Lava Rock Near Me

Buying lava rock locally

Lava rock is a lightweight, porous volcanic stone commonly used in landscaping. Its rough texture helps retain moisture while allowing airflow to plant roots. Yards also call it Volcanic Rock or Scoria. GoodGravel lists 132 suppliers that stock lava rock across 43 states. 49 of them deliver and 34 are pits or quarries that sell straight from the stockpile.

Expect lava rock to run $90 to $150 per ton at the yard, or $110 to $180 per cubic yard. A 10 ton load is $900 to $1500 before delivery. Lightweight but bulky — fewer tons per truckload. Pits sit at the low end of that range and landscape yards at the high end, since the yard bought it from a pit and trucked it in.

Lava Rock works well for water retention and low-maintenance landscapes. Skip it for walkways and driveways. The upside: very lightweight and excellent moisture retention. The catch: breaks down over time.

Typically 3/4"–1.5" sizes. Red or black. One cubic yard of lava rock weighs about 0.83 tons. A 3 inch layer over 500 square feet takes 4.6 cubic yards, which is close to 3.8 tons. Add 10 percent for settling and the odd low spot.

Press the location button at the top of the page and the list sorts by distance from you. Call the closest yard and ask for lava rock by name and by size. Ask if it is washed or still has fines in it, because that changes how it drains and how it packs. If the nearest yard is out, the next one is usually within 20 miles when you are near a city.

Under 2 tons, pickup with your own truck or a trailer is the cheaper route. A half ton pickup takes about a third of a yard per trip. Above 5 tons, delivery starts to pay for itself because the fee spreads over more stone. Either way, get the total price for your exact tonnage from two yards and compare those totals, not the price per ton.

Read more about the material on the lava rock guide.