, NC), Crusher Run (Gray, TN), Crush & Run (Cumming, GA). Ask the yard which specification its product meets.
The calculation
How to calculate crusher run
- Measure the area.Length × width in feet. Add a separate area for each layer that uses a different material.
- Set the finished depth.Decide the compacted thickness; under pavers, check how thick a paver base should be. Road base specs cap each compacted layer at 6 inches; the road base calculator shows the lift arithmetic.
- Convert to loose volume.Compacted cubic yards × 1.25 = loose cubic yards to order; the compaction figures below show where the ratio comes from.
- Convert to tons.Loose cubic yards × 2,450 lb ÷ 2,000, at the preset crusher run weight.
Rectangle · US measurements
Length × Width × Depth ÷ 324
Feet × feet × inches → cubic yards
Cubic yards × 2,450 ÷ 2,000
Cubic yards × lb/yd³ → US tons at the reference weight
Read the full calculation method ↗Worked examples
Crusher run calculator examples
At 90.74 lb/ft³, before any allowance. Open one to load it into the calculator. The 3 in walkway base suits a gravel path; under pavers, ICPI’s minimum is 4 inches of compacted base.
| Project | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 12 × 40 ft driveway base at 4 in | 160 ft³ · 5.93 yd³ | 7.26 US tons |
| 20 × 20 ft pad at 6 in | 200 ft³ · 7.41 yd³ | 9.07 US tons |
| 30 × 4 ft walkway base at 3 in | 30 ft³ · 1.11 yd³ | 1.36 US tons |
Bulk quantities
How much does a ton or a cubic yard of crusher run cover?
One US ton at 2,450 lb per cubic yard is 0.82 cubic yards (22.04 ft³).
| Depth | One US ton covers | Tons for 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|
| 3 in | 88.16 ft² | 1.13 tons |
| 4 in | 66.12 ft² | 1.51 tons |
| 6 in | 44.08 ft² | 2.27 tons |
Why the density matters
How much does a yard of crusher run weigh?
One cubic yard of crusher run weighs 2,450 lb (1.23 US tons) in the one published figure below, which the calculator uses as its preset. WSDOT does not publish a crusher run weight; its crushed surfacing base course, the closest agency figure, is 2,950 lb per cubic yard loose.
| Product | Publisher | lb per yd³ | Tons per yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crusher Run (crushed granite with stone dust) | Yard Works Landscape Supply | 2,450 | 1.23 |
Enter your supplier’s figure under Material & allowance. For gravel in general, see how much a yard of gravel weighs, which lists each supplier weight per yard in our ledger with its source and recorded date.
Published prices
How much does crusher run cost?
Public price lists from 6 suppliers give $54.22–$65.99 per cubic yard (2 lists) and a median of $55.48 per ton ($15.00–$57.00, 4 lists), before delivery. At this page’s reference weight of 2,450 lb per yard, the per-ton median works out to about $67.96 per cubic yard.
| Supplier | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Main's Landscape Supply Southfield, MI | Limestone with fines 21AA | $65.99 per cubic yard Delivery extra |
| Young's Sand & Gravel Loudonville, OH | #310 Crusher Run | $15.00 per ton Pickup; delivery quoted |
| Piedmont Landscape Materials Concord, NC | ABC Stone | $56.00 per ton Delivery from $50 |
| BOSS Boone One Stop Supply Wake Forest, NC | Crusher Run (ABC) | $54.22 per cubic yard Delivery at checkout |
| Down To Earth Materials Gray, TN | Crusher Run | $57.00 per ton Delivery $10 per mile |
| Mulch Pros Landscape Supply Cumming, GA | Crush & Run | $54.95 per ton Free pickup; delivery per mile |
Per-ton and per-yard prices are not comparable until you convert with the product’s own weight per yard. Delivery fees, minimum orders and the other materials we track are on the gravel prices page.
Loose versus compacted
How much extra crusher run for compaction?
WSDOT publishes dry weights for its crushed materials both loose on the truck and compacted on the road. The ratio of the two is the loose volume a compacted cubic yard takes:
| Material | Loose | Compacted | Loose yd³ per compacted yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed surfacing top course | 2,850 lb | 3,700 lb | 1.3 (+30%) |
| Crushed surfacing base course | 2,950 lb | 3,700 lb | 1.25 (+25%) |
| Ballast | 3,100 lb | 3,900 lb | 1.26 (+26%) |
WSDOT does not list crusher run by name; its crushed base course is the closest published match, at about 1.25 loose yards per compacted yard. The loose depth to spread for each compacted depth is tabulated on the road base calculator. Enter the percentage your supplier gives under Material & allowance, or type the loose depth.
Crusher run or #57: the same yard’s prices
| Supplier | Crusher run | #57 |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Sand & Gravel Loudonville, OH | $15.00 per ton | $21.50 per ton |
| Piedmont Landscape Materials Concord, NC | $56.00 per ton | $69.00 per ton |
| BOSS Boone One Stop Supply Wake Forest, NC | $54.22 per cubic yard | $59.77 per cubic yard |
| Mulch Pros Landscape Supply Cumming, GA | $54.95 per ton | $58.95 per ton |
Crusher run is the cheaper of the two at 4 of these 4 yards. For the clean stone, see the #57 stone calculator.
Before you order
Frequently asked questions about crusher run
What is crusher run made of?
Crushed stone, slag or gravel with nothing screened out. Virginia’s specification says crusher run “shall contain all of the sizes produced when the original aggregate is reduced through a series of crushers to the maximum size specified”. The dust and small pieces fill the gaps between the larger stones, which is why it packs down and why it does not drain like clean stone.
Is crusher run cheaper than #57 stone?
At 4 of the 4 suppliers on our price lists that sell both, crusher run costs less: $15.00 against $21.50 per ton at Young's Sand & Gravel; $56.00 against $69.00 per ton at Piedmont Landscape Materials; $54.22 against $59.77 per cubic yard at BOSS Boone One Stop Supply; $54.95 against $58.95 per ton at Mulch Pros Landscape Supply. Compare the two at the same yard: different yards price different quarries and delivery zones.
What is the difference between crusher run and crushed stone?
Crusher run keeps every size from the crusher, down to dust, so it binds. Clean crushed stone is screened to one size band, such as #57, so it drains but does not lock up the same way. The crushed stone calculator charts those sizes.
References
- Crusher Run (crushed granite with stone dust): 2,450 lb/yd³, Yard Works Landscape Supply. Recorded September 23, 2026
- Road and Bridge Specifications 2020, Virginia Department of Transportation. Checked September 24, 2026
- 2026 Standard Specifications, Table 901 A, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. Checked September 24, 2026
- Design Manual M 22-01.23, Exhibit 620-1 (September 2024), Washington State Department of Transportation. Checked September 24, 2026
About these calculations
Written with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. Each figure links to its source; recorded dates are shown with the figures or in the gravel weight and price ledgers, and the arithmetic is covered by automated tests. The 2,450 lb per cubic yard preset is Yard Works Landscape Supply’s approximate loose weight for its crusher run. How this page was made · Report an error