Black landscaping rock: which type for which job
Start with the job, then the shade. The black landscaping rock on this page falls into four families. Crushed black gravel, Black n Silver Rock, Black Star Rock Gravel and Black Indigo Rock, locks together and stays where you rake it, which suits beds, borders and modern ground cover. Stone chips, Black Slate Chips and Black Crystal Basalt, read darker and flatter. Lava, Black Lava Cinders and Black Cherry Lava Cinders, is light and porous. Compacting fines, Black Basalt D.G. and Black Hawk D.G., pack into a firm path. If you want one black rock for landscaping a whole yard, a 3/4 to 1 inch crushed black gravel is the safest single choice.
Black rocks for landscaping vs black gravel and black decorative rock
Customers use all three phrases for the same shelf. Black gravel usually means the working grades, 3/8 inch to 1 inch, spread over an area as ground cover or a path. Black decorative rock usually means the showier material set in beds and around pots: polished pebbles, Black Mexican Beach Pebbles and larger stone. Black river rock is what many people call a smooth black stone; we do not carry a black river-run cobble, so the rounded choice here is Black Polished Pebbles. Rounded stone rolls underfoot, so keep it out of paths and driveways.
How much black rock do I need
Multiply the length by the width of the area in feet, then pick a depth. The coverage calculator on this page uses 1.4 tons per cubic yard for rock and gravel, so one ton covers about 115 square feet at 2 inches, about 75 square feet at 3 inches and about 58 square feet at 4 inches. Lava cinders weigh much less, so a ton of lava covers more. A 10 by 20 foot bed is 200 square feet, which is about 1.75 tons of crushed black gravel at 2 inches. Size your own area with the coverage calculator.
Black landscape rock prices
Black landscape rock at Earth Stone Rock runs $128.99 to $1,265 per ton picked up at the yard. The crushed gravel and black D.G. are the cheapest black landscape rock we sell; the tumbled and beach pebbles sit at the top. The table is generated from the live product prices on this store, so it matches what you see at checkout before delivery.
Black Polished Pebbles and black boulders are priced by the bag or by weight on their own pages. Delivery is quoted by weight and distance at checkout. Black landscape rock near me: pick up at the Rosamond or Visalia yard, or we deliver across California.
Black lava rock and black stone for desert and modern yards
Black lava rock is the lightest stone on this page and one of the most used in succulent gardens, because it drains fast and sets off silver and blue foliage. Crushed black gravel and slate suit the clean lines of a modern front yard, and black boulders such as Black Hawk and Academy Black Granite give the field a focal point. Two cautions: dark stone holds heat in full sun, and it shows pale dust and hard water spots more than a mid tone gravel. Compare it with white landscape rock or read how to choose landscape rock color.
