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Bags of Crushed Stone for a 5x75 Walkway

How many bags of crushed stone for a 5x75 walkway: at 3 inches deep you need about 93.8 cubic feet, which is 188 bags of the common 0.5 cubic foot size. If your store sells crushed stone in 50-pound bags instead, figure about 195 bags, since crushed stone weighs roughly 104 pounds per cubic foot.

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Bag count by depth

DepthCubic feet0.5 cu ft bags50 lb bags (approx.)
1 in31.26365
2 in62.5125130
3 in93.8188195
4 in125.0250260

How to figure it

  1. Area: 5 × 75 = 375 sq ft.
  2. Volume: 375 × (3 ÷ 12) = 93.8 cu ft.
  3. Bags: 93.8 ÷ 0.5 = 188 bags (round up).

Bags or bulk?

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 93.8 cubic feet is 3.47 yards, about 4.9 tons. Past about a yard, bulk is usually less work and often less money. Compare the bag price × 188 against a bulk quote for 5.3 tons delivered.

About crushed stone

Most quarries sell crushed stone by a size number or a screen size. Clean crushed stone drains well; stone with fines packs harder but sheds water more slowly.

Laying it down for a walkway

  • Dig and level. Remove sod and set the base slightly below the surrounding grade.
  • Edge it. Steel, plastic or stone edging keeps material in place.
  • Spread in layers. Rake to depth, then tamp or wet and compact.
  • Buy a few extra. Grab 5 to 10 percent more bags for settling and touch-ups.

The volume and tonnage calculator handles other sizes and depths.

Where crushed stone fits

Good uses:

  • Driveway top courses and parking pads
  • Shed and hot tub bases
  • Backfill behind walls when a clean size is used

Less suited to:

  • Barefoot areas, since angular stone is rough
  • Play areas
  • Places that need a smooth rolling surface for wheels

Quick reference numbers

  • Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.43 tons of crushed stone (0.31 cubic yards).
  • Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.3 tons.
  • Another size for comparison: a 20x25 area at 4 inches takes about 8.6 tons.
  • Weight used here: about 1.4 tons per cubic yard.

Where estimates go wrong

  • Ignoring the base. A thin surface layer over soft soil fails early no matter how much material is on top.
  • Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.
  • Using inches as if they were feet. Depth has to be divided by 12 before you multiply; skipping that step inflates the order twelvefold.
  • Skipping drainage. Water sitting under any surface softens the base and leads to ruts and potholes.

Questions people ask

How many bags of crushed stone for a 5x75 walkway?

About 188 bags of 0.5 cubic feet at 3 inches deep.

How many 50 lb bags of crushed stone for 5x75?

About 195 bags at 3 inches.

How many 0.5 cubic foot bags are in a cubic yard?

54 bags.

How many cubic feet is a 5x75 walkway at 3 inches?

About 93.8 cubic feet.

When does bulk make more sense?

Usually once the job passes about a cubic yard, or when you would need more than a few car trips.

Related guides

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