We wanted to jump in here and do a little explaining on some of the popular types of gravel in the central Ohio area and some of the common uses. The below list are types of gravel we use on a regular basis for different applications.
#8 Gravel:
It is roughly 1/4″-1/2″ in size. It is most commonly used to chip seal our country roads. It can also be used to top dress a driveway and makes a very smooth and nice finish. It is one of the most highly priced gravel types, partly because ODOT uses so much of it but there are also extra processing steps involved to crush it down to size. It is also easily worked by hand but does not compact well.
#57 Gravel:
The most common size material ranging from ¾ to 1 inch in size. Easily described as nickel to quarter size and is workable by hand. Excellent for top dressing areas because it can be comfortably walked or driven on. Common uses include light topping for driveways, retaining wall drainage and sub-base for concrete. We use a lot of #57 but we are always careful to not spread them to thick as this aggregate will not compact well and have a lot of movement if driven on. Our favorite use for them is a 1″ toping on a driveway as it is a clean stone that will keep the mud down during the wet months of the year.
#4 Gravel:
1 to 2 ½ inch sized stones or roughly golf ball to egg size material. Generally used as a base material and occasionally as a top dressing when mixed with smaller size gravel. It can also be used as a decorative cover material that will not be walked on. It is difficult to work by hand due to the larger size.
#2 Gravel:
These are larger stones ranging from 2 ½ to 4 inches. This stone is extremely difficult to work by hand, except as individual stones (they cannot be shoveled by hand). They do not pack down very well unless mixed with smaller stones. This larger type is almost always used as a base rock for driveways, parking lots and building pads. It creates a very strong base that large vehicles will not sink through.
#411 Gravel:
This is a mixture of different sizes of gravel. The largest size stone will be #57 with smaller and smaller gravel down to screenings. This is a great option for a driveway because it will pack down quite a bit better than a washed or clean gravel. #411 is what we recommend in most residential cases for a top dressing on a driveway because of the compaction and wear attributes.
#304 Gravel:
This is a mixture of #4 stone and smaller sizes down to screenings. It will compact very well and is an excellent base in muddy areas. It also used as a driveway sub-base as the second layer over the #2 large stone. It packs down really well and works with the #2’s to create a very strong driveway. It is not a good base for paving stones or bricks because it will not give a smooth surface. We typically use #304 for new driveways, heavy duty traffic and concrete prep.
