How much area does a ton of crushed stone cover?

For clean #57 stone at 100 lb/ft³ loose: about 240 ft² at 1 inch deep, 120 ft² at 2 inches, 80 ft² at 3 inches and 60 ft² at 4 inches. Halve the depth, double the coverage — the relationship is exactly inverse.

Why does crusher run cover less than #57 per ton?

It is denser. Compacted crusher run packs about 140 lb of stone into each cubic foot versus 100 for loose #57, so the same 2,000 lb ton makes about 30% less volume — 43 ft² at 4 inches compacted versus 60 ft² of loose #57. Per ton it covers less; per finished driveway it is still the cheaper layer.

How much extra should I order for compaction?

For layers that will be compacted, order 15–20% more than the compacted-volume math suggests — roughly 10% for the volume lost to compaction plus 5–10% normal waste. For loose decorative layers that only settle underfoot, 10% total is enough.

How many square feet does 5 tons of crushed stone cover?

Multiply the per-ton figure: 5 tons of #57 covers about 600 ft² at 2 inches, 400 ft² at 3 inches or 300 ft² at 4 inches, loose. As compacted crusher run, 5 tons covers about 215 ft² at a finished 4 inch depth.

What depth should I use for the lookup?

Decorative dressing over fabric: 2 inches. Walkable surface: 2–3 inches. Driveway top course: 3–4 inches. Base lifts: 4 inches compacted each. Drainage stone around pipe: 3 inches all sides. Using the intended finished depth — not the loose dumped depth — is what the compaction allowance is for.

Does coverage change with rock type?

Slightly — limestone at 97 lb/ft³ covers about 3% more per ton than the chart, granite at 103 about 3% less. The 10% swing between rock types is smaller than the waste allowance, so the #57 table works for any clean stone; only fines-heavy products need their own column.

Gravel · Reference Chart

Crushed stone coverage chart

One number answers the whole page: a ton of clean #57 makes 20 cubic feet of stone, and depth decides how far that spreads. Look it up here for 1 to 12 inches — loose stone and compacted base in separate tables.

240 ft²
per ton at 1 in (#57): 80 ft²
per ton at 3 in (#57): 43 ft²
per ton at 4 in (crusher run, compacted): +15–20%
compaction & waste allowance

Contents

1.Coverage per ton: clean #57 stone
2.Coverage per ton: compacted crusher run
3.The coverage formula
4.Compaction allowance
5.Worked example: parking pad

Coverage per ton: clean #57 stone

Clean #57 at 100 lb/ft³ loose (1.35 tons/yd³). Any clean crushed size — #2, #3, #8 — reads within a few percent of this table.
Depth	Coverage per ton	Coverage per 5 tons
1 in	240 ft²	1,200 ft²Too thin for most jobs — fabric shows through
2 in	120 ft²	600 ft²Decorative dressing minimum
3 in	80 ft²	400 ft²Walkways, drainage surround
4 in	60 ft²	300 ft²Driveway top course
6 in	40 ft²	200 ft²
8 in	30 ft²	150 ft²
10 in	24 ft²	120 ft²
12 in	20 ft²	100 ft²Dry wells, infiltration beds

Coverage per ton: compacted crusher run

Crusher run at 140 lb/ft³ compacted (1.89 tons/yd³). Depths are finished, rolled depths — the allowance below covers the difference.
Finished depth	Coverage per ton	Coverage per 5 tons
1 in	171 ft²	857 ft²
2 in	86 ft²	429 ft²Top-up over an existing base
3 in	57 ft²	286 ft²
4 in	43 ft²	214 ft²One standard base lift
6 in	29 ft²	143 ft²
8 in	21 ft²	107 ft²Two lifts — light-duty driveway total
12 in	14 ft²	71 ft²Three lifts — full new-build driveway

The coverage formula

Formula

Coverage (ft² per ton) = 2,000 ÷ (density × depth ÷ 12)

density: Unit weight — 100 loose clean stone, 140 compacted crusher run (lb/ft³)
depth: Layer thickness (inches)

Shortcut for #57: 240 ÷ depth-in-inches. For compacted crusher run: 171 ÷ depth. Densities for every product are in the crushed stone weight guide.

Compaction allowance

Worked example: parking pad

Worked example

A 20 × 20 ft parking pad: 4 inches of compacted crusher run base topped with 2 inches of loose #57.

1
Base lookup
400 ft² ÷ 43 ft²/ton (4 in compacted) = 9.3 tons crusher run
2
Base with 15% allowance
9.3 × 1.15 = 10.7 → order 11 tons
3
Top course lookup
400 ft² ÷ 120 ft²/ton (2 in loose #57) = 3.3 tons
4
Top with 10% allowance
3.3 × 1.10 = 3.7 → order 4 tons

Result: 11 tons of crusher run plus 4 tons of #57 — one delivery, two dump piles, and the pad finishes at its designed depths.

Run your own dimensions through the calculator

Coverage questions

How much area does a ton of crushed stone cover?: For clean #57 stone at 100 lb/ft³ loose: about 240 ft² at 1 inch deep, 120 ft² at 2 inches, 80 ft² at 3 inches and 60 ft² at 4 inches. Halve the depth, double the coverage — the relationship is exactly inverse.
Why does crusher run cover less than #57 per ton?: It is denser. Compacted crusher run packs about 140 lb of stone into each cubic foot versus 100 for loose #57, so the same 2,000 lb ton makes about 30% less volume — 43 ft² at 4 inches compacted versus 60 ft² of loose #57. Per ton it covers less; per finished driveway it is still the cheaper layer.
How much extra should I order for compaction?: For layers that will be compacted, order 15–20% more than the compacted-volume math suggests — roughly 10% for the volume lost to compaction plus 5–10% normal waste. For loose decorative layers that only settle underfoot, 10% total is enough.
How many square feet does 5 tons of crushed stone cover?: Multiply the per-ton figure: 5 tons of #57 covers about 600 ft² at 2 inches, 400 ft² at 3 inches or 300 ft² at 4 inches, loose. As compacted crusher run, 5 tons covers about 215 ft² at a finished 4 inch depth.
What depth should I use for the lookup?: Decorative dressing over fabric: 2 inches. Walkable surface: 2–3 inches. Driveway top course: 3–4 inches. Base lifts: 4 inches compacted each. Drainage stone around pipe: 3 inches all sides. Using the intended finished depth — not the loose dumped depth — is what the compaction allowance is for.
Does coverage change with rock type?: Slightly — limestone at 97 lb/ft³ covers about 3% more per ton than the chart, granite at 103 about 3% less. The 10% swing between rock types is smaller than the waste allowance, so the #57 table works for any clean stone; only fines-heavy products need their own column.

Related references

Crushed Stone Weight Crushed Stone Sizes

Sources & references

[1]ASTM C29/C29M: Bulk Density (Unit Weight) and Voids in Aggregate — ASTM International, 2017
[2]The Aggregates Handbook, 2nd ed. — National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, 2013