Gravel Near Me

How to buy gravel locally

Gravel is heavy and cheap. A ton of crushed stone might cost $30 at the pit, and hauling it 40 miles can cost more than the stone did. That is why the closest yard usually wins. Everything below is about finding that yard and getting a straight price out of it.

Call the yard before you drive

Yards run out of sizes. Some sell to contractors only. Some close at noon on Saturday. A two minute call saves the trip. Ask whether the material is in stock, what it costs per ton, whether there is a minimum, and whether they can load a pickup. If they quote by the cubic yard instead of the ton, ask which unit they use so you can compare quotes on the same footing.

What a dump truck holds

A single axle dump truck carries about 10 tons. A tandem carries 14 to 18 tons. A tri-axle moves 20 to 22 tons. Most gravel weighs 1.4 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so a 10 ton load is roughly 7 cubic yards. Spread 3 inches deep, 7 yards covers about 750 square feet, which is close to a 12 by 60 foot driveway. If your job needs less than half a truck, the delivery fee will cost more per ton than the stone does.

Delivery minimums and fees

Most yards that deliver set a minimum of one full load. Some will send a partial load for the same fee. Fees usually run $50 to $150 within 20 miles and climb by the mile after that. The truck drops the pile where the driver can get in and out without getting stuck, so clear the spot and mark it with a stake or a cone. If you want the driver to tailgate spread along a driveway, ask when you order. Some yards charge for that and some do it for free. 404 of the 1155 suppliers we list deliver.

Ask for the price per ton delivered

The number that matters is the delivered price for your tonnage. A yard 5 miles away at $38 per ton with a $60 delivery fee beats a pit 30 miles away at $28 per ton with a $190 fee on any order under 13 tons. Do the math on 10 tons. The yard is $380 plus $60, so $440. The pit is $280 plus $190, so $470. Ask each place for the total on your exact tonnage and compare those totals.

Pickup with your own truck

A half ton pickup can safely carry about a half ton of gravel, which is a third of a cubic yard. A one ton truck carries a full ton. A 5 by 8 utility trailer holds about a yard, but check the axle rating before you put 1.5 tons on it. Yards load with a wheel loader. You pull onto the scale empty, get loaded, pull back on, and pay for the difference. Bring a tarp. Loose stone blows out at highway speed.

Pits versus landscape yards

A pit or quarry sells what it digs, in bulk, at the lowest price per ton. Expect crusher run, washed stone, screenings, and sand. A landscape yard buys from pits and sells smaller amounts, plus decorative rock like river rock and lava rock that no local pit produces. For a driveway base, go to the pit. For a 2 yard patio border, go to the yard. We list 300 pits and 855 yards and aggregate dealers.

Sizing the order

Measure length and width in feet. Multiply by the depth in feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by 1.4 for tons. Add 10 percent for compaction and spillage. A 10 by 20 foot patio base at 4 inches is 200 times 0.33, which is 66 cubic feet, or 2.5 cubic yards, or about 3.5 tons. The gravel calculator does this with the real density of each type.