How Much Does Crushed Limestone Cost?

Updated on August 16, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 14 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Current retail supplier examples put many ordinary crushed-limestone products around $35 to $80 per ton, although some regional retail lists run above $100 per ton. current Illinois aggregate prices list screened limestone at $35 per ton, current Indiana #53 pricing lists #53 crushed limestone at $65 per ton, and current Oklahoma retail pricing runs from $116.50 to $141 per ton across several crushed-limestone grades. By volume, June 2026 Michigan yard pricing lists 23A limestone at $40 per cubic yard, while another current Michigan price list puts crushed limestone at $65 per cubic yard.

The stone price is only the first line of the bill. Delivery, truck capacity, site access, spreading, grading, compaction, fabric, excavation, and the difference between a ton and a cubic yard can change the finished project cost. The U.S. Geological Survey transportation data says moving crushed stone from the plant to market can equal or exceed the stone’s sale price at the plant, which explains why a low quarry price does not predict what a homeowner pays at the driveway.

Crushed limestone is sold by weight or volume. A ton measures weight, while a cubic yard measures volume. The conversion changes with particle size, fines, moisture, and how loosely the material is measured, so prices quoted in different units should be converted before they are compared.

Article Highlights

• Pickup limestone can be sold by the ton or by the cubic yard, and those units cannot be compared without a density conversion.
• Delivery distance and truck capacity can change the invoice as much as the material grade.
• A low quarry or yard price does not include grading, spreading, compaction, excavation, or site-access work.
• Screenings and crusher run contain fines that compact tightly, while clean chips leave more open space for water movement.
• Large driveway orders may require several truckloads even when the per-unit stone price looks inexpensive.
• The most useful quote gives the exact grade, quantity, unit, delivery charge, and expected loose-to-finished quantity.

How Much Does Crushed Limestone Cost?

Current supplier example	Product	Listed price
Down to Earth, Illinois	Screened limestone	$35 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 1.2 hours of work, before taxes)/ton
Green Stone Company, Indiana	#53 crushed limestone	$65/ton
Fonson Yard, Michigan	23A limestone	$40/yard
Niethammer Rock Stop, Michigan	23AA limestone	$56.45/yard
Minick Materials, Oklahoma	Crusher run	$120.25/ton

The Michigan examples show how local the market can be. a 2026 Michigan pickup list runs from $46.90 to $61.90 per yard across several limestone sizes and says delivery is quoted separately. The same list has a $45 minimum machine-loading charge and offers delivery from 1 to 40 yards, another reminder that the posted stone rate is not automatically the delivered total.

What You’re Actually Buying

Crushed limestone is quarried limestone that has been broken and screened into specified size ranges. The product name matters because “crushed limestone” can describe very different materials. Screenings contain dust and very small particles. Dense-graded products such as crusher run or #53 contain a mixture of sizes and fines that lock together under compaction. Clean chips contain little or no fine material, leaving more open space between stones. Larger fractured rock and riprap serve heavier base, drainage, or erosion-control jobs. A supplier’s grade name can also be regional, so #53, 21AA, 23A, crusher run, three-quarter-inch minus, and road base should not be assumed to meet the same specification. For a driveway, paver base, drainage trench, or structural base, the material description and gradation matter as much as the price.

A Ton and a Cubic Yard

This is the easiest way to misread a limestone quote. a current screenings listing lists limestone screenings at $44 (about 1.5 hours of work at $30 per hour) per cubic yard and gives that yard a weight of 2,800 pounds, or 1.4 tons. The supplier converts the same product to $31.43 per ton.

The arithmetic is simple: $44 ÷ 1.4 = $31.43 per ton. That does not mean every limestone product weighs 1.4 tons per yard. Larger clean stone, wet material, dry fines, and different quarry sources can have different bulk densities.

For a fair comparison, ask each supplier for the same product, quantity, and delivery condition in one unit. If one quote is per yard and another is per ton, ask both yards for the weight-per-yard figure they use for that exact product. Do not borrow a conversion from an unrelated stone grade.

Delivery Can Rival the Cost

Crushed stone is heavy relative to its sale value, which makes hauling a core price driver. Crushed-stone economics explain why local hauling can dominate a residential invoice. The low plant or quarry value is not the same as a delivered homeowner price.

Local delivery rules vary by supplier. Some yards charge by mileage or zone, while others quote each truckload after the material, quantity, and destination are known. Small residential orders can carry a high freight cost per ton because the truck makes the same trip with less saleable material on board.

Another supplier uses a different model. a local delivery schedule charges $75 (about 2.5 hours of work at $30 per hour) at 6 to 6.9 miles, $100 at 9 to 10.9 miles, and $165 at 15 to 16.9 miles. Gravel, stone, and sand are capped at 4 cubic yards per delivery. A project needing 8 cubic yards could require two trips under that truck limit.

