Crusher run calculator: how many tons of crusher run do I need?
4.44 tons
2.47 cubic yards compacted × 1.8 tons per cubic yard · 4.8 tons at 1.94 · for 20 × 10 ft at 4 in, IDOT
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Enter it the way you measured it: 4.5, 4 1/2,
3/8 or 10' 6".
4.44 tons
2.47 cubic yards compacted × 1.8 tons per cubic yard · 4.8 tons at 1.94
Source: Illinois Department of Transportation, District 5 Plan Preparation Memorandum PPM 30-01, Aggregate Shoulders, Base & Surface Courses (revised April 1, 2016), read October 23, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
A 20 by 10 ft crusher run base 4 inches thick compacted takes 4.44 tons: 2.47 cubic yards in place at the 1.8 tons per cubic yard that Illinois DOT uses for aggregate base.
A worked example
A 47 by 11 1/2 ft driveway base, 6 inches thick after compaction, at the Alaska factor needs 19.5 tons. 10.01 cubic yards in place × 1.944 tons per cubic yard (144 lb per cubic foot) is 19.46 tons, so 19.5 to order; at the Illinois 1.8 it is 18 tons.
How many tons are in a yard of crusher run?
1.8 tons per cubic yard compacted in place, the factor Illinois DOT uses for aggregate base, or 1.94 at the 144 lb per cubic foot of Alaska DOT&PF. Loose gravel is lighter, 1.35 to 1.50 tons per cubic yard by FM 5-434.
How much crusher run for a driveway?
Thickness × area: a 12 by 40 ft driveway at 6 inches compacted is 8.89 cubic yards, 16 tons at 1.8 tons per cubic yard.
What else it is called
Crusher run is also sold as crush and run, dense grade aggregate (DGA), graded aggregate base (GAB), quarry process (QP) or item 4. Searched as a crusher run calculator, crusher run gravel calculator or crusher run tons calculator.
Tons by area and thickness
| Area | 4 in, IDOT 1.8 | 4 in, AKDOT 1.94 | 6 in, IDOT 1.8 | 6 in, AKDOT 1.94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 2.22 tons | 2.4 tons | 3.33 tons | 3.6 tons |
| 10 × 20 ft | 4.44 tons | 4.8 tons | 6.67 tons | 7.2 tons |
| 12 × 40 ft | 10.7 tons | 11.5 tons | 16 tons | 17.3 tons |
| 20 × 50 ft | 22.2 tons | 24 tons | 33.3 tons | 36 tons |
| 24 × 60 ft | 32 tons | 34.6 tons | 48 tons | 51.8 tons |
Short tons of compacted aggregate base: cubic yards in place × 1.8 tons per cubic yard (Illinois DOT PPM 30-01) or × 1.94 (Alaska DOT&PF, 144 lb per cubic foot).
Where the numbers come from
- Tons per cubic yard, compacted: Illinois DOT District 5 Plan Preparation Memorandum PPM 30-01 (revised April 1, 2016): aggregate base courses measured in tons «should be calculated in cubic yards and converted to tonnage by multiplying with a factor of 1.8». Read October 23, 2026. IDOT PPM 30-01 (PDF)
- A second factor: Alaska DOT&PF Table of Estimating Factors (2015), «Aggregate Base Course, Grading D-1 144 LB/C.F.», which is 1.944 short tons per cubic yard. Read October 23, 2026. Alaska DOT&PF factors (PDF)
- The rest is arithmetic: cubic yards = length ft × width ft × thickness in ÷ 12 ÷ 27; tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard; 1 short ton = 2,000 lb.
These are tons for the base as compacted in place, the way both DOTs pay for it. Loose gravel weighs less per cubic yard (1.35 to 1.50 tons in the Army FM 5-434 table), so a loose-gravel figure orders a crusher run base short.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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