Crusher run calculator for Minnesota

Loose crusher run tightens by 10-15% when compacted. If you buy only to the depth measured, the finished base can end up half an inch short, so this calculator has a +10% allowance turned on. It may be called crush and run or 2 inch minus on tickets. Each name refers to crushed stone with fines included, about 3,000 lb per cubic yard, which compacts into a surface that tires do not easily push aside.

Calculate for compacted depth

1. Get the footprint in feet by multiplying lane length and width, or by measuring the pad.
2. Enter the required compacted depth: 4 inches for paths and pavers, 4-6 under driveways, and 6-8 beneath trucks.
3. For yards, divide cubic feet by 27; for tons, multiply by 1.5. Leave the +10% selected. Depth specifications apply after rolling, not to the loose layer.

Tons and coverage

Uses and limits

• Driveway base: compact 4-6 inches, then place 2-3 inches of #57 or driveway gravel as the driving layer.
• Crusher run alone can make a usable surface for budget rural lanes. Plan on dust in summer and regrading every 2-4 years.
• For a paver or slab base, compact 4 inches in 2-inch lifts. Use the Paver Base Calculator for the entire paver assembly.
• Shed and hot-tub pads use 4 inches over stripped ground, or 6 where the soil is soft.
• Keep it out of a French drain. Its fines create the lockup but also retain water; use clean #57 or drain rock for drainage.

Example: 20 x 10 parking pad

At two hundred square feet and 4 inches compacted: 200 x 0.333 = 67 cubic feet = 2.5 cubic yards, or 3.7 tons. With the allowance, that comes to 4 tons. Spread and compact half first, then place and compact the second half. Two 2-inch lifts last longer than a single 4-inch placement.

Delivery details

• Have the base and surface stone brought in one delivery. The project schedule stays together, and delivery is free either way.
• Drop material at the run's far end, then spread back toward the pile. On large pads, working downhill can save a full day.
• Lightly mist every lift before compaction. Moist crusher run compacts tighter than dry material.
• Hold back a wheelbarrow-load for later. Road crews use this same material to fill potholes, and a driveway will need a patch eventually.

Pricing

Crusher run comes from run-of-crusher material instead of washed and sorted stone. Leaving the +10% allowance on a 4-ton order can prevent a separate half-ton delivery. Check the Crusher Run product page for the per-ton price and compare Road Base. Both driveway layers can be ordered in one free delivery.

Crusher run and crush and run FAQs

Other calculators