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Tons and cubic yards of road base for a driveway, pad or path at its compacted depth, allowing for the volume lost when it is compacted.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Road base to order | 22.22 tons |
| Loose cubic yards | 14.81 yd³ |
| Compacted cubic yards | 11.11 yd³ |
| Area | 600 sq ft |
| Compacted depth | 6 in |
| Compaction allowance | 25% |
| Density | 1.5 tons per loose yd³ |
| Tons per 100 sq ft | 3.7 tons |
Defaults from Utah Quarry Direct's Roadbase product data: 3/4 in minus, 1.5 tons ≈ 1 cubic yard, and compaction decreases the volume purchased by as much as 25%. Loose yards = compacted yards ÷ (1 − compaction). Gradations and moisture vary by quarry, so use your supplier's figures when they differ.
Road base (3/4 in minus with fines, also sold as base rock, Class 2 base or ABC) is ordered loose by the ton but measured after it has been compacted. Enter the area and the finished compacted depth, and the calculator adds back the volume lost to compaction and returns the loose cubic yards and tons to order. Defaults come from a quarry's product data: about 1.5 tons per cubic yard, and compaction that can cut the delivered volume by as much as 25%.
Work out the compacted volume (length × width × depth in ft ÷ 27), divide by 0.75 to allow for up to 25% lost to compaction, then multiply by 1.5 tons per yard. A 50 × 12 ft driveway at 6 in compacted is 11.1 yd³ compacted, 14.8 yd³ loose and about 22.2 tons.
About 1.5 tons, from Utah Quarry Direct's product data ("1.5 tons equals approx 1 cubic yard"). Wetter or denser base weighs more, so check your quarry's figure.
The quarry's figure is that compaction decreases the volume purchased by as much as 25%. So 4 yards dumped loose can finish as about 3 compacted yards; order compacted yards ÷ 0.75.
About 24.7 tons at 4 in compacted, using 1.5 t/yd³ and a 25% compaction allowance (12.3 yd³ compacted, 16.5 yd³ loose). At 6 in it is about 37 tons.
They do the same job: a dense-graded mix of stone and fines that compacts hard. Names vary by region (road base, base rock, Class 2, crusher run, ABC). The crusher run calculator uses that material's figures, and the crushed concrete calculator covers recycled base.
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