How Much Does Crushed Concrete Cost?

Updated on July 24, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 8 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Crushed concrete typically costs $9 to $25 per ton when picked up from a recycling yard. Screened, washed, certified, or tightly graded recycled concrete aggregate can cost $20 to $50 per ton. Since one cubic yard commonly weighs about 1.2 to 1.4 tons, the material works out to roughly $11 to $35 per cubic yard before delivery.

A delivered residential order commonly totals $250 to $800, while a prepared and compacted crushed-concrete driveway can cost about $1.25 to $3 per square foot. Excavation, geotextile fabric, drainage work, grading, compaction, edging, minimum-load charges, and a second truckload can raise the completed project above the material price.

Crushed concrete, also called recycled concrete aggregate or RCA, is processed concrete from demolished roads, slabs, foundations, curbs, and structures. The material is crushed, screened, and sometimes cleaned to produce base aggregate, fill, drainage stone, or surface material in specified particle sizes.

Article Highlights

Jump to sections

• Pickup prices commonly range from $9 to $25 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 18 to 50 minutes, before taxes) per ton.
• Processed or certified RCA can cost $20 to $50 per ton.
• One cubic yard commonly weighs about 1.2 to 1.4 tons.
• One yard covers about 162 square feet at 2 inches deep or 108 square feet at 3 inches.
• A delivered truckload commonly costs $250 to $800, depending on quantity and distance.
• A compacted crushed-concrete driveway can cost $1.25 to $3 per square foot.
• Clean gradation and low contamination matter more than choosing the lowest price per ton.

How Much Does Crushed Concrete Cost?

Product or service	Expected cost	Pricing context
Unscreened or oversized recycled concrete	$6 to $15 (about 12 to 30 minutes at $30 per hour) per ton	Large particles, fill, deep base, or contractor pickup
Dense-graded crushed concrete	$9 to $25 per ton	Mixed fines and stone used for compacted base
Screened drainage-size RCA	$15 to $30 per ton	Reduced fines and controlled particle size
Certified or premium processed RCA	$20 to $50 per ton	Testing, tighter gradation, cleaner feedstock, or project specification
Material by the cubic yard	$11 to $35 per yard	Based on roughly 1.2 to 1.4 tons per loose yard
Local delivery	$100 to $300+ per load	Truck, driver, mileage, fuel, waiting, and minimum-load charges
Spreading and compaction	$0.50 to $1.50 per square foot	Skid-steer work, shaping, watering, rolling, and cleanup
Installed driveway	$1.25 to $3 per square foot	Material, delivery, basic grading, and compaction

Current supplier rates support the lower half of this range. Crushcrete lists 2A recycled concrete aggregate at $9.25 per ton. Complete Resources Company publishes a 2026 price of $12 per ton for recycled concrete No. 2 stone, while Woehler Landscape Supply lists recycled concrete products between $14 and $21 per ton based on gradation.

Atlas Recycling posts a May 2026 rate of $16 per ton for crushed concrete. Allied Recycled Aggregates lists 1-inch by 3/4-inch recycled concrete at $19.58 per ton and estimates its density at 1.3 tons per cubic yard. These prices apply at individual recycling facilities and do not include delivery to a homeowner in another market.

Tons, Yards, and Coverage

Suppliers may sell crushed concrete by weight, volume, or truckload. A ton is always 2,000 pounds, while a cubic yard measures volume. The conversion changes with particle size, fines, moisture, contamination, and how tightly the material settles. A supplier that publishes its own tons-per-yard figure should control the order calculation.

Using an estimate of 1.3 tons per cubic yard, crushed concrete priced at $16 (about 32 minutes at $30 per hour) per ton costs $20.80 per yard. Material priced at $24 per ton costs $31.20 per yard. A quote of $30 per yard equals about $23.08 per ton under the same density assumption.

Coverage depends on depth:

• At 2 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 162 square feet.
• At 3 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 108 square feet.
• At 4 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 81 square feet.
• At 6 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 54 square feet.

The old claim that one yard covers only 80 to 100 square feet at a 2-inch depth was incorrect. That coverage is closer to a 3- to 4-inch layer.

Loose Material Shrinks

The geometric calculation gives the volume after placement, not always the loose quantity that should be ordered. Crushed concrete settles when a plate compactor, roller, vehicle traffic, and water move the fines into spaces between larger particles. Soft subgrade can also absorb some aggregate.

A supplier or contractor may recommend ordering 10% to 25% above the finished-volume calculation. The correct allowance depends on gradation, required compaction, ground condition, and whether the stated depth is loose or compacted. Material containing many fines may compact more than an open-graded drainage product.

Ordering too little can trigger a second $100 to $300 delivery charge. Ordering far too much leaves a heavy pile that must be stored, spread elsewhere, or hauled away. Give the supplier the length, width, compacted depth, and application so it can calculate from the density of its own product.

