#89 Rock Delivery

Where #89 earns its keep

#89 is what you reach for when #57 is too coarse to do fine work. It runs 3/8 inch down to about a No. 16 sieve — small enough to screed to a consistent thickness, angular enough to lock together and stay where you put it.

The two applications that drive most of our #89 volume are pipe bedding and permeable pavers. For bedding, the small angular particles flow around the haunch of the pipe and support it evenly instead of leaving point loads that crack it. For permeable paver systems, #89 is the standard joint and bedding stone specified by the interlocking concrete pavement industry — the open graded structure lets water through while the angularity keeps the pavers locked.

Note the distinction that trips people up: permeable paver systems use #89 stone as bedding, but conventional (non-permeable) paver systems use washed concrete sand. They are different systems with different details. Our paver sand page covers the conventional build-up.

Quantities

At roughly 1.35 tons per cubic yard, one ton of #89 covers about 220 square feet at 1 inch or 110 square feet at 2 inches. Bedding courses are usually specified at 1 to 2 inches, so a tri-axle load of 22 tons goes a long way — often further than a single job needs.

Minimum delivery is one cubic yard, so a small paver job can order exactly what it needs. That said, if you are also buying base, putting both materials on one truck is usually cheaper than two separate runs — ask when you order.

Specification

Figures are typical, not guaranteed. Weights and gradations vary between pits and sources. If your job is specified, send us the relevant plan sheet and we will match it — and confirm quantities against your own scale tickets once you are running.

What it is used for

• Pipe bedding and haunching where fine support is required
• Joint and bedding stone in permeable interlocking paver systems
• Chip seal and surface treatment aggregate
• Walkways and narrow paths
• Levelling course over coarser open-graded stone

Working out how much you need

Material is sold by the ton. Plans are drawn in cubic yards. That mismatch is where most ordering errors come from, and they are expensive in both directions — running short stops a crew, and over-ordering by a large margin ties up money in a pile.

The arithmetic: multiply length by width by depth in feet, divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then multiply by the material's weight per yard. Most rock runs about 1.35 to 1.4 tons per cubic yard; compacted base is heavier at roughly 1.65; topsoil is lighter at about 1.15.

Then allow for compaction. Base and fill lose roughly 20 to 25 percent of their loose volume once they are properly compacted, so the tonnage you order should be above the theoretical plan volume. Our tonnage calculator builds that allowance in and converts the answer into truckloads.

Order slightly heavy. Two extra tons in a pile costs almost nothing and always gets used. Two tons short on a Friday afternoon costs you a whole extra delivery and a crew standing around.

#89 Rock — common questions

Where we deliver #89 Rock

From Jupiter down to Key West — Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. Mainland deliveries are same or next day; the Keys are scheduled runs.

Related materials