# Cost to turn rocks into gravel for home use. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922 "2015-07-23T02:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/1 "2015-07-23T02:04:09Z")
I bought a house and the previous owner has borders made with rocks. They range from pebbles to stones but most are about fist-size. There is nothing ornamental about these rocks, they’re not river rocks or even color co-ordinated to the house. They are rocks you can find in any field. I would love to crush these rocks into gravel to lay down a bed for some paths and to set fence posts in. How much would I expect to pay for this service or would it just be cheaper to buy gravel and sell/give away the rock? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/2 "2015-07-23T02:35:26Z")
Do it yourself. I’ve seen videos of folks in India making gravel/crushed rock for road construction. They have a steel ring about 12" in diameter and a hammer. They pound the rocks with the hammer to crush it. The ring keeps it from flying all over when it breaks. Not a job I’d do myself. Give it away and have crushed Rick delivered and spread from the truck. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/3 "2015-07-23T02:41:03Z")
Hand operated rock crusher, re-crushing to a smal…: [Hand operated rock crusher, re-crushing to a smaller size, single flywheel - YouTube](https://youtu.be/UIG5xOiIhQc) This isn’t what I described, but it is by hand. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/4 "2015-07-23T02:43:15Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Not a job I’d do myself. Give it away and have crushed Rick delivered and spread from the truck. I think **Rick** would object. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/5 "2015-07-23T02:49:02Z")
If you have access to a truck I wouldn’t even consider spending time breaking rocks. A yard of gravel costs 15 bucks or so if you pick it up. If you want it delivered it will cost substantially more. Yes you can turn them into gravel. Grab a sledge hammer and go to town. If you want to make it look like an authentic activity, Drag a ball and chain behind you. Wear safety glasses. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/6 "2015-07-23T02:49:04Z")
I get 9 tons of gravel for a couple hundred bucks … delivered !!! “3/4 minus”, they know down at the quarry I like lots and lots of “minus”. They run it through a 3/4 inch screen and ship it, all the little stuff helps smooth out the finish so I can walk on it barefoot. It’s construction grade so it ain’t pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/7 "2015-07-23T04:40:30Z")
I don’t know how much you need, but [here](http://aa.speedgeeks.org/pizza/oven.html) is a pic of 3 tons or $40 worth of gravel. It doesn’t go far once you start spreading it out, maybe you need twice that. Imagine breaking up two piles of that. If my options were to smash rocks myself or pay triple price, it’s pay triple. > [@GaryM](#): > > Do it yourself. > … > Not a job I’d do myself. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/8 "2015-07-23T05:55:41Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > I don’t know how much you need, but [here](http://aa.speedgeeks.org/pizza/oven.html) is a pic of 3 tons or $40 … Click the link. Absolutely bizarre pizza oven. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/9 "2015-07-23T07:00:52Z")
Really? It looks pretty conventional to me. Google image search of [pizza ovens](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pizza+oven&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI2pjXmtfwxgIVyhTbCh1Cewnd&biw=1536&bih=815) brings back a bunch of very similar stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/10 "2015-07-23T10:40:12Z")
I thought that someone ought to mention that gravel is not crushed rock. They are two different things. Crushed rock is fine for bedding paving or fence posts, but you want gravel if it’s going to be visible. Gravel is correspondingly much more expensive. I would stack the unwanted stone somewhere accessible and advertise it free to anyone who can collect it. As mentioned above, the major cost of crushed stone is transport, so you can collect it yourself for a great deal less than you can have it delivered. You should also bear in mind that the delivery truck will be heavy - be sure your access road is up to the job. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/11 "2015-07-23T12:46:20Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Click the link. Absolutely bizarre pizza oven. Jonesing for a nice pie. Oh, man. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/12 "2015-07-23T13:11:15Z")
Crush your own rock??? Just get it delivered. I just got 14 tons for $250. I do this about every other year to keep my driveway in shape. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/13 "2015-07-23T14:06:55Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Click the link. Absolutely bizarre pizza oven. That is a lot of work for some pizza. I wonder if he knows he can get that delivered? ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/14 "2015-07-23T14:20:11Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > That is a lot of work for some pizza. I wonder if he knows he can get that delivered? Well, he’s got all this dough lying around… ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/15 "2015-07-23T14:23:16Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I think **Rick** would object. By golly I think you’re right. Damnd auto correct! ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/16 "2015-07-25T14:21:31Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I thought that someone ought to mention that gravel is not crushed rock. They are two different things. Crushed rock is fine for bedding paving or fence posts, but you want gravel if it’s going to be visible. Gravel is correspondingly much more expensive. > > I would stack the unwanted stone somewhere accessible and advertise it free to anyone who can collect it. As mentioned above, the major cost of crushed stone is transport, so you can collect it yourself for a great deal less than you can have it delivered. You should also bear in mind that the delivery truck will be heavy - be sure your access road is up to the job. Well gravel is a pretty generic term. At a job site a person may casually refer to either washed rock or road crush as gravel. If you are making an order and you ask for ‘gravel’ they are probably going to ask for clarification whether you want road crush or washed rock; and there are multiple grade of each. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/17 "2015-07-25T14:26:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Really? It looks pretty conventional to me. Google image search of [pizza ovens](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pizza+oven&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI2pjXmtfwxgIVyhTbCh1Cewnd&biw=1536&bih=815) brings back a bunch of very similar stuff. Yeah. I wonder if there is something specific about the construction being objected to, because that looks pretty much bog standard to me for a wood-fired pizza oven. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/18 "2015-07-25T16:12:57Z")
I don’t know what’s available all around the country but around here gravel is cheap. It comes from gravel mines, ancient river and lake beds, usually not far below the surface. There are several gravel mines within just a 10 mile radius of here. Debris from excavation and blasting is also available but generally not sorted as gravel or crushed rock would be. I can’t see crushed rock costing less than gravel because the process of crushing will cost more money than just scooping the gravel out of the ground. After that the costs of sorting, loading, delivery, etc. would be about the same. I suppose in areas where there are no local gravel mines crushing rock would cost less than transporting gravel from remote areas. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-turn-rocks-into-gravel-for-home-use/725922/19 "2015-07-25T17:13:58Z")
If you value your time at about .50 cents per hour a sledgehammer and a millstone will work fine. Have at it. i can tell you for 100% certain from shoveling more than my share of gravel as a young kid in construction it gets very old, very fast.