Guide to Choosing & Ordering Bulk Gravel, Screenings & Chips

Gravel is a basic, must-have material for landscaping projects and building projects alike. Whether you use it as a decorative element of landscaping, to fulfill drainage requirements, or as an aggregate for mixing up concrete, gravel must meet your quality requirements as well as fall within your customer’s budget.Gravel suppliers are a dime a dozen, but you must pay attention to what they actually offer - if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Good gravel should be screened and washed, and your supplier should know its exact precedence and how it was made. At Minick we take pride in working closely with local (and national) quarries to ensure our gravel is up to our standards - and yours.

Why buy bulk gravel?

While home improvement projects don’t often require tons of gravel, commercial and construction projects certainly do. Professionals order gravel by the ton, and they have specific requirements that must be met, whether it be size, color, or physical properties. 

The main two uses of bulk gravel are construction and landscaping, although there are many other uses - driveways and walkways, drainage and ditches, gardening, and more. 

Building and Decorative gravel types and construction 

Let’s focus now on the main types of bulk gravel used for local landscaping and construction projects.

River Rock

River rocks - and their smaller version, pea gravel - are very popular for large landscaping projects, especially for drought-resistant designs. We offer many options of both river rock and rounded, polished beach pebbles, all washed and sorted by size.

River rock is recommended for pathways because it is gentle on bare feet and pet paws, just remember that they will not settle into an even surface precisely because of their rounded shape. Laying landscape fabric under river rock is always recommended, to prevent them from sinking into the soil, and to keep weeds under control.

Crushed limestone

Crushed limestone is a very popular type of bulk gravel, especially as an aggregate. Because of the large scale of our operations, we deal with a variety of quarries, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for among the many sizes and options we offer, we can always get you the exact size you want.

If you’re seeking crushed limestone as an aggregate, or if it’s for landscaping projects, take a look at our many options. For driveways, parking lots and paths we have small scale screenings and crushed limestone that packs perfectly. For drainage and erosion control, you will be better off with our 1.5” coarse or chips, and if you need something bigger we also have gabion stone and rip rap. 

Screenings

If only the smallest chips and screenings will do, we got you covered. Our screenings are run through a ⅜” screen to ensure even size, and we have a wide variety of colors and materials: Black Eagle, Hashi, Humma, Slate screenings, along with Desert Gold and various types of granite.

Ordering and delivery

We work with large, commercial orders daily, and we will be happy to help you get exactly what you need, where you need it. From making sure you are ordering the right amount of bulk gravel, to coordinating shipping and delivery, our experts are here to help you every step of the way, so you can meet your deadlines, stay within budget, and delight your customers.

How much to order

Every professional has their preferred systems and formulas for calculating how much they will need for any given material. We do too - these are the formulas we use all the time, and we hope they can be of help to you.

Here are some additional tips we have gathered along the way:

• A ton of most loose stone products covers roughly 80 sq.ft. at 3" deep.
• A cubic yard always covers 108 sq.ft., 3" deep.
• Always figure compaction for areas over 6" deep. Compaction for sand and soil is about 15 to 20%.
• On most products a ton is equal to 75% of a cubic yard.

The process

We designed a Resource Toolbox page in our website where you can find all the info you need in one place: pricing lists for our entire inventory, formulas to calculate how much to order, blogs with advice and specs, and even a delivery costs calculator. If you prefer doing things the old-fashioned way, call, email or visit us - we have a team member especially dedicated to commercial sales, who will make sure that all your questions are answered and that you are able to order exactly what you need regardless of color or size.

Minick has been in the materials industry for over 60 years, and we pride ourselves in our excellent service and competitive prices, while always delivering top quality and a wide array of choices.