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

Decorative stone is crushed or rounded stone sold for its color, to cover garden beds and borders. It costs about $65 to $202 per ton, or $84 to $158 per cubic yard, at the yard in 2026, and weighs 1.2 to 1.45 tons per cubic yard.

What Counts as Decorative Stone

Any stone a yard sells for how it looks rather than for a structural job. Most of it is crushed granite, limestone, quartzite or slate, or rounded stone from a river or glacial deposit, screened to a size and sold by color. Yards give these products local names, and the same stone can go by different names in different states. Ask for a sample or a photo of the pile.

Some decorative stones have their own pages here: marble chips, lava rock, river rock and Mexican beach pebbles.

What It Is Used For

• Ground cover in garden beds, in place of mulch. It does not break down or need replacing each year.
• Borders along walks, driveways and foundations.
• Dry creek beds and rain gardens, using larger sizes.
• Xeriscaping in dry climates, where stone replaces lawn.
• Around downspouts and AC units, where it stops splash and erosion.

Where It Does Not Belong

• Not as a driveway or path surface unless the yard says the stone is meant for it. Many colored stones are rounded or soft and shift underfoot. Use crushed stone or pea gravel.
• Not as a base layer. It is too costly to bury. Use crusher run below it.
• Not in beds you plan to replant often. Stone is hard to dig through and to remove later.

Why Prices Vary So Much

Gray crushed stone from a nearby quarry sells for little more than ordinary gravel. Stone shipped in from another region, or a rare color, can cost three or four times as much. Freight is a large part of the price, so the same stone costs less near its quarry. Ask what is local; it is often the best value.

Installing It

Lay landscape fabric first to keep weeds down and the stone from sinking into the soil. Set edging so the stone stays in the bed. Spread 2 to 3 inches for stone up to 1 inch, and 3 to 4 inches for larger stone.

How Much to Order

One cubic yard covers about 162 square feet at 2 inches or 108 square feet at 3 inches. A 4 by 30 foot bed along a house at 3 inches needs about 1.1 cubic yards, roughly 1.5 tons. Order a little extra for color matching; a second load from a different part of the pile can look different.

What to Avoid

Do not put light-colored stone where mulch or soil will wash onto it. Do not skip the fabric and edging; without them the stone sinks and spreads within a season or two.