What rock costs in 2026,
and what’s in a quote.

Per yard, per ton or per bag

The same rock can be priced three ways, and the numbers don’t compare until you convert them:

• Per cubic yard. The usual way a rock yard prices crushed rock, fill and sand. A yard is 27 cubic feet.
• Per ton. Common for quarries and for big stone like boulders and riprap. Crushed rock runs roughly 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, so a yard price and a ton price are different numbers for the same pile.
• Per bag. Handy for a small repair, but bagged rock costs far more per cubic yard than bulk.

That’s why our rock and gravel calculator shows both tons and cubic yards.

One yard’s prices, February 2026

As a reference, here is what a single price list showed. It is Scappoose Sand & Gravel Co. (Scappoose, OR), dated February 6, 2026, pickup at the yard, and it is about 100 miles from Lebanon. We are not affiliated with them, prices change without notice, and your real price will differ. Treat these as a rough sense of scale, not a quote.

These are pickup prices: roughly what the rock costs if you load it yourself at the yard. Having it delivered usually adds a delivery fee, and often a fuel charge on top of that.

• 3/4 minus and 1-1/2 minus crushed basalt (the listing marks these “KR,” meaning Knife River rock): about $39 per cubic yard.
• Drain rock (crushed, 3/4 to 1-1/2): about $38 per cubic yard.
• Pea gravel: about $51 per cubic yard.
• Large river rock (2 to 6 inch): about $42 per cubic yard.
• Fill dirt (with some rocks, sticks and clay): about $13 per cubic yard.
• Boulders are sold by weight. Columbia River basalt boulders were listed around $50 per ton, and other boulders ranged up to about $636 per ton for red lava rock.

How much prices vary from yard to yard

Two other lists show the spread. A Salem yard’s website listed 3/4 minus quarry rock at about $42 per cubic yard. A Portland-area retail yard’s 2026 list had 3/4 minus at $59, 3/4 clean at $68, drain rock and pea gravel at $66, large river rock at $76, and screened topsoil at $49. Its Columbia River boulders were $155 per ton against about $50 at the first yard.

So the same 3/4 minus ran from about $39 to $59 per cubic yard, picked up, depending on the yard and whether you’re buying at retail. That’s why our calculator shows a wide range instead of one number.

A worked example: a 200 ft driveway top coat

Take a 200 ft by 12 ft driveway with a 3 inch top coat of 3/4 minus and 15% extra for compaction:

• Rock needed: about 25.6 cubic yards, or roughly 36 tons.
• Material, picked up (no delivery): around $1,000 at about $39 per yard, up to about $1,500 at a retail yard’s $59.
• Fabric underneath (if the ground is soft): about 210 feet of 12.5 ft wide road fabric. At the listed $2.00 per foot, that’s around $420.

Those are material numbers only. The quote you actually get also covers hauling the rock to your property, grading and compacting it, and the operator’s time. You can run your own numbers on the map tool, which measures the driveway for you.

Costs that sit outside the per-yard price

The same February list showed several line items that are easy to miss. They differ yard to yard, so they’re worth asking about:

• Delivery and fuel. Delivery is a separate charge from the rock, usually a fee by distance and often a fuel charge on top. The Scappoose list simply said “ask about delivery.” A Portland-area yard spelled it out by distance: $35 for under a mile, $75 at five miles, $120 at 15 to 17 miles and $165 at 23 to 25 miles, then quoted by the hour ($110 an hour, $165 minimum) beyond 25 miles. Its large truck added $75 and a split load added $20.
• Truck size and access. That yard’s trucks carried 4 to 5 cubic yards of gravel (up to 6.5 tons) in the smaller ones and 10 to 12 yards in the large one, and needed about 9 to 10 feet of width and 16 to 20 feet of overhead clearance to get in. Heavy stone hits the weight limit before the bed is full, so boulder loads are small.
• Per-ton minimums. Ton pricing applied only to purchases of one ton or more.
• Card fees. A 4% processing fee on card payments.
• Restocking and deposits. A 25% restocking fee on returns, and refundable pallet deposits of $30 to $75.

Why fabric and boulders change the quote

Fabric keeps rock from sinking into soft clay, which is most of the valley in winter. Heavy road fabric was listed at $2.00 per foot off a 12.5 ft wide roll; light landscape fabric in 3 ft rolls ran $25 to $55. Heavy fabric is the one that matters under a driveway or paddock. Our paddock and driveway posts show where it goes.

Boulders and riprap are sold and hauled by the ton, and weight adds up fast: lining a 24 by 10 ft culvert outlet 18 inches deep is about 22 tons. At $50 per ton, that’s around $1,100 of stone before delivery. Read more about ditches and culverts.

How to compare two quotes

1. Same rock name and size. “3/4 minus” and “3/4 clean” are different rocks with different prices. See the rock size guide.
2. Same quantity. Compare cubic yards or tons, with the extra for compaction spelled out.
3. What’s included: delivery, fabric, grading, compaction, cleanup.
4. The quote in writing, with the rock named and sized.