Mexican Beach Pebbles

Mexican beach pebbles are hand harvested from the beaches of Baja California, not quarried and not machine tumbled. The smooth round profile is the work of surf, and it is the reason these stones look the way they do. Every stone is gathered and sorted by hand into four color groups, black grey, buff, red and mixed, plus the fine white Criva grade, and then graded by size from a quarter inch through twelve inches. That hand sorting is what separates a true Mexican beach pebble from crushed rock sold under the same name.

Colors shift noticeably with size. The small grades run darker and more varied, carrying blues, browns and deep reds together, while the larger cobbles come through paler and greyer. Order samples and look at the size you actually intend to buy before committing to a bed. All five colors are stocked in bulk by the ton, in half ton units, and in bags and samples for smaller projects, with delivery from our California yards and pickup at Rosamond and Goshen.
Jump to:
Products Project Ideas Size Guide FAQ
Hand harvested in Baja California, never machine tumbled Sizes from 1/4 inch Criva to 12 inch cobbles Bulk delivery or pickup at Rosamond and Goshen
Jump to: Products • Project Ideas • Size Guide • FAQ
Skip to results list

Filters

5 items

Filter

Not sure which size? The colors change from the small grades to the large cobbles. See every size photographed before you order.

Projects Sizes Guide

Common Uses for Mexican Beach Pebbles

Surf rounded stone from Baja California, and where each size earns its place.

Dry Creek Beds

Dry Creek Beds

The signature use. Lay the bed in 2" - 3" or 3" - 5", bank it with 5" - 8" cobble, and set a few large stones as though water had dropped them. Mixing sizes is what makes it read as a real creek rather than a poured trench.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size
Planting Beds and Ground Cover

Planting Beds and Ground Cover

1" - 2" is the default grade for beds. A 2 inch layer covers soil, suppresses weeds over fabric, and keeps its color because the stone is solid through rather than coated.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size
Paths and Walkable Areas

Paths and Walkable Areas

1/2" - 1" Buttons are the comfortable grade underfoot. Large enough to stay put, small enough to walk on, and rounded rather than sharp because surf did the shaping.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size
Pond Edges and Feature Stone

Pond Edges and Feature Stone

8" - 12" cobbles are placed individually, not spread. They rim basins and ponds and break up a flat field of smaller pebble. Expect a paler grey at this size than in the mid grades.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size
Drainage Swales

Drainage Swales

2" - 3" holds its position in moving water where a finer grade would wash out in the first storm, while still looking like a natural creek bottom rather than drain rock.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size
Exposed Aggregate Concrete

Exposed Aggregate Concrete

1" - 2" is the standard for seeded exposed aggregate. Big enough to show its shape once the surface is washed back, small enough to sit in a normal slab.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles See every size

Mexican Beach Pebble Buying Guide

Hand harvested stone from Baja California. How the sizes differ, which color to pick, and what it costs to cover a bed.

Mexican beach pebbles are gathered by hand from the beaches of Baja California and rounded by surf, not by a machine. That is the whole difference between them and a polished pebble, which is tumbled to a gloss finish, and between them and crushed gravel, which is fractured rather than worn. Every stone is sorted by hand into one of four color groups, black grey, buff, red and mixed, plus the fine white Criva grade, and then graded by size from a quarter inch up to twelve inches.

The single thing most people get wrong is treating size as a scale decision. It is a color decision too. The small grades run dark and closely varied, the 1 inch to 2 inch grade carries the widest color mix, and the large cobbles come through noticeably paler and greyer. Order a sample of the grade you actually intend to buy. Every size is photographed here.

Quick Links

Shop All Mexican Beach Pebbles Mexican Beach Pebble Sizes Guide All Beach Pebbles River Rock

Mexican Beach Pebble Colors and Where They Work

MaterialBest ForCompactionDrainageCost
Black (San Quintin / La Paz) Fountains, dark modern beds, dramatic contrast None (decorative) Excellent $$$
Mixed Colors Dry creek beds, naturalistic water features None (decorative) Excellent $$$
Buff and Tan Warm schemes, desert planting, stucco surrounds None (decorative) Excellent $$$
Red Warm accents, dry creek beds seen wet and dry None (decorative) Excellent $$$
Beach pebble installs over landscape fabric on a compacted base. See base materials for what goes underneath, and the size guide for which grade to order.

