Crushed Concrete Calculator

Why This One Is Different

This calculator turns your base or driveway-prep dimensions into how many tons of crushed concrete to order, in the same units your supplier's scale ticket will use. Crushed concrete is recycled base material (old slabs and pavement run through a crusher and screened into a graded aggregate), and it's typically priced and ordered the same way virgin gravel is, by volume converted to tons at the yard's scale. Behind the scenes, this tool applies the standard area-times-depth-divided-by-324 volume rule, then adds 10 to 20% extra loose volume because compacted base material settles below its poured depth, a trade convention every paver-base and driveway-prep job accounts for. Density runs 1.2 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard depending on gradation and moisture, so treat the tonnage as a band, not a point figure.

Where the Numbers Come From

• A single cubic yard spreads a lot further than most people guess at a shallow depth, and less far than expected once you go deep: it covers 324 sq ft at 1" deep, 108 sq ft at 3", and 54 sq ft at 6", the divisor-324 rule that converts area and depth to volume. Source: Texas AgriLife Extension, 'How Much Compost, Soil or Mulch Do I Need to Purchase?'
• Crushed concrete runs approximately 1.2-1.5 tons per cubic yard, a labeled recycled-aggregate density band distinct from virgin gravel's 1.2-1.6 t/yd³ range. Source: recycled-aggregate trade band, labeled convention (construction-estimating canon)
• A compacted base needs roughly 10-20% more loose volume than the finished depth; order loose, compact to grade. Source: trade convention, labeled as such (not codified in a standard)