How Much Crushed Granite to Order for Your Fort Worth, TX Project
The most common question at our counter starts the same way: how much crushed granite do I need? Homeowners in Fort Worth, TX arrive with a length, a width and a clear picture of the finished look, and the material gets quoted by the ton. Turning that footprint into a number a loader operator can fill takes two steps, and both are easy to get wrong.
For over 20 years Big Tex Stone has supplied contractors and homeowners with stone, and our yard on Old Hemphill Road in Fort Worth loads orders Monday through Saturday.
We do not install material, so everything below is written for the person placing the order. Our online materials calculator runs the same math, though it pays to understand what it is doing.
Related: Best Uses for Crushed Granite in Fort Worth, TX
What Do Crushed Granite and Decomposed Granite Mean at the Counter?
Crushed granite is our one inch angular stone, and decomposed granite is a finer pink crushed granite that packs tightly into a firm surface. The two names cover different products in our yard, and mixing them up changes the order.
Our one inch crushed granite is a durable, angular stone used for driveways, pathways, drainage and decorative landscaping. Decomposed granite, shortened to DG at the counter, packs tightly, resists shifting and also works as a base under patios.
Both sit with the rest of our sand and gravel products, alongside pea gravel, road base and remix. Naming the product and the use on the call lets the counter confirm the order before the loader fills it.
Which Crushed Granite Screening Size Should You Ask For?
Ask for one inch crushed granite for drives, drainage and decorative beds, and DG or a finer screening for a firm walking surface. Screening size decides how the surface walks and how tightly the material locks together.
The one inch stone stays loose underfoot and drains quickly, which is why it suits drainage runs and beds. DG and the finer screenings carry enough dust to bind when compacted, giving a firm path a loaded wheelbarrow will roll across.
What Does Stabilizing a Decomposed Granite Surface Change?
Stabilizing adds a binder mixed through the DG before compaction, which firms the finish, slows washout on a slope and adds a separate line item to the order. The binder also sets the depth of the DG layer, so settle the finish before calculating tons.
How Deep Should Crushed Granite Go?
Plan on two inches for decorative beds, three inches for a walkway or seating area, and four inches over a compacted road base layer for a driveway. Depth drives the order more than area does, and it is where most quantities go wrong.
Anything carrying vehicle weight wants that road base underneath, which is a separate material and a separate quantity. Figure the base and the top layer as two lines on the ticket rather than one blended depth.
An extra inch across a large footprint adds up quickly. On a 600 square foot driveway, going from four inches to five adds roughly another 1.9 cubic yards, or close to 2.6 tons before any allowance for compaction.
Related: 8 Ways Decomposed Granite Enhances Backyard Design In Southlake, TX & Trophy Club, TX
How Do You Turn Square Feet and Depth Into Tons?
Multiply square feet by depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply by about 1.4 tons per cubic yard and add 10 to 15 percent. That last allowance covers compaction and settlement.
A 300 square foot walkway at three inches deep works out at 75 cubic feet, or about 2.8 cubic yards. At roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard that walkway lands near 3.9 tons, and a 10 percent allowance brings the order to roughly 4.3 tons.
Running the numbers by hand once catches the most common input error, which is entering depth in inches where the formula expects feet. Three inches goes into the formula as 0.25 feet.
Why Does a Crushed Granite Load Weigh More After Rain?
Wet crushed granite weighs more because aggregate sold by weight carries whatever water sits in the pile that morning. A soaked stockpile can run several percent heavier, so a ton of damp material covers less ground than a ton of dry material.
After a wet week, order by the cubic yard where the job allows it. If the order has to go by the ton, add a little to the compaction allowance so the last few feet of path are not short.
Should You Take Crushed Granite Delivery or Pick It Up at the Yard?
Take delivery once the order passes a ton or so, and pick up smaller quantities at the yard if your truck or trailer is rated for the weight. Our delivery trucks run Monday through Friday.
Fees vary by destination across DFW and the surrounding cities, so give us the address when you call for a quote. During our busy season of February through August allow up to five days notice, and at least three days the rest of the year.
Pickup customers load at the yard on Old Hemphill Road during business hours. A single cubic yard of crushed granite weighs more than a ton, so check the payload rating before you pull in.
Get Your Crushed Granite Quantity Confirmed in Fort Worth
Bring your square footage and your depth to Big Tex Stone and we will check the arithmetic, confirm the screening size and quote the load with delivery to your address in Fort Worth or a nearby city. Mention your driveway access on the same call, since our driver makes the final call on where a load is dropped.
Call Big Tex Stone at 817-686-8601 or send the quote form on our site to order crushed granite for pickup or delivery.
In Summary
How far ahead should I schedule a crushed granite delivery in Fort Worth?
Schedule a crushed granite delivery in Fort Worth up to five days ahead during our busy season of February through August, and three days ahead the rest of the year. Big Tex Stone delivery trucks run Monday through Friday only.
Can the driver place the load exactly where I want it?
The driver places the load where it is safe for the truck and the property, which usually means the driveway. Clear the spot and flag low branches or soft ground before the truck arrives.
Can I pick up a small quantity myself instead of paying a delivery fee?
Small quantities can be picked up at our yard Monday through Friday, 7 AM until 5 PM, and Saturday mornings until noon. Check the payload rating on your truck or trailer, because a single cubic yard of crushed granite weighs more than a ton.
Related: Premium Austin Stone Supply for Your High-Quality Projects in Aledo, TX & Weatherford, TX
