How to Buy Crushed Rock

Types

• Crushed rock comes from granite, quartz, quartzite, marble and even pebbles. Though some crushed rock or stone occurs naturally as larger rocks fragment, most of it is typically recycled rock from demolished buildings, structures or old landscaping.
  
  

Considerations

• When considering how to buy crushed rock, keep in mind the firmness of gravel when packed together, how well it allows water to permeate, wear and tear (the amount of use the project will get over a period of time), and whether you are using it for a driveway, a nature path or a walking trail. The purpose of your project will determine what kind of crushed rock you want to use.
  
  

Identification

• According to North Carolina Geologicals, "a complex series of crushing, screening and washing steps in a sizing plant is used to produce different rock sizes." The five main products produced from crushed rock are aggregate base course (a base layer used in road construction that is less than 1 1/2 inches in size); the 78M, generally used for asphalt; the 67 or 57, used for concrete and asphalt; the #5 stone, used for septic fields; and riprap, which is used for erosion control.