The four numbers every rock job runs on: how many tons, how big the pile, what it covers, and what the trucking really costs. Estimating math, in your pocket, free.
Densities are typical loose delivered values used for ordering; your producer's certified unit weight governs. Base materials compact — for compacted-in-place base, add 10–15% to the order.
How the math works: volume in cubic yards is length × width × depth ÷ 27 (with depth converted to feet), then tons = cubic yards × the material's loose unit weight. The most common ordering mistake is measuring depth in inches and forgetting the conversion — a "4-inch" driveway entered as 4 feet will order twelve times the rock you need, and yes, the plant will happily sell it to you.
Assumes a full cone built from a single drop point. Most crushed stone stands at 35–38°; sand runs shallower. For a walked-out or flat-topped pile this cone number is the ceiling, not the answer — that's what drone photogrammetry is for.
Cone math: pile height = radius × tan(angle of repose), volume = ⅓ × π × radius² × height, converted to cubic yards at 27 ft³ each. A 60-foot pile of #57 holds more rock than most people guess — run it and see — which is exactly why year-end inventory measured by eyeball is how quarries lose six figures quietly. When the pile is worth real money, fly it.
The inverse question — "I have a ton, how far does it go?" — saves you at the landscape yard. One ton at 1.40 t/CY is about 19.3 cubic feet; spread at 3 inches that's roughly 77 square feet, a strip about 4 feet by 19. Doubling your depth halves your coverage, which is why "just make it thick" is the most expensive sentence in gravel.
Cycle time = round-trip drive plus load and dump; cost per ton = hourly rate × cycle hours ÷ payload. This is the number that decides which quarry wins the job — past about 25–30 miles, trucking quietly costs more than the rock itself, which is why aggregate is the most local commodity on Earth and why a $2/ton price advantage evaporates 10 miles down the road. If freight is eating your project alive, that is precisely the kind of problem we get hired to fix.
NEED SITE-SPECIFIC NUMBERS?
These calculators do estimating math with typical unit weights. For certified inventories, reserve models, or a $/ton war on a real project, start a conversation — drone stockpile flights and haul-cost modeling are standing service lines.