#4 Stone: Size, Uses, and Cost Per Ton (2026)

#4 stone is clean crushed rock screened to 1 to 1.5 inches, with no sand or dust in the mix. It costs $20 to $40 per ton, weighs 1.35 to 1.55 tons per cubic yard, and is the standard base layer under gravel driveways, the drainage stone behind retaining walls, and the fill around drain pipe and dry wells. The pieces are too big to walk on comfortably, which is why you almost never see #4 on the surface.

Size and Shape

Sieve size #4 in the ASTM aggregate grading means most of the stone passes a 1.5-inch screen and stays on a 3/4-inch screen. In practice you get a pile of roughly walnut to golf ball sized rock. Every piece is angular because it was crushed, and those sharp edges lock together under load instead of rolling like river stone. Because it is washed or screened clean, there are no fines to fill the gaps between pieces. That is the whole point: about 35 to 40 percent of a pile of #4 is air, so water moves through it fast.

What #4 Stone Is Used For

• Driveway base. Four inches of #4 over compacted soil (or over geotextile fabric on clay) spreads vehicle loads and keeps the finer #57 and top gravel from sinking. This is the first layer of the standard three-layer gravel driveway.
• Retaining wall backfill. A 12-inch column of #4 behind a block or timber wall lets water drain to the weep holes instead of building pressure.
• French drains and dry wells. #4 gives more void space than #57, so it is the better choice around a 4-inch perforated pipe when you have room for the bigger stone.
• Construction entrances. A 6-inch pad of #4 at a job site entrance knocks mud off tires before trucks hit the road. Many counties require it.
• Erosion control and culvert outlets. Big enough to stay put in moving water where pea gravel would wash away.
• Railroad and heavy equipment pads. The 1.5 to 2.5 inch end of the range is close to ballast size.

#4 Versus #57 Stone

The main question people ask. #57 is 3/4 to 1 inch and #4 is 1 to 1.5 inches. #57 is easier to spread, easier to walk on, and packs a bit tighter, so it is the choice for a driveway middle layer, concrete mix, and most French drains. #4 drains a little better, bridges soft ground better, and costs about the same. Use #4 when you need a base under something or a deep drainage bed. Use #57 when the stone will be closer to the surface or when you will rake it by hand. Read the full #4 stone vs #57 gravel comparison.

Installing #4 Stone

Spread it in a single 4 to 6 inch lift and run a plate compactor or a loaded truck over it. Clean stone does not compact the way crusher run does (figure about 5 percent), so the goal is to seat the pieces against each other rather than to shrink the pile. Always cap it with a finer material like #57, crusher run, or #8 if anyone will walk or drive on it. Left bare, #4 shifts underfoot and eats tires.

What to Avoid

Do not use #4 as a finished driveway surface, a patio, or a path. Do not use it under pavers, where you want stone dust or #8. Do not put it directly on soft clay without fabric, or it disappears into the mud over a couple of wet seasons. And do not confuse it with crusher run, which is sometimes called "#4 down" or "1.5 inch minus" because it contains everything from 1.5 inches down to dust.

How Much to Order

One ton of #4 covers about 60 square feet at 4 inches. A 12 x 40 ft driveway base at 4 inches needs about 10 tons, one single-axle truckload, for $200 to $400 plus delivery. Draw your area on the Gravel Planner below to get the number for your project.