Crushed concrete calculator
Tons = length × width in feet × compacted depth in inches ÷ 324 × the weight of a compacted cubic yard: a 40 × 12 ft driveway base 4 inches deep is 5.93 cubic yards, 6.22 with 5% extra, or 10.2 tons, about 7.79 cubic yards loose in the truck.
Example: replace these measurements
Your order
10.2 tons of crushed concrete (7.79 cu yd loose)
10.2 tons of crushed concrete
480 sq ft measured
Your shopping list
- 10.2 tons of crushed concrete (7.79 cu yd loose)
Quantities and package details
- Driveway base
- 480 sq ft × 4 in = 160 cu ft
- Compacted volume
- 160 cu ft (5.93 cu yd)
- Tons to order
- 10.2
- Cubic yards to order, loose
- 7.79
The calculation
- Driveway base: 480 sq ft × 4 in ÷ 12 = 160 cu ft
- 160 cu ft ÷ 27 = 5.93 cu yd compacted; with 5% extra = 6.22 cu yd
- 6.22 cu yd × 1.64 tons a compacted yard = 10.2 tons
- 10.2 tons ÷ 1.31 tons a loose yard = 7.79 cu yd in the truck
Not measured yet? Common jobs
A rough starting point, worked out with this calculator. Usual sizes and compacted depths, with this calculator’s 5% extra, 1.64 tons a compacted cubic yard and 1.31 tons a loose one. Use a row to load its size into the calculator, then change it to your measurements.
| Job | Size | Tons | Cubic yards, loose | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walkway base | 3 × 30 ft, 4 in | 1.91 | 1.46 | |
| Shed base | 10 × 12 ft, 4 in | 2.55 | 1.95 | |
| Patio base | 12 × 16 ft, 4 in | 4.08 | 3.12 | |
| One-car driveway base | 12 × 50 ft, 6 in | 19.13 | 14.61 | |
| Two-car driveway base | 20 × 50 ft, 6 in | 31.89 | 24.34 |
Common questions
How much does a yard of crushed concrete weigh?
About 1.31 tons loose in the truck and 1.64 tons once compacted. These are Washington State DOT’s weights for a crushed rock base, scaled to crushed concrete’s lighter pieces from FHWA’s figures. Yards that sell it often give their own weight a yard: use theirs.
Source: Washington State DOT Design Manual M 22-01, Exhibit 620-1: unit dry weight of gravel base and surfacing. Listed on the Sources page.
How many tons of crushed concrete do I need?
Work out the compacted volume (length × width in feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 ÷ 27) and multiply by the weight of a compacted cubic yard. A 40 × 12 ft driveway base 4 inches deep is 5.93 cubic yards, or 10.2 tons with 5% extra.
Does crushed concrete go further than crushed stone?
By weight, yes: its pieces are lighter, so a ton makes more base. A compacted cubic yard is about 1.64 tons of crushed concrete against 1.85 tons for a crushed rock base in WSDOT’s table. Compare the two at your yard’s prices per ton.
Can crushed concrete go next to pipes?
Keep it away from aluminum and galvanized steel pipes in wet ground. FHWA notes its high alkalinity, a pH over 11, which can corrode them.
Source: FHWA: User Guidelines for Waste and Byproduct Materials in Pavement Construction (FHWA-RD-97-148), Reclaimed Concrete Material. Listed on the Sources page.
How to plan the quantity
Area × depth after compacting gives the volume of the finished base: square feet × inches ÷ 12 = cubic feet, and ÷ 27 = cubic yards.
Tons to order = that volume × the weight of a compacted cubic yard. Crushed concrete is lighter than crushed rock, because old cement paste clings to every piece: about 1.64 tons a compacted cubic yard, against 1.85 for a crushed rock base in WSDOT’s estimating table.
Loose in the truck, a cubic yard weighs about 1.31 tons and packs down to about 0.8 of a yard. So if the yard sells by the cubic yard, order the loose yards in the list, about a quarter more than the finished base, not the finished volume.
Before you order
- The weights are for dry material. Crushed concrete soaks up more water than rock (FHWA: 2 to 6% of its weight for the coarse pieces, 4 to 8% for the fines), so a wet load sold by the ton holds less of it.
- Keep it away from aluminum and galvanized steel pipes in wet ground: its high alkalinity (FHWA: pH over 11) can corrode them. Ask the yard what is in their crushed concrete (asphalt, brick or steel) and which size they sell for a compacted base.