Driveway Quantity Math

A driveway must be described by length, width, and depth. Saying that a driveway is 50 feet long does not reveal how much aggregate it needs. A 50-by-10-foot driveway covers 500 square feet, while a 50-by-20-foot parking area covers twice as much.

For a 50-by-10-foot driveway with a finished crushed-concrete layer 4 inches deep, multiply 500 square feet by 0.333 feet. The result is about 166.5 cubic feet. Dividing by 27 produces 6.17 compacted cubic yards. Adding 15% for settlement and shaping brings the order to about 7.1 cubic yards.

At 1.3 tons per yard, that order weighs about 9.23 tons. At $18 per ton, material costs $166.14. Add $175 for delivery and $450 for spreading and compaction, and the project reaches $791.14, or about $1.58 per square foot. Excavation, fabric, drainage, and edging remain outside that total.

Delivery Can Exceed Material

Crushed concrete is a heavy, low-price material. A truck, driver, fuel, loading time, road time, and dump time may cost the supplier more than the aggregate itself. A homeowner ordering five tons can pay nearly the same delivery charge as someone ordering a fuller load.

Suppose 10 tons cost $16 per ton. The material subtotal is $160. A $200 delivery charge brings the dropped price to $360, or $36 per delivered ton. The delivered rate is 125% higher than the advertised yard price.

The guide to crushed stone delivery costs explains how mileage, truck size, minimum loads, difficult access, and multiple trips alter hauling charges. For large orders, the cost structure can also be compared with a dump truck load of gravel.

Ask whether the driver will make one pile, tailgate-spread the material, enter the property, or remain on a paved surface. Dump trucks may refuse soft ground, steep grades, low wires, narrow gates, septic fields, weak culverts, or locations where the raised bed could contact a branch or utility line.

Base Stone vs Surface Stone

Crushed concrete containing a controlled mix of coarse particles and fines can compact into a firm base. The fines fill spaces, hold moisture during compaction, and help the layer lock together. This product may be called 2A, 304, crusher run, dense-graded aggregate, road base, or another regional name.

Open-graded recycled concrete contains fewer fines and allows more water movement. It may be sold as No. 57, No. 67, three-quarter-inch stone, or drainage aggregate. Number labels are not identical in every state or supplier system. A buyer should request the actual sieve or gradation description rather than relying on the number alone.

Large No. 2 or oversized material can work in deep fill or the bottom of a thick base, but it is unpleasant as a walking or driving surface. Fine crusher-run material can create a smoother top layer but may hold water when drainage and crown are poor.

What RCA Can Support

The Federal Highway Administration recognizes recycled concrete aggregate for pavement base, subbase, shoulders, concrete mixtures, and other transportation applications when the material meets the project specification. This does not mean any pile of broken concrete is suitable beneath every driveway, slab, road, or drainage system.

Particle distribution, compaction, durability, chlorides, sulfates, asphalt content, brick, soil, glass, wood, gypsum, metal, and other contaminants can affect performance. A residential parking pad may accept locally produced recycled base that would not qualify beneath a state highway or engineered building slab.

Crushed concrete is not structurally “stronger than the original concrete.” Loose aggregate and cured structural concrete are different materials with different performance measures. RCA can create a durable compacted base, and selected recycled aggregate can be incorporated into new concrete under controlled specifications, but neither statement proves that every recycled product outperforms virgin aggregate.

Crushed Concrete vs Gravel

Crushed concrete is often cheaper than quarried limestone or granite because the source material is demolition debris and the recycling facility may receive revenue for accepting it. The price advantage shrinks when the recycled source is far from the project, the product requires testing, or the buyer needs a clean decorative surface.

Virgin crushed stone can provide more consistent color, hardness, gradation, and contamination control. Crushed concrete may contain pale mortar fines, darker natural aggregate, small asphalt pieces, brick fragments, or occasional reinforcing-wire remnants. It does not resemble a newly poured concrete slab after placement.

The current guide to Class 5 gravel costs provides a useful comparison for compacted driveway base. Pea gravel, river rock, and other rounded landscape products should not be treated as direct substitutes because they do not compact and interlock in the same way.

The Hidden Driveway Work

The aggregate layer cannot correct every subgrade problem by itself. A contractor may need to remove topsoil, soft clay, roots, old asphalt, failed concrete, or mud before placing the base. The driveway then needs a crown or cross-slope that moves water away rather than trapping it in wheel paths.

Geotextile separation fabric can keep soft soil from migrating into the stone and reduce aggregate loss. Culverts, ditches, catch basins, swales, and drainpipe may be needed where runoff crosses the driveway. Edging can limit lateral spread, while a vibratory plate or roller compacts each lift.

