How much road base do you need?
Enter the size of your road, lot or blacktop base. You get tons, cubic yards and truck loads of road base.
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How this was worked out
Assumes road base at 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Other gravel weighs a little more or less, so ask your supplier for their number.
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About road base
Road base is a graded mix of crushed rock and fines, made to a road department's spec for the layer under pavement. Each state has its own blend and name, and many suppliers sell it under one of those names. Packed in layers, 6 inches or more of it carries traffic on a gravel road or under asphalt.
More about road base
The name means different things in different places. In some states road base is crushed limestone with fines, close to crusher run; in others it is crushed gravel, or a blend with recycled concrete or asphalt in it. Ask for the spec name the supplier uses, such as Class 2 base, so the load matches the job.
Build it in lifts of 4 to 6 inches. Bring each lift close to the moisture that packs best, which feels damp enough to hold together in a fist without dripping, and roll it until it stops moving under the roller. A private road or parking lot commonly gets 6 to 12 inches over firm subgrade, and more over clay.
A finished base should be crowned or sloped so rain runs off before it soaks in. The fines in road base hold water much like soil, so a load hauled in wet weather can tip the scale noticeably over its dry weight.