Gravel and stone
Revised October 2026
Driveways, parking pads, drainage, base under concrete or pavers.
Gravel and crushed stone are sold by the ton, not the yard, and the name on the ticket matters. Crusher run is crushed limestone with the dust left in, so it packs into a hard base; it is what a driveway or a pad is built on. #57 stone is clean crushed stone with no fines, so water runs through it; it is the top layer on a driveway, the stone in a French drain, and what goes under a slab. Chert is the local red-brown gravel from the ridges around Birmingham, cheap and good enough for a farm drive. Sand is its own thing: masonry sand for mortar and under pavers, fill sand for leveling.
Kinds of gravel and stone
- Crusher run. Crushed limestone with the fines left in. Packs into a hard base. Driveways, pads, under pavers.
- #57 stone. Clean crushed stone about the size of a quarter. Drains. Driveway top layer, French drains, under concrete.
- Chert. The local red-brown gravel. Cheap, packs well, the classic Alabama farm driveway.
- Sand. Masonry, fill or play sand. Under pavers, in mortar, for leveling a pool.
What it is for
- A new gravel driveway or parking pad
- Topping up a driveway that has gone to mud
- Base under concrete, pavers or a shed
- French drains and drainage trenches
- Leveling sand under a pool or pavers
Stone does not fix a soft driveway by itself. If the ground underneath is mud, it needs to be dug out and built up with crusher run before the top stone goes on.
Questions people ask
Crusher run or #57 for a driveway?
Both, in that order. Crusher run packs into a hard base, usually four inches of it. #57 goes on top, two to three inches, because it stays loose and sheds water. Chert is a cheaper one-layer option for a farm or back drive.
How many tons of gravel do I need?
One ton of crushed stone covers about 80 to 100 square feet at two inches deep. A 12 by 50 foot driveway at four inches of crusher run is about 10 to 12 tons, which is most of a tandem load.
How much is a dump truck load of gravel in Birmingham?
A tandem load, 16 to 18 tons, usually runs $400 to $900 delivered depending on the stone and the distance from the quarry. #57 costs more per ton than crusher run or chert.
What is chert?
Chert is a hard, red-brown sedimentary rock that breaks into gravel. The ridges around Birmingham are full of it, which is why it is cheap here. It packs well and makes a decent driveway, but it is dustier and less uniform than crushed limestone.
Gravel and stone by city
Local prices, delivery notes and what the ground is like in each place.
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