Crusher Run Calculator
Figuring out how much crusher run to order for a driveway or compacted sub-base? Enter your area and depth and this calculator returns the cubic yards and tons you need — sold in bulk, no bags. Crusher run is dense-graded stone with the dust left in, so it locks together and settles when you tamp it. Because it packs down about a quarter, we order the looser volume needed to finish at full depth. (For drainage you want clean #57 instead — it stays open and never compacts.)
Total weight ≈ 4,074.07 lb (2.04 tons). Bulk material is heavy — check your vehicle's payload/GVWR; over ~1 ton, delivery is usually safer than hauling it yourself.
Bag or bulk?
You need about 1.36 cubic yards (2.04 tons). This material has no standard bagged option — order it loose (bulk) and have it delivered in one drop. Plan for a loose delivery or pickup rather than bags.
Quantities are planning estimates — confirm with your supplier.
How it works
We start from the area you enter times your depth to get the geometric, in-place volume (area × depth) — the finished, compacted base you actually want on the ground. Enter dimensions in feet, inches, yards, or metric; everything is converted to feet first.
Then comes the step every generic calculator skips. Crusher run is dense-graded — graded stone with the fine crusher dust still mixed in — so when you tamp or roll it, the fines work into the gaps and the layer settles roughly 20–25%. If you order only the in-place volume, it compacts down and your base finishes thin. So we size the looser delivered volume that lands at full depth after compaction: order = in-place ÷ (1 − settlement) × (1 + waste). This page uses a 25% settlement default, which works out to about 1.33× the in-place volume before waste is even added — order the in-place number and you would come up roughly a third short. The default 10% waste on top covers spillage, grade-leveling, and the edges.
What you get: cubic yards and tons, from crusher run's loose density near 3,000 lb/yd³. Crusher run is sold loose by the ton or cubic yard, so there are no bag counts here — it is a bulk base material, not a bagged one. What we leave out: delivery trips. A loaded base is heavy, so we report total weight and let you match it to your truck's payload and GVWR rather than guessing loads, so you do not overload the vehicle. One product, many names: your supplier may call the same dense-graded stone crusher run, #411, ABC (aggregate base course), dense grade, road base, or "crusher run with fines" — all the same compactable family, so size any of them here. The one thing that is not in this family is clean, washed stone: if you actually want water to drain through, that is open-graded #57, which never packs — size that on the crushed stone calculator instead.
Worked example
20 ft × 20 ft driveway base, 4 in compacted, 25% settle
Building a 20 ft × 20 ft driveway base 4 inches deep with crusher run, which you tamp down. Crusher run settles about 25% as it compacts, so the loose volume you order has to be larger than the finished 4-inch layer — order to the in-place volume and you come up short.
Notice the jump from in-place volume to ordered volume: that gap is the compaction the other calculators ignore.
- Area
- 400 sq ft
- Volume (in place)
- 4.94 cu yd
- Order (compaction + waste)
- 7.24 cu yd
- Weight
- 10.86 tons
Coverage at a glance
| Depth | 1 ton covers | 1 cu yd covers |
|---|---|---|
| 3" | 72 sq ft | 108 sq ft |
| 4" | 54 sq ft | 81 sq ft |
| 6" | 36 sq ft | 54 sq ft |
FAQ
How much crusher run do I need for a driveway?
Enter the driveway length, width, and how deep you want the base, and the calculator returns cubic yards and tons. A compacted driveway base is typically 4–6 inches deep (go deeper over soft or clay soil, or for vehicles heavier than cars). The worked example on this page runs a 20 ft × 20 ft driveway at 4 inches so you can see how the in-place depth turns into the larger volume you actually order once compaction is built in.
Why do I have to order extra crusher run for compaction?
Because crusher run is meant to be tamped, and tamping shrinks it. The dust-filled mix settles about 20–25% as the fines pack into the gaps, so the loose pile you have delivered ends up thinner once it is compacted. To finish at your target depth you order the in-place volume divided by (1 − settlement): at 25% that is in-place ÷ 0.75, roughly a third more material. Order only the in-place volume and the base comes up thin. This is the step generic calculators skip — and it is the whole reason this one exists.
Is #411 the same as crusher run?
Yes. #411, ABC (aggregate base course), dense grade, road base, and "crusher run with fines" are all names for the same dense-graded product: crushed stone with the fine dust left in so it compacts into a firm, locked-together base. Regional and supplier habits drive the different names, not different material — so whichever one your quarry quotes, you can size it on this calculator. (The only close-sounding cousin that is genuinely different is clean #57 stone, which is washed, has the dust screened out, and does not compact.)
How many tons of crusher run are in a cubic yard?
About 1.5 tons per cubic yard, based on a loose density near 3,000 lb/yd³ — crusher run is one of the heavier aggregates because the dust fills what would otherwise be air gaps. That is a rule-of-thumb figure; the calculator uses the exact density on file so your tonnage matches what the quarry will actually load rather than a rounded guess.
Can I use crusher run for drainage?
No — it is the wrong stone for drainage. The fine dust that makes crusher run compact so well also packs the voids tight, so water sheds off the surface instead of passing through. For a French drain, drainage bed, or anywhere water needs somewhere to go, use clean, washed #57 crushed stone, which is open-graded and stays loose so water runs straight through. Size that on the crushed stone calculator instead. Crusher run is for the compacted base under your driveway, not for moving water.