What the Yard Knows

  • The color changes with the size. Small grades run dark, 1" - 2" is the widest color mix, and 8" - 12" cobbles come through pale grey. Match a sample of the grade you are buying, not a photo of a different one.
  • Mix sizes in a dry creek bed. One uniform size reads as poured. Bed it in 2" - 3" or 3" - 5", bank it with 5" - 8", then set a few 8" - 12" stones where water would have dropped them.
  • Wet a sample before you commit. Mexican beach pebble is at its richest wet, and the dark grades gain the most. Hose a handful to see how a fountain or a rainy day will read.
  • 2 inches for beds, 3 to 4 for creeks. Decorative ground cover only needs 2 inches over fabric. A creek bed needs more depth or the base shows through the stone.
  • Always lay fabric underneath. Soil working up through the stone is what makes a pebble bed look tired after a season. Commercial grade fabric between soil and pebble keeps it clean.
  • 1/2" - 1" is the walkable grade. Anything smaller displaces under a shoe, anything larger than 1" - 2" is uncomfortable to walk on.

Need Help?

(800) 215-7372

FAQ

Smooth, rounded stones hand harvested from the beaches of Baja California, Mexico. The rounding is the work of surf rather than a machine, which is what separates them from polished pebbles and from crushed gravel. They are sorted by hand into black grey, buff, red and mixed color groups plus the fine white Criva grade, and graded by size from 1/4 inch to 12 inches.
From 1/4 inch Criva up to 12 inches. The common grades are 3/8" - 5/8", 1/2" - 1", 1" - 2", 2" - 3", 3" - 5", 5" - 8" and 8" - 12". The small grades are traditionally called Buttons and the largest are called Cobbles. See the size guide for a photograph of each one.
They are priced by the ton, with half ton units, bags and samples available for smaller projects. Best pricing comes on full bulk units. Cost per square foot depends on the depth you lay: a ton covers roughly 100 square feet at 2 inches, or about 65 square feet at 3 inches.
Neither. They are rounded naturally by surf on the beach and then hand sorted. A polished pebble is machine tumbled to a gloss finish, which is a different product sold separately. Mexican beach pebble has a natural matte surface that deepens in color when wet.
Plan about 1.4 tons per cubic yard. At 2 inches deep a ton covers roughly 100 square feet, and at 3 inches about 65 square feet. Use 2 inches for decorative ground cover and 3 to 4 inches for a dry creek bed. The coverage calculator at the top of this page will do the arithmetic.

Find the Right Mexican Beach Pebble for Your Project

Five colors and eight sizes in stock. Samples available so you can see the exact grade in daylight before you order the volume.

Shop Mexican Beach Pebbles

Mexican beach pebbles for sale by the bag, the ton, or the pallet

Mexican beach pebbles are hand harvested from the beaches of Baja California and sorted by hand, first into color and then into size. Nothing about them is manufactured: the smooth oval shape is the work of surf, and the matte surface is the stone itself rather than a coating or a polish. That is why a true Mexican beach pebble looks different from a tumbled polished pebble and from crushed decorative gravel, and why it deepens in color when it rains. We stock all five color groups, black, mixed colors, buff, red and the fine white Criva grade, in sizes from a quarter inch through twelve inches.

Bulk Mexican beach pebble is sold by the ton with half ton units available, and in bags and samples for small projects and for matching colors before you commit. Delivery runs from our California yards, with pickup at Rosamond and Goshen.

Which size Mexican beach pebble should I buy?

Size changes the color as much as the scale. The small grades, called Buttons, run dark and closely varied. The 1 inch to 2 inch grade carries the widest color mix and is the one most people picture when they think of Mexican beach pebble. The large Cobbles at 5 inches and above come through much paler, mostly grey and white. For ground cover in a planting bed use 1 inch to 2 inch; for a path use 1/2 inch to 1 inch, which is the comfortable grade underfoot; for a dry creek bed use two or three sizes together so it reads as a real watercourse. Our Mexican beach pebble size guide photographs every grade side by side.

How much Mexican beach pebble do I need?

Mexican beach pebble runs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard. At a 2 inch depth one ton covers roughly 100 square feet, and at 3 inches roughly 65 square feet. Decorative beds only need 2 inches over landscape fabric; dry creek beds want 3 to 4 inches so the base does not show through. Use the coverage calculator at the top of this page to work out your own figure, and order a sample of the exact size and color before buying the volume.

Delivery & Pickup

Mexican Beach Pebbles Delivery Across California & the Southwest

Order mexican beach pebbles for pickup at our Central Valley or Antelope Valley yards, or bulk delivery throughout California — plus Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. Tell us your ZIP and project and we will quote a delivered price.

Central Valley Visalia Yard 30617 Co Hwy J25, Goshen, CA 93227 Yard details › Antelope Valley Rosamond Yard 1387 Sierra Hwy, Rosamond, CA 93560 Yard details ›

Central Valley

Visalia · Fresno · Bakersfield · Tulare · Clovis · Hanford

Antelope Valley & High Desert

Lancaster · Palmdale · Santa Clarita · Victorville · Tehachapi

Southern California

Los Angeles · Riverside · San Bernardino · San Diego

Nevada, Arizona & Colorado

Las Vegas · Phoenix · Tucson · Denver

See all delivery areas Call (800) 215-7372 for a quote