Gravel Types & Sizes (#57,
A plain-English guide to gravel types and sizes — what
The two workhorse gravels are #57 stone — a clean, open-graded ¾-inch crushed stone that drains freely but never compacts — and #411 crusher run, the same stone plus fine dust that packs into a firm, load-bearing base. Use #411 for the base under driveways, sheds and pavers, and #57 for drainage and as a top course. Pea gravel and river rock are decorative, and all of these weigh roughly 1.35 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard.
Walk into a stone yard and the price board reads like a foreign language: #57, #411, ¾ minus, crusher run, pea gravel, river rock. Pick the wrong one and your “solid base” turns to mush in the first rain, or your “drainage stone” holds water like a bathtub. This guide translates the jargon so you buy the right material the first time — and explains the single most important distinction in all of gravel: whether a stone has fines or not.
Once you know which stone you need, the gravel calculator sets the correct density for that material automatically, so your tonnage comes out right. And for the full estimating method, the pillar guide How Much Gravel Do I Need? walks through every step.
The one distinction that matters: fines vs. no fines
Every question about gravel type really comes down to whether the stone contains fines — the powdery stone dust left over from crushing.
- With fines (crusher run, #411): the dust fills the gaps between stones, so when you compact it, the whole layer locks into a firm, load-bearing base. It also sheds water rather than draining it.
- Without fines (clean stone like #57): the dust is screened out, so the stone stays loose and open. Water pours straight through, but it never firms up into a solid surface.
Choose based on the job: fines for a base you’ll build on, clean stone where you need drainage. Everything below is a variation on that theme.
The five materials, at a glance
| Material | Typical size | Fines? | Weight (tons/cu yd) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #57 stone | ¾ in | No | ~1.40 | Driveway top, drainage, French drains |
| #411 / crusher run | ¾ in to dust | Yes | ~1.50 | Driveway & shed base, paver base |
| Pea gravel | ⅜ in | No | ~1.40 | Paths, playgrounds, decorative beds |
| River rock | ½–2 in | No | ~1.35 | Decorative borders, dry creek beds |
| Sand | fine | — | ~1.35 | Paver setting bed, pipe bedding |
Those densities are exactly what the gravel calculator uses to turn your volume into tons, so switching the material dropdown changes your order accordingly.
#57 crushed stone: the drainage workhorse
#57 is a clean, angular, roughly ¾-inch crushed stone with the fines screened out. Because there is nothing to fill the voids, water runs straight through and the stone never compacts. That makes it the go-to for French drains, backfill around foundation pipe, and the loose top course of a gravel driveway. Do not expect a #57 layer to firm up underfoot — staying loose is the whole point. At about 1.40 tons per cubic yard, a ton covers roughly 58 square feet at 4 inches deep.
#411 crusher run: the base builder
#411 (also sold as crush-and-run or ¾ minus) is the same crushed stone but with all its fines. Compact it with a plate compactor and the dust binds the aggregate into a dense, solid layer that carries weight without rutting. It is the standard base under driveways, sheds, patios and pavers. It is also the heaviest of the common gravels at about 1.50 tons per cubic yard, so budget for a bit more tonnage — the gravel calculator accounts for this automatically when you select it.
Pea gravel and river rock: the decorative options
Pea gravel is small, smooth, rounded stone about ⅜ inch across. It is comfortable underfoot and looks tidy, which makes it popular for garden paths, playgrounds and planting beds — but because the stones are round, it migrates and needs edging to stay put. River rock is larger (½ to 2 inches) and prized for looks in borders and dry creek beds. Neither compacts, so keep both out of structural bases.
Sand: the leveling layer
Sand isn’t gravel, but it shares the same yard and the same calculator. Its main jobs are a 1-inch setting bed under pavers (screeded smooth so each paver sits level) and bedding around buried pipe. At about 1.35 tons per cubic yard it is on the lighter end of the range.
Worked example: choosing and sizing a driveway
Say you are building a 20 ft × 10 ft driveway. The right approach is two materials in two layers:
- Base: 4 inches of #411 crusher run, compacted. At 1.50 tons per yard, that 200 sq ft area works out to about 4.07 tons (order 5).
- Top course: 2 inches of #57 stone for drainage and a clean finish, roughly another 1.9 tons.
Run each layer through the gravel calculator separately — switching the material each time so the density is right — and add the two orders together. This two-layer approach is exactly why driveway tonnage is higher than a single-layer estimate suggests, a point the pillar guide How Much Gravel Do I Need? covers in detail.
The takeaway
If you remember one thing, make it this: fines build bases, clean stone drains. Match the material to the job, let the gravel calculator apply the right density, and you will order the correct tonnage of the correct stone — no mush, no bathtub, no wasted trips to the yard.