#89 Stone vs Decomposed Granite: Size, Cost, and Which to Use

#89 Stone

In the ASTM C33 sieve table, #8 stone passes a 1/2-inch screen and stays on a #8 sieve (about 3/32 inch), and #9 is a step finer. #89 is a blend of the two: most of it passes a 3/8-inch screen and stays on a #16 sieve. In practice you get a clean, small, sharp stone that looks like crushed pea gravel. Some quarries sell the same product as #8, #9, or "3/8 clean."

Decomposed Granite

Decomposed granite, or DG, is granite that weathered in the ground into a mix of sand, silt, and small chips, then was dug and screened to 1/4 or 3/8 inch minus. It costs $25 to $45 per ton in 2026, weighs 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, and compacts into a firm, natural-looking path or patio surface in gold, tan, gray, or rose. It is the standard path material in California, Arizona, Texas, and most of the drought-tolerant West.

#89 Stone

• ✓ Walkways
• ✓ Patios
• ✓ Pipe bedding
• ✓ Asphalt mix
• ✓ Dog runs
• ✓ Driveway top dressing

Decomposed Granite

• ✓ Walkways
• ✓ Patios
• ✓ Landscaping
• ✓ Driveways
• ✓ Dog runs
• ✓ Bocce courts

#89 Stone

• + Packs firmer than pea gravel at the same size
• + Stays put inside edging
• + Wheelbarrow and stroller friendly
• + Clean, so it drains
• + Cheap at $22 to $40 per ton

• − Plain gray look
• − Sharp edges, not for bare feet
• − Too small for a driveway surface
• − Less void space than #57 for drainage

Decomposed Granite

• + Natural gold and tan look that fits Western landscapes
• + Compacts into a firm, walkable surface
• + Cheap at $25 to $45 per ton loose
• + Permeable, counts as pervious surface in many codes
• + Easy to install with a plate compactor

• − Loose DG tracks into the house and erodes in rain
• − Stabilizer adds $10 to $30 per ton
• − Needs edging or it spreads
• − Poor in freeze-thaw climates
• − Muddy when saturated

#89 Stone

#89 stone is crushed stone screened to about 3/8 inch and smaller, with most pieces between 1/8 and 3/8 inch and no dust. It is angular, a blend of the #8 and #9 sieve sizes. Color follows the quarry: gray or white limestone, gray to pink granite, or dark basalt.

Decomposed Granite

Decomposed granite is a mix of sand-sized particles and small granite chips, usually 1/4 inch minus, sometimes 3/8 inch minus. Colors run gold, tan, buff, gray, brown, and rose depending on the quarry. Gold and tan are the standard California and Arizona look. Sold loose, or stabilized with a binder that is mixed in dry or applied as a liquid.