When is the best time of year to order base material in San Francisco County?

The dry season from late spring into fall is the best window. Most rain falls from late fall to spring, often in a few large winter storms and atmospheric rivers, and saturated clay will not compact well. Base, driveway and paver work all go better on dry ground. Summer fog near the shore rarely stops a job.

What is the difference between topsoil and fill dirt?

Fill Dirt is structural fill. It raises grade and backfills pads, and it goes down before a Class 2 base. Top Soil is a screened growing layer for lawns and beds, used to build up planting areas over clay, hardpan or sandy native soil. Order fill dirt to change elevation, and topsoil to grow something.

What is Class 2 base and what is it used for in San Francisco County?

Class 2 base is the standard California base material, also called Class II base rock. Caltrans specifies it in Section 26 as Class 2 aggregate base, the higher-strength grade, in 3/4 inch or 1-1/2 inch maximum grading. Here it goes under driveways, parking pads, pavers, slabs and Stone Screenings paths, over compacted subgrade or fill.

Bulk Gravel Delivery in San Francisco County, CA

Delivery across San Francisco County

Need gravel, stone and aggregate delivery in San Francisco County, CA? California Rock Supply runs the whole order online. You pick the material, choose a quantity by the ton or yard, confirm the load with the calculator, and pick a delivery date at checkout.

A dump truck then delivers bulk material to the site in San Francisco and the surrounding county. If you are not sure how much to order, the calculator sizes the load for you before you check out.

Materials delivered in San Francisco County

Most jobs here start with Class 2 base. It is the standard California base material, and it is what goes under drives, parking pads, pavers, slabs and Stone Screenings paths. Caltrans specifies California aggregate base in Standard Specifications Section 26 as Class 2 or Class 3, in a 3/4 inch or 1-1/2 inch maximum grading. Class 2 is the higher-strength grade, and Class 3 is the lower-strength grade. For a drive, a pad or a paver base, order Class 2.

For drainage, 3/4 inch drain rock (also sold as #57 stone) is the washed stone most orders call for. Fine drainage and pipe bedding take 3/8" Crushed Stone. Paths that need a finer walkable surface take Walkway Gravel or Natural Pea Gravel. For brick, block and paver joints, order Mason Sand, and for leveling and bedding under slabs, Washed Sand.

Recycled base rock and crushed miscellaneous base, often called CMB, are the same Class 2 job made from Road Base or asphalt. Caltrans allows processed reclaimed asphalt and concrete in aggregate base. Crusher Run is the choice where a compacting, binding material is wanted, though California buyers usually ask for Class 2 base for the same work. Fill Dirt raises grade and backfills pads before the base goes down, and Shredded Mulch holds moisture in beds through the dry season.

Ground conditions across San Francisco County

Soils change over short distances here. Sandy dune and beach soils sit along parts of the shoreline, while heavy clay soils that crack when dry and swell when wet are extensive in the Coast Range valleys and hills. That matters most under a base. An under-built base on swelling clay moves, so the base has to be deep enough and compacted in lifts to carry the load above it.

Most rain falls from late fall to spring, much of it in a few large winter storms and atmospheric rivers. Sandy ground soaks it up quickly, but clay soil and slopes shed it. Put a drainage layer under the base or behind the wall, and route water away from the pad. On slopes, rip rap armors creek banks and culvert outlets against winter runoff, and hillside runoff can slide where steep ground is left bare. Wave and storm erosion works on the sea cliffs and bluffs along the shoreline too.

The dry season from late spring into fall is the main window for base, driveway and paver work. Summer fog is common near the shore, but it is winter rain and saturated clay that hold jobs up.

Choosing the right material

Alameda County, Contra Costa County and San Mateo County share this ground zone, so the soil story next door is similar: sandy dune and beach soils along parts of the shoreline, heavy clay in the Coast Range valleys and hills. What changes is the project mix, so the same materials get ordered for different work.

Across the Bay in Alameda County, more work runs to pads and driveways on clay flats, where Class 2 base and a drainage layer do the heavy lifting. In Contra Costa County, inland clay and slope work points the same way, with rip rap on steep banks and Class 2 base under drives and paver patios. San Mateo County, down the Peninsula, has more shoreline sand, so drainage moves faster and a slightly leaner base build holds up. In all three, your choice comes down to two questions: is the ground sandy or clay, and does water need somewhere to go?

Order Class 2 base for your San Francisco County job

Class 2 base is the material most San Francisco County ground calls for, whether you are building a drive, setting a pad or laying pavers over clay. California Rock Supply delivers it, plus drainage stone, sand, topsoil and decorative rock, straight to the site. Pick your material, size the load with the calculator, and place your order online.

San Francisco County, CA Gravel and Landscape Rock Delivery