Material glossary
Decorative stone and rock
Decorative stone and rock is what you see, not what you sit on. Rounded pebbles, tumbled river rock, colored gravels, and specialty pieces meant for beds, borders, and dry riverbeds. Prices run higher than utility stone because the yard sorts by color and shape, not by spec.
Every decorative family we track is below. Pick by the color and the size that reads at the distance you'll see it from. We deliver the ones with a green pill; the rest are here for reference.
Families in decorative stone and rock
Decorative Aggregate
We deliverDecorative rock is any stone you spread on the ground to look good, not to hold weight.
River Rock
We deliverRiver rock is smooth, rounded stone shaped by years of tumbling in moving water.
Decomposed Granite
We deliverDecomposed granite is granite rock that's broken down into small bits over a long time.
Decorative Stone Rock 57 Stone
We deliver#57 stone is crushed rock screened between about 1 inch and 1/4 inch, with the fines washed out.
Decorative Stone Rock Chip Stone
We deliverChip stone is small, angular rock made by crushing a bigger stone and screening out the dust.
Decorative Stone Rock 89 Stone
We deliver#89 stone is small crushed rock, roughly 3/8 inch down to about 1/8 inch.
Decorative Stone Rock Pea Gravel
We deliverSmall tumbled stones about the size of a pea, usually 1/8 to 3/8 inch, that got rounded smooth by rivers or streams instead of run through a crusher.
Lava Rock
ReferenceLava rock is chunks of cooled volcanic rock, usually red, black, or brown.
Decorative Stone Rock Boulders
ReferenceBoulders are large stones, usually bigger than 10 inches across, used as accents in a yard or to hold back a slope.
Cobbles
ReferenceCobbles are large rounded rocks, roughly 2.5 to 10 inches across.
Decorative Stone Rock 4 Stone
Reference#4 stone is crushed rock sized roughly 1 1/2 inches to 2 1/2 inches across.
Decorative Stone Rock 7 Stone
Reference#7 stone is crushed rock screened so most pieces fall between about 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch.
7 we deliver today · 5 listed for reference
How to choose within decorative stone and rock
Read at the right distance
Pick the size that reads from where you'll see it. Fist-sized boulders in a small bed look like debris; pea-sized stone across a big front yard looks like dust.
Color that stays put
Natural stone holds its color for years. Dyed or coated pieces fade to grey after a season or two of sun.
Rounded vs. angular
Rounded stone rolls under a shoe, so it belongs inside a border. Angular stone stays put on a slope but reads harder underfoot.
Material calculator
Estimate how much you need
Pick one of the 12 decorative stone and rock products we deliver, tell us your area and depth, and we'll work out the tons plus your delivered price.
Area shape
Dimensions
Depth
Enter your area to see the math
Pick a material, shape and dimensions and we'll calculate the tons you need plus your delivered price.
Other material categories
Crushed stone
Crushed stone is rock that's been broken and screened into sizes.
Base materials
Base materials go under a driveway, patio, or slab — not on top.
Rip rap and armor stone
Rip rap and armor stone are the big pieces that hold a shoreline, a slope, or a culvert together.
Mulch and organics
Mulch and organics are the top layer that goes over the soil — bark, wood chips, compost, or a dyed blend.
Gravel
Gravel is loose stone in the size range you'd actually notice — pea-sized up to a few inches.
Sand products
Sand is fine crushed rock, small enough to pass through a #4 screen (about 3/16 of an inch).
Fill materials
Fill is what goes in the hole before anything else does.
Concrete aggregate
Concrete aggregate is the stone and sand that go into a concrete mix.
Screenings and stone dust
Screenings and stone dust are the fines a crusher makes on the way to sizing bigger stone.
Recycled materials
Recycled materials are crushed concrete, crushed asphalt, and reclaimed base — old road and slab work run back through a crusher.
Drainage materials
Drainage materials are clean, angular stone that moves water without holding it.
Asphalt aggregate
Asphalt aggregate is the stone side of asphalt — the sizes that get blended into a hot-mix or cold-patch recipe at the plant.
Specialty products
Specialty products are the odds and ends that don't fit the usual categories — flagstone, boulders, ballast, glass gravel, unusual sizes …
Bedding materials
Bedding materials are the clean, washed layer that goes around a pipe, under a paver, or behind a wall before backfill goes in.
Landscape
Landscape covers the loose stone and rock that go into a yard for looks — around a bed, along a border, or across a bare spot.