Stone Calculator

Stone for beds, borders, and dry creek features is sold by the ton and the cubic yard. The volume math is the same as any aggregate: length in feet times width in feet times depth in feet, divided by 27 to convert to cubic yards. Depth is the number people get wrong. For a decorative bed you want two to three inches. For a mulch replacement over landscape fabric you want three to four inches. Anything less than two inches shows dirt within a month.

For a dry creek bed, treat the shape as a trench. A 30 foot long creek that averages three feet wide and eight inches deep is 30 x 3 x 0.667 / 27 = 2.22 cubic yards. Multiply by the density for tons.

River rock is smoother and lighter, running about 1.3 tons per cubic yard. Crushed decorative rock like Texas cream or brown is around 1.4. Limestone screenings compact denser at 1.5. Lava rock is deceptively light in the hand but its scoria structure puts it around 1.7 when packed in a bed.

Get the density right or your ton order comes in short. A four cubic yard order at the wrong density can be a full ton off, which is the difference between covering a 200 square foot bed at three inches or coming up 40 square feet short at the far end.

Flagstone is sold by the pallet and covers by weight. A one ton pallet of standard 1.5 inch thick flagstone covers about 100 to 120 square feet. Thicker patio flagstone (2 to 2.5 inch) covers less per ton because more of the weight is thickness.

Boulders are estimated as spheres for pricing. Weight in pounds is roughly 90 times cubic feet of the sphere. A two foot diameter boulder is about (4/3) x π x 1³ = 4.19 cubic feet, or roughly 375 pounds. A three foot boulder is roughly 1,270 pounds and needs a skid steer or tractor with forks to place. Homeowners underestimate this dramatically.

Stone beds live longer with woven landscape fabric underneath. Non-woven filter fabric works for drainage applications but clogs faster in mulch replacement beds. Cut fabric with generous overlap, pin every two feet with landscape staples, then place stone.

Steel or aluminum edging holds stone in place at the bed perimeter. Plastic edging fails within two years in Texas heat. Concrete curbing is the premium option and lasts indefinitely.

For dry creeks and drainage swales, place a base layer of larger rock (2 to 4 inch) then a top layer of decorative rock. The larger stone at the base allows water to flow through without pushing the decorative surface downhill during heavy rain events.

Rock installs are a fast-turn service homeowners search for by the truckload. Peak Local Leads builds and operates local landscape sites for one contractor per Texas market. Seven days of calls on the house, flat monthly after, no bidding wars.