Gravel Sizes and Applications

Gravel Sizes and Applications for Construction & Landscaping

Gravel, you see it on roadsides at construction sites, and in road building.  Gravel is a essential building block for almost any type of housing or infrastructure.  Lets examine a few characteristics of gravel starting with size.  Small to medium-sized rock has long been used as an important component of construction and now plays a big role in landscaping as well. For many decades, small sizes of this type of stone have been mixed with other materials to form concrete. It’s used as a base for roadways, and is very popular now as an important part of landscaping and hardscape decoration.

In contrast to crushed stone, gravel features rounded edges rather than sharp, unfinished edges. It gets its shape and rounded edges from natural erosion and weathering processes. Crushed stone, on the other hand, is quarried and crushed to a specified size depending on its intended use.

Gravel Sizes

Gravel Sizes vary according to the types of commercial, construction and landscaping jobs in which they’re used. Several of the different sizes of stones are most commonly used by construction and landscaping experts.

• Pea Size: This type of rock is about the size of a thumbnail, or about one-quarter to one-half inch in diameter. It’s most commonly used in landscaping applications, such as in gardens. This stone, which are familiar as pebbles, is also used in walking path and in driveways that tend to become muddy during rainy periods. It is an attractive component of pool decking and is even used as a decorative effect in home aquariums.

• Bluestone: A three-quarter inch size stone, this type of rock is appreciated for its color as well as its size. When the stone is dry, it’s a silvery color with blue undertones; when it gets wet, it becomes a deep bluish-gray color. This rock is the size of a quarter and is a good material to use as a base as well as a top layer for landscaping.

Bluestone can be used as fill rock or sub-base rock. It’s also an excellent material for drainage and applications. In landscaping, this type of stone is frequently used as decorative stone on paths and walkways. Homeowners appreciate the eye-catching appeal of the colored stone in their hardscape.

• Screenings: This is the smallest type of stone material, and is known commercially as #10. About one-eighth inch in diameter, it’s similar in size to coarse sand. This type of rock is most often used in constructing bricks and paving stones. A similar-sized material, called size #67, is often used as a fill for roadway beds and in the construction of slabs of concrete.

• #57 Size: This material is one of the most popular sizes of rock for landscaping purposes. Between three-quarters and one inch in diameter, individual stones are about the size of a nickel or quarter. This size of stone is most often used for walkways or driveways in home landscaping projects because it provides a comfortable surface for both walking and driving.

• #4 Size: A larger stone of between one and two and a half inches in diameter, this grade of material is about the size of an egg or a golf ball. Because of its larger size, this stone isn’t used for walkways or driveways, but instead forms a base for smaller sizes of stone. It can also be used as decorative stone in landscaping.

• #1 Size: One of the largest grades of stone, this material isn’t used as a base or for walkways, but is instead intended to be used solely as decorative stone. This type of gravel can’t be easily shoveled, but rather must be moved by hand. Consequently, it is used more sparingly than other types of gravels.

Calculating exactly how much gravel you need for a project has been simplified with our Gravel Calculator.

Same Day Stone

Same Day Aggregates offers all sizes and type of stones for almost all kinds of Gravel Applications. Whether it’s needed for construction, walkway or driveway uses, or as a base in concrete for walls or other structures, we can provide the rock you need for your job.  For quick pricing and delivery contact SDA today – delivering on the gravel needs of the Baltimore Washington region since 1999.