How Much Crushed Stone for a 20x50 Parking Pad?
A 20 by 50 foot parking pad is 1,000 square feet. How much crushed stone for a 20x50 parking pad depends on depth: at 4 inches it is about 12.35 cubic yards or 17.3 tons. Suppliers usually sell by the ton, so the tonnage is the number to give them.
Volume and tonnage calculator →The math for a 20x50 parking pad
- Area: 20 × 50 = 1,000 sq ft.
- Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
- Cubic feet: 1,000 × 0.333 = 333.3 cu ft.
- Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 12.35 yd³.
- Tons: × 1.4 = 17.3 tons.
The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.
Crushed stone needed by depth
| Depth | Cubic yards | Tons (approx.) | Tons +10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 6.17 | 8.6 | 9.5 |
| 3 in | 9.26 | 13.0 | 14.3 |
| 4 in | 12.35 | 17.3 | 19.0 |
| 6 in | 18.52 | 25.9 | 28.5 |
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. Ask your supplier for their own tons-per-yard figure, since stone source and moisture shift it.
Preparing the parking pad
Dig out organic soil, compact the subgrade and set an edge so the stone does not migrate onto the lawn. A pad that holds parked weight for long periods benefits from a dense base under the surface stone. For parked vehicles, the depths in the table above are a reasonable starting range.
Ordering tips
- Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
- Delivery size. 19.0 tons may take more than one 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 this size bulk delivery is usually the practical choice.
- Where it drops. Have the truck dump as close to the parking pad as firm ground allows.
Good and poor uses for crushed stone
Good uses:
- Driveway top courses and parking pads
- Shed and hot tub bases
- Backfill behind walls when a clean size is used
Poor fit for:
- 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
- Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.
- 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.
- Measuring only the main rectangle. Aprons, turnouts and curved edges add real square footage.
Questions people ask
How many tons of crushed stone for a 20x50 parking pad?
About 17.3 tons at 4 inches deep, or 19.0 tons with 10 percent extra.
How many cubic yards is a 20x50 parking pad at 4 inches?
About 12.35 cubic yards.
How much does a cubic yard of crushed stone weigh?
Usually around 1.35 to 1.5 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.
How deep should crushed stone be for a parking pad?
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 20x50?
1,000 square feet.
Related guides
- How Much Does a Ton of Crushed Stone Cover?
- Tons to Cubic Yards for Gravel: Conversion Chart
- How Many Tons of Gravel in a Dump Truck? Loads and Coverage
- How Much Does a Ton of Gravel Cover? Depth Chart
- How Much Crushed Stone for a 20x36 Parking Pad?
- How Much Crushed Stone for a 20x40 Parking Pad?
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