Stone calculator
Stone Base Calculator
Base stone is what everything else sits on. Enter the finished area and the compacted base depth — the tool adds the compaction allowance.
Your project
Patio 4", walkway 4", driveway 8", soft clay add 2-4".
Crews typically order 5-10% extra to cover compaction, spillage and uneven subgrade.
Delivered stone base typically runs $22-$48 per ton.
Stone base needed
11.34
US tons · includes 5% waste
- Area
- 480 sq ft
- Volume
- 6.22 cubic yards
- Volume (cubic feet)
- 168 cu ft
- Total weight
- 22,680 lb
- Density used
- 135 lb per cu ft (1.82 tons/yd³)
- Truckloads (15-ton)
- 1
- Estimated delivered cost
- $397
Quarry densities vary by source and moisture. Confirm tons per cubic yard with your supplier before placing a bulk order — a 10% density difference is a whole extra load on a big job.
The shareable link reopens this calculator with your exact inputs.
What stone base is
Base stone is dense-graded crushed aggregate — 3/4" minus, crusher run, road base, 2A, Class 5, all regional names for the same idea. Its job is to spread load and stay dimensionally stable when wet and frozen.
At 135 lb per cubic foot, one cubic yard weighs about 1.82 US tons, and one ton spread 2" deep covers roughly 89 square feet.
How to install it
Excavate the finished depth plus the base and bedding, compact the subgrade first, then place base in 4 inch lifts. Extend the base 6 inches past the edge of the paved area on every side so the perimeter has something to bear on.
The mistake that costs the most
Ordering the compacted volume. Dense-graded base loses roughly 15% of its loose volume to compaction, so 4 inches compacted means placing about 4.6 inches loose. Order to the loose figure or you will be one short load away from finishing.
The math behind the calculator
Square feet × (depth in inches ÷ 12) = cubic feet. Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Cubic feet × 135 ÷ 2,000 = US tons. The waste allowance is applied to the volume before the weight conversion, which is how suppliers quote it.
Stone base needed per 100 square feet
At 135 lb per cubic foot, before waste.
| Depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | 8.3 | 0.31 | 0.56 |
| 2" | 16.7 | 0.62 | 1.12 |
| 3" | 25 | 0.93 | 1.69 |
| 4" | 33.3 | 1.23 | 2.25 |
| 6" | 50 | 1.85 | 3.38 |
| 12" | 100 | 3.7 | 6.75 |
Recommended depth by application
| Application | Depth |
|---|---|
| Walkway | 4" compacted |
| Patio | 4-6" compacted |
| Driveway (cars) | 8" compacted |
| Driveway (trucks) / clay | 10-12" compacted |
Frequently asked questions
+How many tons of stone base do I need?
Multiply square feet by depth in feet to get cubic feet, then multiply by 135 and divide by 2,000. A 500 sq ft area at 4" needs about 11.25 tons before waste.
+How many tons of stone base are in a cubic yard?
Roughly 1.82 tons at 135 lb per cubic foot. Wet material weighs 5-10% more, which matters when you are buying by the ton and measuring by the yard.
+How deep should stone base be?
Walkway: 4" compacted. Patio: 4-6" compacted. Driveway (cars): 8" compacted. Driveway (trucks) / clay: 10-12" compacted.
+What does stone base cost?
$22 – $48 per ton delivered in most US markets, before the haul fee. Short loads carry a minimum charge, so half a load often costs nearly as much as a full one.
+How deep should the base be under a paver patio?
Four inches of compacted dense-graded base over firm subgrade for foot traffic, six inches over clay, eight to twelve inches under a driveway. Add one inch of coarse bedding sand on top of the base — never more, or the pavers will settle unevenly.