#4 Stone vs Bank Run Gravel: Size, Cost, and Which to Use

#4 Stone

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.

Bank Run Gravel

Bank run gravel is a naturally occurring mix of sand, gravel, and small stones excavated directly from pits or riverbanks. Unlike crusher run, it is not mechanically crushed or screened, resulting in inconsistent sizing.

#4 Stone

• ✓ Driveway and road base
• ✓ Drainage beds
• ✓ Retaining wall backfill
• ✓ Construction entrance pads
• ✓ Pipe bedding for large pipe
• ✓ Erosion control

Bank Run Gravel

• ✓ Rural driveways
• ✓ Base fill
• ✓ Backfill
• ✓ Construction fill

#4 Stone

• + Excellent drainage with 35 to 40 percent void space
• + Bridges soft ground better than smaller stone
• + Cheap, $20 to $40 per ton, and stocked everywhere
• + Angular pieces lock together under load
• + Same price as #57 with more drainage capacity

• − Too coarse to walk on or drive on as a surface
• − Needs a finer cap layer for any traffic
• − Hard to rake and spread by hand
• − Sinks into soft clay without fabric

Bank Run Gravel

• + Low cost
• + Minimal processing
• + Good general fill material

• − Inconsistent size
• − Poor compaction compared to crusher run
• − Can contain excess sand

#4 Stone

#4 stone is crushed rock screened to pieces between 1 and 1.5 inches, with some quarries running it up to 2 inches. It is angular with sharp fractured faces. Color follows the quarry: gray or blue-gray limestone in the Midwest and Northeast, gray to pink granite in the Southeast, tan limestone in Texas.

Bank Run Gravel

Unscreened blend ranging from sand up to 2" stones. Color varies by region.