Gravel

Cedar Ridge Materials sells seven (7) main types of crushed gravel products. We thought many of our customers might find it useful to know more about these products and how they can best fit your usage applications. Our seven crushed gravel products from largest to smallest are:

2” MINUS CRUSHED SINGLE PASS: This product is similar to railroad ballast, but with more fines. By single pass, we mean that the product passes through a rock crusher a single time. This product is created by crushing large gravel, rocks, and stones with the resulting sieve (i.e. the size consist of the product) being predominantly 2” and below, with a few pieces that are slightly larger. This product is very coarse and has only 15% fines. It’s a great product for firming up a muddy site or for an interim or final application for use by large trucks or equipment.

1-1/4” CLEAR CRUSHED GRAVEL: This product used to be called 1” Crushed Single Pass. We’ve changed our production slightly so that the product is “Clear” of most fines and now known as 1-1/4” Clear. It is a very coarse crushed gravel with most of the particles in the 1-1/4” to ½” size. It generally has about 5% fines (i.e. sandy binder). Because it lacks fines, it does not pack as well as a State Spec. 1-1/4” crushed gravel. Many customers find this very coarse crushed gravel useful in soft or muddy situations where too many fines would do little to firm up the soft or muddy conditions. This product can also be used in a situation where you want a crushed gravel that is free of fines and will still drain.

STATE SPEC. 1-1/4” CRUSHED SURFACING BASE COURSE (CSBC): Our 1-1/4” State Spec. crushed gravel is your traditional base course product for the construction of streets and roads. In the usual road-section example, 4” of 1-1/4” State Spec. is placed below 2” of 5/8” State Spec. and after compaction, the road-section is paved. 1-1/4” State Spec. contains 40 – 50% fines (i.e. 3/8” minus) and thus packs quite well. It’s a good driveway gravel where a firm base has already been established.

5/8” CLEAR CRUSHED GRAVEL: Our 5/8” Clear is similar to our 1-1/4” Clear, but with a smaller top size. 5/8” Clear is the largest sized and the coarsest of our three 5/8” sized products and generally has about 5% fines (i.e. sandy binder). Most of the rocks will be around 5/8" in size with some larger and some smaller sized rocks. Because it lacks fines, it does not pack as well as either a State Spec. 5/8” crushed or our Homeowner’s 5/8” crushed. Many customers will use this product in a soft or muddy situation where they want a finished appearance. If conditions are right, the very coarse (95% crushed gravel) will embed itself into the softer ground where it is being used. This product can also be used in a situation where you want a crushed gravel that is free of fines and will still drain.

HOMEOWNER’S 5/8” CRUSHED GRAVEL: Our Homeowner’s 5/8” was developed to serve the homeowner market. This product is something of a compromise between the State Spec. 5/8”, which has about 60% fines or sandy binder and the 5/8” Clear which has only 5% fines. The Homeowner’s 5/8 has about 20-30% fines. While it still packs (though not as well as State Spec. 5/8”), it also shows a lot of the larger sizes of crushed gravel. Many homeowners’ appreciate a slightly coarse product that shows a lot of rocky crushed gravel but still packs.

STATE SPEC. 5/8” CRUSHED SURFACING TOP COURSE (CSTC): Our 5/8” State Spec. crushed gravel is your traditional top course product for the construction of streets and roads. In the classic road section example, 2” of State Spec. 5/8” is placed above 4” of 1-1/4” State Spec. and after compaction the road section is paved. 5/8” State Spec. contains about 60% fines (i.e. sandy binder) and thus packs quite well. It’s a good driveway gravel where a firm base has already been established.

3/8” CRUSHED GRAVEL: This product is the finest (i.e. smallest top size with the most fines) of our crushed gravels. It is almost all crushed product. Because some of the particles are so small, they are similar in size to sand. It has a fairly consistent sieve analysis with fairly equal parts of the particle sizes of 3/8” and below. 3/8” Crushed packs very well and has often been used in trail construction or in any situation where a small size product that produces a hard packed surface is wanted

IMPORTANT NOTES: A gravel mining operation is a dynamic process. As we move through our pit, the raw particle sizes change and that can change the exact sieve analyses (i.e. the particle sizes), which make up our products. We generally have recent (within the past 12 months) sieve analyses of our product. If you need a copy of a sieve analysis, please call our office and request one. If you would like to compare and contrast these products, we have sample buckets at our office with all the products displayed. If you have any questions about any of these products, please ask. Also, when you or your truck-drivers are ordering your products, please be specific. If you want 1-1/4” Clear, please ask for 1-1/4” Clear. There is a danger that if you simply ask for 1-1/4” you might receive the more common 1-1/4” State Spec. rather than the more specialized 1-1/4” Clear. The same is particularly true for 5/8” where we have three types of 5/8”: the finer State Spec. 5/8”; the larger Homeowner’s 5/8”; and the largest 5/8” Clear. Please be specific in your order.