Three Crushed Limestone Project Scenarios

Small walkway base: A 10-by-20-foot area at 2 inches deep has a finished volume of about 1.23 cubic yards. Using Behrens’ $44 per yard screenings price, 1.23 × $44 = about $54.32 in material. The delivery charge can exceed the stone bill on a small order, so pickup can change the economics if the vehicle and payload capacity are appropriate.

50-foot driveway layer: A 12-by-50-foot driveway at 4 inches deep contains about 7.41 cubic yards of finished volume. At Niethammer’s $56.45 per yard 23AA price, the raw volume math is about $418.15 in stone before delivery, compaction allowance, grading, or site preparation. The supplier or installer should convert the finished compacted volume into the loose quantity to order.

Large rural driveway: The original 12-by-400-foot driveway at 6 inches deep contains about 88.89 cubic yards of finished volume. Using Fonson’s $40 per yard 23A price produces $3,555.60 in pickup material before tax and delivery. Fonson lists a 10-yard minimum and excludes delivery, so this would be a multi-load project whose hauling plan matters as much as the yard price.

Worked delivered example: take 4 cubic yards of Behrens limestone screenings at $44 per yard. The stone costs $176. A 9 to 10.9-mile delivery is listed at $100, producing a delivered subtotal of $276 before tax. Delivery adds about 57% to the material-only bill. At $30 per hour, earning the $276 subtotal takes about 9.2 hours before taxes.

Screenings, Crusher Run, and Clean Stone

Low price should not override the grade needed for the job. Down to Earth’s current screened-limestone description says its fine material packs into a hard surface with limited drainage capacity. That makes it useful for compacted paths and leveling applications, but it should not be described as free-draining stone.

The same supplier’s current clean-chip product listing costs $60 per ton and contains no fines. The supplier describes them as having very good drainage. Two limestone products from the same yard can differ by $25 per ton and serve different water-management roles.

Dense-graded base stone with fines is chosen because the particle mix can compact into a firm layer. Clean stone leaves more void space for water movement. A driveway base, French drain, paver setting layer, and decorative top layer may call for different gradations even when every product is limestone.

Who This Cost Makes Sense For

Makes sense if:

• The supplier’s grade matches the driveway, base, drainage, or decorative-stone job.
• The quote states whether the unit is a ton or cubic yard and gives a conversion for that product when needed.
• The delivered price is compared, not just the pickup price.
• The truck can reach a safe dump location without adding rehandling or extra trips.

Does not make sense if:

• A quarry-level or pickup price is treated as the finished project price.
• A per-ton quote is compared directly with a per-yard quote without a density conversion.
• Screenings with fines are bought for a job that calls for clean drainage stone.
• A large order is placed before the supplier or installer converts finished compacted depth into the loose quantity to buy.

What We Verified

• Checked: the bulk delivery price list requires at least 4 tons for listed bulk-stone delivery pricing and shows weekday crusher-run material at $92.50 per ton before the delivery charge.
• Cross-referenced: April 2026 Michigan pricing lists 21AA limestone at $48 per cubic yard and 6A limestone at $49 per cubic yard, with delivery priced by material and location.
• Verified: current Michigan ton prices list 22A crushed limestone at $31.25 per ton and 6AA limestone at $37.50 per ton, showing that some local quarry and yard prices fall below the retail examples used elsewhere on the page.

Related Aggregate Costs

For a driveway or compacted base, compare limestone with crushed asphalt and crushed concrete. Both can price below virgin limestone in some local markets, but gradation, contamination limits, drainage, and project specifications still matter.

For paths and decorative hardscape, decomposed granite serves a different visual and compaction role. Projects that call for a dense graded road base can also be compared with current Class 5 gravel costs, especially in Minnesota and nearby markets where that material name is widely used.

Answers to Common Questions

How much is a ton of crushed limestone?

Current supplier examples put many ordinary crushed-limestone products around $35 to $80 per ton, while some regional retail lists exceed $100 per ton. Delivery is usually separate.

How much is a cubic yard of crushed limestone?

Current Michigan supplier examples run from about $40 to $65 per cubic yard for several driveway and base grades. The ton equivalent depends on the product’s bulk density.

How many tons are in a cubic yard of crushed limestone?

There is no single conversion for every grade. One current supplier lists limestone screenings at 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Ask the seller for the conversion used for the exact stone being purchased.

Does crushed limestone drain well?

Clean crushed limestone can drain well because it has open voids between particles. Screenings and dense-graded products contain fines and can compact tightly, so they provide much less drainage.

How do I calculate how much crushed limestone I need?

Multiply length by width by finished depth in feet to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. Ask the supplier or installer how much loose material to order for the required compacted finished volume rather than applying a fixed waste percentage to every project.