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How much rock you need in tons and cubic yards — crushed, base, river, drain, or decorative rock.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Rock needed | 2.85 tons |
| Volume | 2.04 yd³ |
| One ton covers | 77 sq ft |
| Estimated cost | $86 – $157 |
| Rock type | Crushed rock (3/4") |
| Good for | #57-size angular rock — drains, compacts a little, stays put on slopes. |
| Area | 200 sq ft |
| Depth | 3 in |
| Volume incl. extra | 2.04 yd³ |
| Weight | 2.85 tons (5,704 lb) |
| Density used | 1.4 tons per yd³ |
| Price used | $30 – $55 per ton |
Put woven landscape fabric under decorative rock to stop it sinking into the soil and to keep weeds down.
Use this rock calculator for any job measured in rock rather than gravel: base rock under a slab, drain rock in a trench, river rock in a bed, or decorative crushed granite. Enter the area and depth, choose a rock type, and get cubic yards, tons, the area a ton will cover, and a delivered cost range.
Multiply length by width in feet to get square feet, multiply by depth in inches divided by 12 to get cubic feet, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by about 1.4 to get tons for most crushed rock, or 1.35 for rounded river rock.
A ton of crushed rock covers about 100 square feet at 2 inches deep, 70 square feet at 3 inches, and 50 square feet at 4 inches. Larger decorative rock needs more depth, so a ton of 2 to 4 inch river rock covers only 40 to 60 square feet.
Between 1.3 and 1.5 tons. Base rock with fines is heaviest at about 1.5 tons per yard, crushed 3/4 inch rock is about 1.4, and rounded river rock about 1.35. Lava rock is the exception at roughly half a ton per yard.
Crushed base rock and crushed limestone, at $22 to $50 per ton, are the cheapest. Pea gravel is next. River rock, marble chips, and polished beach pebbles cost several times more per ton.
Buy whichever unit your supplier sells in, but compare prices per ton. A price per yard looks cheaper because a yard of rock weighs about 1.4 tons. Divide a per-yard price by 1.4 to compare it with a per-ton quote.
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