I am trying to figure out how many loose inches we need to start with to finish at 5" compacted. What did you guys do?
It compacts tightly. What are your dimensions? One ton of stone dust covers roughly 18 square yards at an inch depth. Take your square foot quantity, divide by 9 for square yards. Then divide that by 18 and then multiply by the depth in inches (in your case, 5"). This will give you an estimate for the quantity you will need. Good luck!
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I recall being told anywhere from 10-20% loss due to compaction by quarries in the past. So if you want 5" depth compacted, shoot for around 6" of loose material.
I just finished a 220 x 115 base for my arena, using a calculated 7" of screenings (delivered). When the screenings are dumped out and spread, the material’s own weight and the trucks and equipment on it packs it down quite a bit. Mine was a little fluffy on top, maybe the top 1" or so, but fairly well packed already with its own weight before being watered and rolled.
When it was watered and rolled, I don’t think there was a whole lot of difference in depth. I think the above poster is correct, and that it compacted about 10-20%.
