What is the difference between crushed stone and Natural Pea Gravel?

Crushed stone is angular and has rough faces that lock together when it is compacted, which is why #53 stone and 3/4 inch crushed stone make solid bases and drainage beds. Natural Pea Gravel is a rounded, mostly uncrushed gravel, which we list as 3/8 inch natural pea gravel.

Should I order material by the ton or by the yard?

Either works, and the choice is really about which figure you have. Stone, gravel and sand are usually sold by the ton, since that is how they are weighed and how a truck is loaded.

Which stone is best for drainage in Union County?

Start with drain rock or 57 stone for French drains, foundation drains and downspout runs, since both are clean stone that lets water move instead of trapping it. On flat clay ground, that drainage layer matters more than a thicker cap of dense stone. For a drive that still has to support weight, put a compacted #53 stone base under the drain layer, then top it with 8 stone or driveway stone.

Union County #53 Stone and Gravel Delivery, IN

What should you order for a driveway, a drainage fix or a new shed pad in Union County? For most jobs here, the answer starts with #53 stone.

This is a flat to gently rolling plain of dense glacial till, with loamy clay across the county. That ground drains slowly, and it decides both your base depth and how you time the delivery.

Materials Delivered in Union County

We stock the sizes Indiana crews ask for by name, from the coarsest drainage rock down to sand and soil. Every size below links to the product page.

#53 stone, the standard Indiana base

#53 stone (also called 53 stone) is a dense graded crushed limestone with fines, and it is the base most Union County jobs are built on. Order it for #53 Stone under driveways, parking pads, shed bases and the base under pavers and slabs.

For a finer, smoother surface over that base, order #73 Stone, the dense graded size with a smaller top size, also called 73 stone or crusher run. Use it for topping and resurfacing drives, parking areas and shoulders. Buyers who just want a drive topped often ask for driveway gravel, and Indiana suppliers usually call it driveway stone.

Around the house, walkway gravel gives paths a finer, walkable surface. Use stone screenings to bed and level pavers and flagstone. For play areas and joints, mason sand and washed sand cover brick and block work, bedding and base under slabs, while fill dirt raises grade before the #53 goes down.

Ground Conditions Across Union County

Start with the season. Base and driveway work runs best from late spring, once saturated clay dries out, through fall, because frozen ground stops compaction through the winter months.

Dense glacial till holds water, and late winter and spring rain on flat ground has no easy outlet. That is why so much farmland here relies on tile drainage, and why a drive or pad needs a drainage layer, not just a thicker stone blanket. Order drain rock or 57 stone where water sits.

Cold winters bring repeated freeze-thaw, which heaves and ruts gravel drives on wet clay and softens the subgrade every spring. Frost depth runs about 30 inches in the Indianapolis area, where the City of Lawrence requires footings at least 30 inches down, with deeper local requirements possible toward the north. The local building department sets the figure for your job, so confirm it before you dig.

Ditch and stream bank scour after heavy rain is the other local concern, along with washing and slumping on steeper valley walls. Rip rap armors those banks and outlets before the next storm takes more ground.

Delivery Across Union County

Order online and we deliver bulk material to Liberty, Brownsville, West College Corner and the surrounding county. You size the load, and we bring it to the address you give us.

Order by the ton when the supplier prices and weighs the material that way, which is how stone and gravel usually move. Order by the yard when you are working from a volume figure, such as fill for a low spot or mulch for a bed.

A bulk delivery means a dump truck placing the pile where you need it. Mark the drop spot clearly, keep overhead lines and soft ground in mind, and think about where you want the material staged so you are not moving it twice.

Choosing the Right Material

Union County sits in the Central and northeast till plain, and two of its neighbors share that same zone. Wayne County and Fayette County hold the same flat to gently rolling ground of dense glacial till with loamy clay.

Franklin County is the opposite case. It sits in Southeast Indiana, in the Southeast flats, lowlands and Ohio River hills.

Quick comparison

Flat clay base in Union County: #53 stone compacted at the right depth, with drain rock where water sits.
Driving surface: #73 stone or driveway stone over a compacted #53 base.
Wet ground or a French drain: drain rock, 57 stone or 8 stone.
Bank or outlet scour: rip rap sized to the flow.
Beds and paths: river rock, walkway gravel, screened topsoil and mulch.

Order #53 Stone and Aggregate in Union County

Indiana Rock Supply delivers bulk gravel, stone, sand, soil and mulch across Union County, including Liberty, Brownsville and West College Corner. If you know the material, the amount and the drop spot, you are ready to order. Place your order online and we will bring the load to your job.

Bulk Gravel and Stone Delivery in Union County, IN