Aggregate Calculator
Find the tonnes of aggregate for a base, a fill or a drain layer. Pick the stone by the name your region uses.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 12.22 cubic yards (9.34 m³). We added 10% extra.
This is a guide. For a base that carries weight, check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
What it costs
Granular A or MG-20: $15.75 a tonne at the pit, the middle of 5 pits (Oct 2026). You collect it at the pit. Before tax. Landscape yards charge more.
Quick answers
- m³ to tonnes
- Multiply by about 1.77. That is the Natural Resources Canada figure for sand, gravel and stone.
- Granular A in other provinces
- MG-20 in Quebec, Des 2 Class 20 in Alberta, and Type 32 around Regina.
- Pit price
- Granular A is about $15.75 a tonne at the pit (5 pits). Landscape yards ask about $49 a cubic yard (18 yards).
- Granular A or B?
- B is coarser, with stones up to 150 mm. It is the lower layer, under the A.
- 30 × 20 ft base, 6 in deep
- About 15.1 tonnes of Granular A. If you pack it down, order about 20.4 tonnes.
How to work it out
- Measure the area. Use feet, or switch the calculator to metres.
- In feet: length × width × depth in inches, then divide by 324. The result is cubic yards.
- In metres: length × width × depth in metres. That gives m³.
- For the tonnage, multiply the volume by the weight. Granular A is about 1.36 tonnes a yard, or 1.78 a m³.
- Will you pack it? Then order 35% more loose stone.
30 × 20 × 6 ÷ 324 = 11.11 cubic yards
11.11 × 1.36 = 15.11 tonnes
Packed: 15.11 × 1.35 = 20.40 tonnes to order
One base stone, many names
The stone that packs into a hard base has a new name in each province. Each region has its own spec. We read Ontario's and Regina's.
| Name | Where | Biggest stone | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granular A | Ontario | 26.5 mm | hard base |
| Granular B Type I | Ontario | 150 mm | lower layer, backfill |
| MG-20 | Quebec | 20 mm | hard base |
| Des 2 Class 20 | Alberta | 20 mm | hard base |
| Des 6-80 pit run | Alberta | 80 mm | lower layer |
| Type 32 | Regina, SK | 25 mm | hard base |
| Type 1 gravel | Nova Scotia | 19 mm | hard base |
From road specs in Toronto and Regina, and from producers and yards in Quebec, Alberta and Nova Scotia. The Des 6-80 size comes from its name.
Ontario's spec has two more you may see. Granular M tops unpaved roads. Granular O has no fines, so it drains.
What is in Granular A
A spec lists how much stone passes each sieve. The table shows the percent that falls through.
| Sieve | Granular A | Granular B Type I | Granular B Type II |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 mm | – | 100 | – |
| 106 mm | – | – | 100 |
| 26.5 mm | 100 | 50–100 | 50–100 |
| 19 mm | 85–100 | – | – |
| 13.2 mm | 65–90 | – | – |
| 9.5 mm | 50–73 | – | – |
| 4.75 mm | 35–55 | 20–100 | 20–55 |
| 1.18 mm | 15–40 | 10–100 | 10–40 |
| 300 µm | 5–22 | 2–65 | 5–22 |
| 75 µm (fine dust) | 2–8 | 0–8 | 0–10 |
From the City of Toronto's TS 1010 (2024), which uses the Ontario OPSS 1010 terms. For quarry stone, fine dust can reach 10%.
All of Granular A passes a 26.5 mm sieve. Only 2–8% is fine dust (up to 10% for quarry stone). At least 50% of it must be crushed stone.
Regina's Type 32 has 7–11% dust through its finest sieve. So it can hold more fines than Granular A.
