Road base calculator for Louisiana

A 100-foot lane measuring 10 feet wide and compacted to 6 inches calls for about 31 tons of road base. Lane totals can rise fast, so free delivery is especially useful when moving 30 tons would otherwise cost nearly as much as the material. Road base combines crushed stone and fines in graded sizes, weighing about 3,000 lb per cubic yard, to form a compacted layer beneath roads, driveways, and equipment yards. That calculation also applies to recycled crushed concrete base when a spec permits its use.

Lane calculations

1. For a lane, measure its centerline length and use its average width. For a pad, multiply length by width.
2. Use 4 inches of compacted base for light residential ground, 6 for daily traffic and delivery trucks, and 8 to 12 over soft subgrades or beneath equipment.
3. Divide cubic feet by 27 for yards, multiply by 1.5 for tons, then leave +10% for compaction.

Coverage and lane quantities

Build a lane for wet conditions

• Remove organic material before starting. Putting base over topsoil lets mud work up through the stone, regardless of how thick the layer is.
• Install woven geotextile before stone on soft or wet ground. In Louisiana's wet soils, it separates the base from the subgrade.
• Place and roll lifts no deeper than 4 inches before adding the next layer.
• Build a 2-3% crown from the centerline toward each edge, so rain drains away rather than entering the base.
• For a tidy, low-dust finish, add #57 or driveway gravel on top.
• Moving 20-plus tons by hand can take a week. A tractor box blade or skid steer can spread it in an afternoon, so include the machine in the budget.

Example: a 100-foot farm lane

For one hundred by ten feet at 6 inches, the calculation is 1,000 x 0.5 = 500 cubic feet = 18.5 cubic yards, or about 28 tons. With the allowance, that becomes 30-31. It comes in two tandem loads, so arrange two drop points along the lane instead of making one large pile at the gate. Separate drops on farm lanes can reduce the material that has to be moved uphill.

Pads for RVs, containers, and equipment

Pad quantities use the same lane calculation, but choose depth for axle load rather than the calendar. A 12 x 40 RV pad compacted at 6 inches needs about 12 tons. A 20 x 40 equipment yard at 8 inches takes 27. Shipping containers put their weight on four corners, so use a full 8 inches plus fabric under container pads even on decent ground, especially where wet soils can settle.

Using crushed concrete for road base

Recycled concrete base can compact and handle loads much like virgin road base, and it may cost less. Check county requirements before changing materials because some specs call for virgin aggregate. It is a practical option for private lanes and pads. Keep the calculation the same: 1.5 tons per yard, the same lifts, and the same crown.

Road base quantities by ton and lane

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