#57 Stone
#57 stone is clean crushed stone sized about ¾ to 1 inch (1 inch down to ³⁄₁₆), with the fines washed out — so it drains freely but does not compact into a hard surface. A ton covers about 75 square feet at 3 inches.
Work out what you need
Measure the area, set the depth, and this converts it to cubic yards, what it weighs on the truck, how many bags that replaces, and roughly what it should cost delivered.
Weight is quoted as a band because moisture moves it more than grade does — crushed stone after heavy rain runs to about 105% of its dry weight. The delivered range starts from a published $25–80 per cubic yard and is scaled by how your region's material prices compare with the national average, so treat it as a sanity check and not a quote.
Get a real price from yards near youCrushed stone size chart
Stone is graded by number under ASTM D448: the lower the number, the bigger the stone. A two-number size like #57 or #67 is a blend spanning both.
| Size | Nominal range | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | 3½ – 1½ in | Erosion control, construction entrances |
| #2 | 2½ – 1½ in | Driveway base course, culvert backfill |
| #3 | 2 – 1 in | Base course, large drainage beds |
| #4 | 1½ – ¾ in | Base course, drainage |
| #5 | 1 – ½ in | Drainage, concrete aggregate |
| #57 | 1 in – No. 4 | French drains, behind retaining walls, under sheds, concrete |
| #67 | ¾ in – No. 4 | Concrete and asphalt aggregate, drainage |
| #8 | ⅜ in – No. 8 | Permeable paver bedding, pipe bedding |
| #89 | ⅜ in – No. 16 | Fine drainage, mixes |
| #10 | No. 4 – dust | Screenings / stone dust: setting pavers and flagstone |
When you need stone that packs instead
Clean stone like #57 drains because it does not compact. For a base that has to carry a driveway, a shed or a patio, you want a dense-graded mix that keeps its fines. The names change from state to state — ask the yard for the gradation sheet rather than trusting the name.
| Crusher run | Widely used name for ¾–1½ inch stone with fines; packs into a firm base |
|---|---|
| #411 | Roughly #57 blended with stone dust; common in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky |
| 21A | Virginia DOT dense-graded base, about 1 inch down with fines |
| CA-6 | Illinois DOT dense-graded base, crushed limestone about 1 inch down |
| QP (quarry process) | New Jersey and New York name for ¾ inch down with dust |
#57 stone questions
What size is #57 stone?
Nominally 1 inch down to the No. 4 sieve, about ³⁄₁₆ inch, under ASTM D448 — in practice most of a load is ¾ to 1 inch.
Does #57 stone compact?
Not into a hard surface. With the fines washed out, the stones sit against each other and leave voids — which is why it drains so well and why a driveway or paver base wants crusher run or #411 instead.
How much does a yard of #57 stone weigh?
About 2,700–2,900 lb, or roughly 1.4 tons. Yards sell it by the ton, so a cubic yard is about 1.4 tons on the ticket.
What is #57 stone used for?
Anywhere water has to move: french drains, the backfill behind retaining walls, under sheds, and as drainage stone under slabs. It is also a standard concrete aggregate.