Pit or yard: what aggregate costs
Pits sell by the tonne, and you collect it there. Landscape yards sell by the cubic yard. Here are middle prices from each. They are different sellers, so the gap is rough.
| Aggregate | Pit, per tonne | Pit, per yard | Yard, per yard | Yard costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granular A or MG-20 | $15.75 (5) | $21.42 | $49 (18) | 2.3 × |
| ¾ in clear stone | $22.85 (5) | $29.71 | $60 (14) | 2 × |
| Sand | $15 (5) | $20.40 | $60 (13) | 2.9 × |
| Screenings | $17.85 (3) | $21.78 | $53 (12) | 2.4 × |
Before tax. The number of pits or yards is in brackets; screenings come from only 3 pits. Pit per yard is worked out from the weight of each stone. Pit sand includes sub-base sand; yard sand mixes fill and bedding sand.
So a landscape yard asks about 2 to 3 times the pit price. Pits have rules, though. One Quebec pit charges $35 to load under 3 tonnes. An Ottawa-area pit has a $50 minimum order.
Cubic metres to tonnes
Natural Resources Canada uses 1.77 tonnes in a cubic metre. Manitoba's quarry tool uses 1.78. Here is each stone on its own.
| Aggregate | 1 m³ | 5 m³ | 10 m³ | m³ in 1 tonne |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granular A or MG-20 | 1.78 | 8.89 | 17.79 | 0.56 |
| ¾ in clear stone | 1.70 | 8.50 | 17.00 | 0.59 |
| Screenings | 1.60 | 7.98 | 15.96 | 0.63 |
| Sand, damp | 1.78 | 8.89 | 17.79 | 0.56 |
| Any stone (NRCan) | 1.77 | 8.83 | 17.66 | 0.57 |
Loose, as delivered. Weights from Canadian yards and producers, with only 3 to 6 sources each.
Packed stone weighs more per m³. If you will pack it, order 35% more loose stone, as two Quebec yards do.
If a pit or yard quotes in "tons", ask how many kg it means. Our tonnes are metric.
Questions people ask
How do I convert m³ of aggregate to tonnes?
Multiply the m³ by the weight per m³. Granular A is about 1.78. Natural Resources Canada uses 1.77 for any sand, gravel or stone.
What is Granular A called in Quebec and the West?
Quebec yards sell MG-20, or 0–¾. Alberta uses Des 2 Class 20 or 20 mm road crush. Regina uses Type 32. BC yards say ¾ in minus road base.
What is the difference between Granular A and Granular B?
Granular B is coarser. Its biggest stones reach 150 mm, against 26.5 mm for A. Ontario's spec puts B in the lower layer and A on top.
Is crusher run the same as Granular A?
No, says Dufferin Aggregates. Its ¾ in crusher run limestone is not a spec product. It says the two should not be swapped.
How much is a tonne of Granular A?
About $15.75 at the pit, the middle of 5 pits. They ran from $12 to $27.68, before tax.
What does MG-20 mean?
It is crushed stone from 0 to 20 mm (0–¾ in), with its fines. One Quebec seller lists it for driveways, patio slabs and pavers.
What is Granular O?
Ontario's road spec calls Granular O an open stone with no fines. It is made to drain, not to pack.
Where our numbers come from
- Granular A and B: City of Toronto TS 1010 (OPSS 1010 definitions)
- Quebec names: Transport Bond, MG-20 (0-¾) stone
- Alberta names: FT Aggregates (Designation and Class)
- Type 32 base: City of Regina spec 2230
- Loose prices: the middle of up to 23 Canadian yards (Oct 2026)
- Weight: Dufferin Aggregates homeowners FAQ (1 yard = 1.5 tonnes)
- Pit prices per tonne: 3–5 Canadian pits (Oct 2026)
- Weights per cubic yard: Canadian yards and producers (few sources each)
- Gravel weight: Natural Resources Canada (1 cubic yard = 1.35 tonnes)
- Gravel weight: Government of Manitoba quarry calculation tool
- Quebec yards: bulk calculators (tonne, packing)
- Driveway layers: City of Sarnia driveway standard (2019)
- Driveway layers: Township of Oro-Medonte entrance standard
- Under-slab stone: Ontario Building Code 9.16.2.1 (2012 text, third-party copy)
- Ontario Building Code 2024, Part 9 (ministry compendium)
- Driveway layers: Niagara Region specifications
- #57 stone extra: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (add 10%)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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