Crusher Run Calculator

Crushed stone with everything from 3/4-inch rock down to stone dust ("fines") in one product — the fines pack into a nearly solid surface when compacted. It is the standard for driveway top layers, parking pads, and under pavers, where pure #57 would stay loose and shift.

A 20 × 12 single-car lane at 3 inches runs 2.22 loose yards — order about 3.45 tons with the 15% compaction allowance. On never-improved ground, do it in two lifts: 4-6 inches of #57 first for drainage, then 2-3 inches of crusher run on top for the hard surface.

#57 is clean stone that drains and locks for bases; crusher run is #57-plus-fines that compacts into a surface. Rule: #57 under everything that needs drainage (under concrete, behind walls, deep bases), crusher run as the finish layer you drive or walk on. Paver installations often use both: #57 base, then a thin screed layer of concrete sand.

Not well — that is the trade-off. The fines that make it pack tight also hold water. For a driveway crown it away from the house and slope it for runoff; never use it inside a French drain or behind a retaining wall where trapped water is the enemy. There you want washed stone.

In 2-3 inch lifts with a plate compactor (rent ~$60-90/day), slightly damp but not wet — a light hose mist helps the fines bind. One pass per lift, overlapping passes by half the plate width. Skipping compaction is how you get a driveway with tire ruts by spring.