How Much #57 Stone for a 8x12 Patio?

How much #57 stone for a 8x12 patio is a quick volume problem. 96 square feet at 3 inches comes to 0.89 cubic yards. #57 stone usually weighs about 1.3 to 1.45 tons per cubic yard, so plan on roughly 1.2 tons.

Volume and tonnage calculator →

The math for a 8x12 patio

Area: 8 × 12 = 96 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 3 ÷ 12 = 0.250 ft.
Cubic feet: 96 × 0.250 = 24.0 cu ft.
Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 0.89 yd³.
Tons: × 1.35 = 1.2 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

#57 stone needed by depth

Depth	Cubic yards	Tons (approx.)	Tons +10%
2 in	0.59	0.8	0.9
3 in	0.89	1.2	1.3
4 in	1.19	1.6	1.8
6 in	1.78	2.4	2.6

About #57 stone

#57 stone is a clean crushed stone in roughly the 1/2 to 1 inch range with very few fines. It drains fast, which suits drainage layers and the top of a gravel drive, but it does not pack into a hard crust by itself. Weight per yard is a planning number; the scale ticket at the yard is the real one.

Preparing the patio

Remove sod, level the area with a slight slope away from the house, and lay landscape fabric if weeds are a concern. Edging keeps loose material inside the patio footprint. Since the patio carries foot traffic and furniture, a little extra depth is cheap insurance.

Ordering tips

Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
Delivery size. 1.3 tons fits in a single typical dump truck load; small loads may carry a delivery fee. See how many tons of gravel in a dump truck.
Bulk vs bags. At about 1.2 tons this job is small enough that bagged material could work; a 0.5 cubic foot bag holds about 1/54 of a yard, so compare the bag count with a bulk minimum.
Where it drops. Have the truck dump as close to the patio as firm ground allows.

Good and poor uses for #57 stone

Best suited to:

French drains and drainage layers
The top course of a gravel driveway
Under sheds where water needs to drain away

Poor fit for:

A standalone base, since it does not pack hard without fines
Paver setting beds
Walk paths meant for strollers or wheelchairs

Quick reference numbers

Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.42 tons of #57 stone (0.31 cubic yards).
Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.2 tons.
Another size for comparison: a 14x28 area at 3 inches takes about 4.9 tons.
Weight used here: about 1.35 tons per cubic yard.

Mistakes that throw off the order

Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.
Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons 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.
Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.

Questions people ask

How many tons of #57 stone for a 8x12 patio?

About 1.2 tons at 3 inches deep, or 1.3 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 8x12 patio at 3 inches?

About 0.89 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of #57 stone weigh?

Usually around 1.3 to 1.45 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should #57 stone be for a patio?

The table above shows 2 to 6 inches. Shallower depths suit top dressing; deeper depths suit new installs and heavier use.

How many square feet is 8x12?

96 square feet.

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