Free online tool • Regional base grades
ABC Gravel Calculator
This ABC gravel calculator estimates how much aggregate base course — ABC gravel — a driveway, road, parking area or pad needs. It also covers the regional names for the same kind of base, such as Class 5, 2A modified and CA-6, plus clean 2B stone, and gives tons, cubic yards, truckloads and cost.
How Much ABC Gravel Do I Need?
What Is ABC Gravel?
ABC stands for aggregate base course: crushed stone graded from about 1 to 1-1/2 inches down to fine dust. The fines fill the gaps between the angular stones, so when ABC gravel is dampened and compacted it locks into a dense, load-bearing layer. It is the standard base under asphalt, concrete, pavers and gravel driveways, and it is often used on its own as the driving surface of a gravel lot. The name ABC is common in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and much of the Southeast and Southwest.
ABC Gravel by Another Name
Every state transportation department writes its own base specification, so the same kind of gravel goes by different names. The ABC gravel calculator includes the common ones:
| Name | Where | Type | Tons per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Carolinas, Georgia, Arizona | Dense-graded base | about 1.50 |
| Class 5 | Minnesota, Dakotas | Dense-graded base | about 1.45 |
| 2A modified | Pennsylvania | Dense-graded base | about 1.50 |
| CA-6 | Illinois | Dense-graded base | about 1.50 |
| 21A / 21AA | Virginia / Michigan | Dense-graded base | about 1.50 |
| Crusher run, DGA, road base | Nationwide | Dense-graded base | about 1.50 |
| 2B | Pennsylvania | Clean stone, similar to #57 | about 1.40 |
Exact gradations differ, so a contractor specifying one name may not accept another. For a driveway or shed base, though, any dense-graded base gravel from the list performs the same way.
Class 5 gravel
Class 5 is Minnesota's aggregate base: crushed rock and gravel up to about 1 inch with enough fines to pack hard. Some Class 5 includes recycled concrete or asphalt, which makes it cheaper. It is used for driveways, parking pads and road shoulders across the Upper Midwest.
2A and 2B gravel
In Pennsylvania, 2A modified is the dense-graded base with fines, while 2B is clean, washed stone about the size of #57 — no fines, so it drains but does not compact into a solid layer. Use 2A for driveway and pad bases, and 2B for drainage, under concrete or as a top dressing. The calculator treats 2B as clean stone at about 1.40 tons per cubic yard.
How the ABC Gravel Calculator Works
1. ABC gravel area and depth
Multiply length by width and the compacted depth in feet. A 12 × 50 ft driveway base 6 inches deep is 600 × 0.5 = 300 cubic feet, or 11.1 cubic yards.
2. ABC gravel compaction
ABC gravel compacts 15 to 20 percent, so order extra. With 15 percent the order is 12.8 cubic yards.
3. ABC gravel tons
Multiply by 1.50 tons per cubic yard: about 19.2 tons of ABC gravel, which is two loads on a 13-ton tandem dump truck.
ABC Gravel Depth
- Driveway base: 6 inches compacted, or 8 inches on clay.
- Gravel road or parking area: 8 inches or more, in lifts.
- Under asphalt: 6 to 8 inches for residential driveways.
- Shed, patio or slab base: 4 inches.
- Top-up of an existing ABC driveway: 2 inches.
ABC Gravel Price
ABC gravel is one of the cheapest products a quarry sells, typically $18 to $35 per ton at the pit, with recycled versions at the low end. Delivery adds $75 to $200 per truckload. For the 600 sq ft example, 19 tons at $26 is about $500 in material plus about $200 delivery. Order in full truckloads where you can: a 6-ton partial load usually costs the same to deliver as a 13-ton full one.
Related Gravel Calculators
These tools use the same volume and density maths for neighbouring jobs:
- Stone calculator — every stone type in tons and yards
- Crusher run calculator — the nationwide name for dense-graded base
- Gravel compaction calculator — loose depth to spread for compacted ABC
- Gravel base calculator — base depth by project
- Gravel road calculator — base gravel by the mile
- #57 gravel calculator — clean stone like 2B
- Driveway gravel calculator — a full driveway build-up
Grade names follow state DOT specifications — for example the NCDOT standard specifications for aggregate base course and the MnDOT standard specifications for Class 5.
ABC Gravel FAQ
What is ABC gravel?
ABC gravel is aggregate base course: crushed stone graded from about 1 to 1-1/2 inches down to fine dust. The fines let it compact into a dense, load-bearing base for driveways, roads, parking areas and slabs.
How much does a yard of ABC gravel weigh?
A cubic yard of ABC gravel weighs about 1.50 tons, or 3,000 lbs, loose and dry. Wet ABC can be 5 to 10 percent heavier.
Is ABC gravel the same as crusher run?
They are very similar. Both are dense-graded crushed stone with fines and compact the same way. ABC is usually made to a state DOT gradation, while crusher run is a looser trade name, so ABC is more consistent from load to load.
What is the difference between 2A and 2B stone?
In Pennsylvania, 2A modified is a dense-graded base with fines that compacts into a solid layer. 2B is clean, washed stone about the size of #57, used for drainage and under concrete, which does not compact into a solid surface.
How much Class 5 do I need for a driveway?
A 12 by 50 ft driveway with 6 inches of compacted Class 5 needs about 11.1 cubic yards compacted, or roughly 18.5 tons with a 15 percent compaction allowance at 1.45 tons per cubic yard.