Material Information

Rip Rap

Rip rap, ranging in size from 4”-24” or greater, is primarily used for erosion control along slopes or around culvert ends in wireless site construction.

All rip rap applications require an underlayment of geotextile fabric to prevent water from washing out the dirt underneath the rock.

Rip rap culvert aprons fall into two classifications: non-grouted and grouted. Non-grouted is the typical rip rap installation where rip rap is dumped along the apron's length and placed as needed. This rip rap installation is used with flatter slopes and reasonable velocities. Grouted rip rap is bonded  together as a single mass using concrete or grout. This rip rap installation is used with steep slopes, high velocities, or when large sized stone is unavailable.

Steep excavated slopes will require a 10” or greater rock for many applications to ensure stability. Identify what size the specifications call for. Many wireless construction specifications are absent regarding the size of the rip rap requested, only specifying the plan dimensions for the area to receive the rip rap. Check with the project’s construction manager for the type required. Some sites will call out state DOT classifications.

Quarried limestone and dolomite are the most commonly available rip rap found in almost 70% of the country, but many areas only offer granite, trap rock, field stone or other aggregates. Smaller rip rap, 2”-4” will cover approximately 60 sq. ft., 5”-12” will cover 35 sq. ft.

The volume per ton of larger rip rap can prevent the hauler from loading maximum tonnage onto his truck. Average truck loads are:

• Bobtail - 6 wheels               Full load is 8 tons
• Tandem - 10 wheels           Full load is 15 tons
• Semi - 18 wheels                 Full load is 22 ½ tons

Although some areas can be very competitive, there are great variances of aggregate pricing throughout the country, especially for rip rap. Undelivered material pricing ranged from $13.00 to $24.00 per ton for 8” rip rap; the average price per ton was $16.69 for an eight-ton load. The default unit pricing used for estimating purposes in "My Estimator"  is the average cost of the rip rap and includes delivery, but not installation. Pricing will vary based upon the number of quarries in a given market and the distance to the job site from the pit or yard as well as the project volume.

We recommend that you contact our valued aggregate suppliers and site development companies to obtain additional information about your project-specific requirements.