If an old slab must come out first, the demolition budget can exceed the replacement aggregate cost. Concrete breaking, loading, hauling, and disposal are covered in the guide to concrete removal costs. Recycling the removed slab may lower disposal pressure, but the contractor still charges for equipment, labor, trucking, and processing.

Environmental Limits

Reusing concrete keeps heavy mineral material out of disposal sites and reduces demand for newly quarried aggregate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes concrete among construction and demolition materials that can be recovered and reused.

The environmental case should not be exaggerated. Crushing uses energy, creates dust, and requires trucking. Recycled concrete also contains residual cement paste that can produce alkaline runoff when newly processed material contacts water. Placement near wetlands, streams, wells, drainage outlets, or sensitive soils may require added review.

Local public-works specifications may restrict recycled aggregate beneath water lines, in drainage zones, under asphalt, or in other applications. Ask whether the material is clean concrete, mixed construction aggregate, or a blend containing asphalt and masonry.

Free Concrete Can Cost More

Free crushed concrete may come from a demolition contractor trying to avoid disposal charges. The offer can work when the material is already crushed to the required size, clean, nearby, and available in the correct quantity. Unprocessed chunks are not the same as driveway aggregate.

Inspect free material for rebar, wire mesh, nails, brick, asphalt, glass, soil, gypsum, wood, and trash. The cost of trucking, screening, crushing, removing metal, and disposing of contamination can exceed the price of a clean $15-per-ton product.

A pickup truck is also a poor tool for a large driveway order. One cubic yard may weigh around 2,600 pounds, which exceeds the payload rating of many light-duty pickups. Several legal small trips can consume more fuel and time than one professional delivery.

Three Buyer Scenarios

Small walkway base: A 300-square-foot area receives a 3-inch layer. The compacted volume is about 2.78 cubic yards. Adding 15% produces a 3.2-yard order weighing about 4.16 tons. At $18 per ton, material costs only $74.88, but a $175 small-load delivery raises the dropped total to $249.88.

Two-car parking pad: A 24-by-24-foot area with a 4-inch layer needs about 7.11 compacted yards. Adding 15% gives 8.18 yards, or about 10.63 tons. At $20 per ton, material costs $212.60. Delivery, grading, and compaction of $650 bring the total to $862.60, or about $1.50 per square foot.

Long rural driveway: A 12-by-200-foot driveway with a 4-inch finished layer requires about 29.63 compacted yards. With 15% added, the order reaches 34.07 yards, or about 44.29 tons. Material at $16 per ton costs $708.64. Three truck deliveries at $175 each add $525, and spreading plus rolling adds $1,500. The total reaches $2,733.64, or about $1.14 per square foot, before excavation or drainage.

When Crushed Concrete Fits

Makes sense if:

• A clean local recycler offers the required gradation at a low delivered price.
• The material will serve as driveway base, construction access, parking, fill, or another approved application.
• The project can accept the mixed gray appearance and occasional recycled character.
• The subgrade can be shaped, drained, and compacted correctly.
• The buyer can order enough material to avoid repeated small-load charges.

Does not make sense if:

• The project specification requires virgin aggregate or a tested material the supplier cannot certify.
• The load contains visible brick, asphalt, rebar, glass, soil, or demolition trash.
• The site needs an attractive, uniform decorative stone.
• High-pH runoff or contamination could reach sensitive drainage areas.
• Delivery from the nearest recycler costs more than locally quarried stone.

What We Verified

• Checked current pickup prices against the named 2026 recycling-yard and landscape-supplier listings.
• Confirmed a published density of 1.3 tons per cubic yard through Allied Recycled Aggregates.
• Cross-referenced accepted roadway and base applications through the FHWA concrete recycling library.
• Verified that RCA can be used in granular base, subbase, shoulder, and selected concrete applications through federal pavement guidance.
• Checked construction-and-demolition recycling benefits against current EPA material-management guidance.

Answers to Common Questions

How much is a ton of crushed concrete?

Pickup prices commonly run $9 to $25 per ton. Clean, screened, certified, or specialty gradations may cost $20 to $50 per ton.

How many tons are in a yard of crushed concrete?

One loose cubic yard commonly weighs about 1.2 to 1.4 tons. Use the supplier’s published density for the product being ordered.

How much area does one yard cover?

One cubic yard covers about 162 square feet at 2 inches deep, 108 square feet at 3 inches, or 81 square feet at 4 inches.

Is crushed concrete good for a driveway?

It can form a firm, economical driveway base or surface when the gradation is suitable and the site has sound drainage, correct shaping, and proper compaction.

Is crushed concrete cheaper than gravel?

It often costs less near a concrete recycling facility. Delivery distance, gradation, cleanliness, testing, and local quarry prices can reverse the comparison.