Aggregate Calculator
Find how many tons and cubic yards of aggregate you need. Pick the type for its weight.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 2.72 cubic yards. We added 10% extra.
What it costs
#57 stone: $60 a ton, the middle of 5 US sellers (Oct 2026), before delivery.
Quick answers
- What aggregate means here
- Stone, gravel or sand sold in bulk. The calculator has five kinds, each with its own weight.
- Tons in a yard
- Coarse aggregate (#57): about 1.35 tons, loose. Aggregate base: 1.4 tons loose, or about 1.86 once packed.
- How deep for a base?
- 4 in under a paver patio. 6 in under a paver driveway. Both are after packing.
- Extra for packing
- Clean stone, gravel and sand: 17% more loose material. Crusher run base: 33% more.
How to work it out
- Measure the length and width in feet. Multiply them for square feet.
- Multiply by the depth after packing, in inches. Divide by 324. This gives packed cubic yards.
- Multiply by 1.1 to add 10%, as one supplier does. If you will pack it, also multiply by 1.17 for #57, gravel or sand, or 1.33 for base.
- Multiply the loose cubic yards by the tons in one yard. For #57 stone, use 1.35.
20 × 10 × 4 ÷ 324 = 2.47 cubic yards packed
2.47 × 1.1 × 1.17 = 3.18 loose
3.18 × 1.35 = 4.29 tons
Tons for common base sizes
Find your area, then read across to the depth and type. Each depth is measured after packing.
| Area | #57, 4 in | #57, 6 in | Base, 4 in | Base, 6 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
| 10 × 20 ft | 3.9 | 5.9 | 4.6 | 6.9 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 5.0 |
| 20 × 20 ft | 7.8 | 11.7 | 9.2 | 13.8 |
| 12 × 50 ft | 11.7 | 17.5 | 13.8 | 20.7 |
Tons include packing (17% for #57, 33% for base), but no extra for waste.
How deep should the base be?
All depths are after packing.
- Paver patio or walk: 4 in, says the CMHA paving guide. A paver driveway needs 6 in.
- House floor below ground: a 4 in layer of clean graded sand, gravel or crushed stone. That is what the US home building code asks for.
- Shed pad: 4–6 in. White Pine Structures asks for clean stone, not crusher run.
- Gravel driveway for cars: 6 in. This is from Penn State's guide for unpaved gravel roads, not one written for driveways.
- Trucks and RVs: 8–10 in, says Gravelshop.
Build a thick base in lifts. A shed builder's guide keeps each lift to 4 in when you use a plate compactor.
A base carries weight. So check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer before you build.
Loose, packed and order factors
Packed stone weighs more per yard than loose stone. Some base weights below are packed figures, so they read high. Others don't say.
| Source | Tons per cubic yard | Loose or packed? |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run, our loose weight | 1.4 | Loose |
| Crusher run, our packed weight (× 1.33) | 1.86 | Packed |
| Limestone base (Vulcan) | 1.86 | Not stated |
| Base rock (Graniterock, CA) | 2.03 | Counted as packed |
| Dense-graded stone (Stoneco, MI) | 2 | Not stated |
| Class 6 base, packed (Front Range, CO) | 1.75 | Packed |
| Kokosing order factor for base | 1.75 | Order factor |
Our loose weight is the middle of the yards and road agencies we checked.
Order factors are not weights
Kokosing, an Ohio quarry, says to multiply cubic yards of base by 1.75 to get tons. It uses 1.65 for #57 stone and 1.5 for sand.
These are higher than every loose weight we found. So they probably include packing. Don't use them as the weight of a loose yard.
Clean stone, gravel and sand
For these, we add 17% when you pack them. That figure is from a US Army manual, which names sand and gravel. We found no separate figure for clean stone, and it may pack down less.
Stone sizes and plant prices
Yards sell clean stone by number. The number stands for a size range in a national table, AASHTO M 43.
| Number | Stone sizes in it |
|---|---|
| #2 | 2½ to 1½ in |
| #57 | 1 in down to about 3/16 in |
| #67 | ¾ in down to about 3/16 in |
| #8 | ⅜ in down to about 3/32 in |
| #411 (Ohio) | 1½ in down to dust (3–15% fines); packs hard like crusher run |
From the size table in Ohio DOT's 2013 specs. #411 is an Ohio item, not a national size.
Plant prices
The US Geological Survey gives plant prices for 2025. Crushed stone was about $18.50 a metric ton, and sand and gravel $14.50. Those are prices at the plant, not at a landscape yard.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate aggregate base?
Multiply the square feet by the packed depth in inches. Divide by 324 for cubic yards. Then multiply by 1.33 for packing, and by 1.4 for tons.
How many tons of aggregate do I need?
Find the cubic yards, then multiply by the weight of one yard. A 20 × 10 ft pad, 4 in deep after packing, takes about 3.9 tons of #57 stone, before extra.
How much does a cubic yard of aggregate weigh?
#57 stone weighs about 1.35 tons and base about 1.4, both loose. Dry sand is about 1.2 tons, and screenings 1.5.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of aggregate?
About 0.74 cubic yards of #57 stone, or 0.71 of loose base. Base weighs more per yard, so a ton of it fills less space.
How deep should aggregate base be?
4 in under a paver patio, and 6 in under a paver driveway, after packing. Check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
How much does aggregate base pack down?
Order about 33% more loose base than the packed depth needs. The figures in our research ran from 15% to 52%.
What is #57 aggregate?
A size of clean stone, 1 in down to about 3/16 in. Vulcan lists it as a coarse aggregate. It is sold as crushed stone or as "#57 gravel".
How much does aggregate cost?
It depends on the kind. #57 stone is about $60 a ton, from 5 sellers. Crusher run base is about $50, but from only 3 sellers, so it is rough.
Where our numbers come from
- Material weights: Caterpillar earthwork tables
- Crusher run weight: the middle of 9 suppliers and road agencies
- Packing down: Penn State road-stone guide (8 in loose packs to 6 in)
- Packing down: US Army earthmoving manual (FM 5-434)
- Coverage and weights: Front Range Material conversion sheet
- Stone weights: Vulcan Materials product calculator (read from its code)
- Stone weights: Graniterock calculator
- Stone weights: Stoneco material calculator (read from its code)
- Ordering factors: Kokosing Materials tonnage calculator
- Stone sizes: AASHTO M 43 table in Ohio DOT specs (2013)
- Gravel and millings weight: Ohio DOT specifications (2023)
- Base under pavers: CMHA paving guide (4 in for a patio, 6 in for a driveway)
- Base under a slab: US home building code (IRC R506.2.2)
- Shed pad depth: a shed maker's site guide (White Pine Structures)
- Driveway depth: Gravelshop driveway layers guide
- Pack it in thin layers: shed builder and NRCS guides
- #57 stone extra: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (add 10%)
- Crusher run: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (what a ton covers; free delivery from 15 tons; add 10%)
- Sand extra: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (add 10%)
- #57 stone price: the middle of 5 US sellers (Oct 2026)
- Crusher run price: the middle price of 3 suppliers in SC, GA and MD (Oct 2026)
- Sand prices: the middle of 7–8 US sellers per cubic yard (Oct 2026)
- Wholesale stone prices: US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 3 Oct 2026.
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