How Much Limestone Screenings for a 5x20 Walkway?

A 5 by 20 foot walkway is 100 square feet. How much limestone screenings for a 5x20 walkway depends on depth: at 3 inches it is about 0.93 cubic yards or 1.3 tons. Suppliers usually sell by the ton, so the tonnage is the number to give them.

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The math for a 5x20 walkway

Area: 5 × 20 = 100 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 3 ÷ 12 = 0.250 ft.
Cubic feet: 100 × 0.250 = 25.0 cu ft.
Cubic yards: ÷ 27 = 0.93 yd³.
Tons: × 1.4 = 1.3 tons.

The volume and tonnage calculator does this for any size.

Limestone screenings needed by depth

Depth	Cubic yards	Tons (approx.)	Tons +10%
1 in	0.31	0.4	0.5
2 in	0.62	0.9	1.0
3 in	0.93	1.3	1.4

About limestone screenings

Screenings hold moisture and can crust over. Use them in thin layers over a compacted stone base instead of as a thick layer on their own. Ask your supplier for their own tons-per-yard figure, since stone source and moisture shift it.

Preparing the walkway

Dig the path a few inches below grade, compact the bottom, add fabric if needed and install edging on both sides so the material stays on the walk. This walkway sees foot traffic, so match the depth to that load rather than to the minimum.

Ordering tips

Round up. Compaction and uneven ground eat material. Adding about 10 percent is common.
Delivery size. 1.4 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 1.3 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 walkway as firm ground allows.

Where limestone screenings fits

Works well for:

Paver and flagstone setting beds
Firm walking paths
Top-dressing a compacted stone base

Less suited to:

Deep layers on their own
Low spots that collect water
Under heavy vehicle traffic without a base

Quick reference numbers

Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.43 tons of limestone screenings (0.31 cubic yards).
Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.3 tons.
Another size for comparison: a 20x25 area at 3 inches takes about 6.5 tons.
Weight used here: about 1.4 tons per cubic yard.

Mistakes that throw off the order

Ignoring the base. A thin surface layer over soft soil fails early no matter how much material is on top.
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.
Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.

Questions people ask

How many tons of limestone screenings for a 5x20 walkway?

About 1.3 tons at 3 inches deep, or 1.4 tons with 10 percent extra.

How many cubic yards is a 5x20 walkway at 3 inches?

About 0.93 cubic yards.

How much does a cubic yard of limestone screenings weigh?

Usually around 1.3 to 1.5 tons, depending on stone size, fines and moisture.

How deep should limestone screenings be for a walkway?

The table above shows 1 to 3 inches. Shallower depths suit top dressing; deeper depths suit new installs and heavier use.

How many square feet is 5x20?

100 square feet.

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