If both are $76, what separates them?
Top stone size. Both are dense-graded — everything from the largest stone down to dust, so the fines lock the lift. #610 tops out near an inch, Dense Pack ¾"-to-minus near three-quarters. That inch gives #610 a coarser skeleton and more stiffness; the smaller stone lets dense pack screed flat by hand.
How do they compare?
| Dense Pack ¾"-to-minus | #610 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per cubic yard | $76.00 | $76.00 |
| Top stone | about ¾ inch | about 1 inch |
| Fines | yes, down to dust | yes, down to dust |
| Drains? | No | No |
| Workable lift | 2–3 in | 3–4 in |
| Compacts with | Rental plate compactor | Heavy plate or roller |
| Finished surface | Tight, flat, walkable | Coarse, uneven underfoot |
| Best at | Top course, re-topping, walkways, pads that must be flat | Structural base under drives, shed pads, patio base |
| Spec name you will hear | MassDOT M1.03.1 dense-graded | AASHTO M147 dense-graded |
| Main drawback | Less structure per inch; ruts if placed thin over soft ground | Never screeds smooth; rough to walk on |
| Delivery to Raynham | $111 per load | $111 per load |
| Load cap | 6 yd per trip | 6 yd per trip |
Those spec names are shorthand for a size range, not a test result — we sell both sized to those descriptions, with no lab testing behind them. Specs at MassDOT; bedding at ICPI.
How do they compact?
Both want to be damp, not wet, and both want lifts. #610 takes a 3 to 4 inch lift and needs a roller or heavy plate to key the bigger stone together. Dense pack locks faster, and a rental plate compactor handles 2 to 3 inch lifts — on a weekend job, that matters more than any spec.
Which belongs under a Raynham driveway?
#610, for the structural courses — 6 to 8 inches of compacted base in two or three lifts. It also handles the low ground near the Taunton and Forge Rivers and the Hockomock edge north of town, where the sand runs out and the ground goes soft. There, put a coarse stone underneath rather than ask a thin base to carry the load. Same section, smaller: 6 yards of #610 for a shed pad in Bellingham.
Which belongs on top?
Dense pack. Two inches over a sound base screeds flatter, packs harder, and is a better thing to walk on and shovel. It is also the call for re-topping a drive that still has base.
What is the real drawback?
#610. The inch-minus top stone never finishes smooth. Screeding it flat by hand is a fight, the surface stays unpleasant barefoot, and loose stone finds the mower blade. The fines that make it lock also stop it draining, so a lift placed into a wet week will not compact until it dries.
Dense Pack ¾"-to-minus. Less structure per inch, and people underestimate this constantly. Three inches over soft subgrade with a loaded truck on it will rut — it looks like enough material and is not. Same water and dust problems, and being finer it goes slick on a wet slope.
Both. Neither drains. Neither belongs in a French drain, a dry well or behind a retaining wall — that is #57 clean stone. Dense-graded material there is the most expensive mistake in this catalogue: it clogs, holds water against the structure, and comes back out.
How much do you need, and what does it cost?
cubic yards = (square feet × depth in inches) ÷ 324. A 10-by-60-foot driveway is 600 square feet.
| Course | Material | Depth | Math | Order | Loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | #610 | 6 in | 600 × 6 ÷ 324 = 11.1 yd | 12 yards | 2 |
| Top | Dense Pack ¾" | 2 in | 600 × 2 ÷ 324 = 3.7 yd | 4 yards | 1 |
Raynham is 32.7 driving miles from our Dispatch Office in Dorchester, 2.7 past the flat zone, so the fee is $111 per load townwide. The full build is three loads: $333 delivery on $1,216 of stone. Base only is two loads, $912 and $222 — plenty of people do that and buy the top course next spring.
Can I use one material throughout?
Yes, and most homeowners should. #610 top to bottom gives a strong drive with a coarse surface; dense pack gives a nicer surface with less structure — and one material avoids a part-load fee.
Better for a walkway?
Dense pack, at 4 inches, then whatever angular top stone you like. The smaller top size finishes flat under a hand screed, which matters more on a path than bearing does.
How is delivery charged?
Per load, not per yard, and loads count per line item. Stone caps at six yards a trip; the ZIP checker confirms $111 before you pay.
Ready to order? Both sit in crushed stone and driveway construction and repair, priced on the Raynham page. Text your dimensions to (617) 286-2740.
