Gravel, Stone and Sand near Nashville, TN, 37204

Silt loam and a stable base

At the ZIP's center point, the USDA soil survey maps the Maury-Urban land complex on 2 to 7 percent slopes, with Maury making up 60 percent of the map unit. For a driveway or patio, use angular Crusher Run or Road Base for a compacted layer that resists movement on a slope. The same survey rates the soil as well drained and hydrologic group B with moderate infiltration. That drainage handles ordinary infiltration, but surface water should still be directed away from the finished base.^[1]

The top mineral layer is silt loam, and the top 100 cm has low shrink-swell of 1.5 percent. A prepared aggregate base fits this stable subgrade, and a geotextile keeps fine silt from mixing into the stone. The survey maps 35 percent of this unit as urban land that is paved or built over. Where work begins on an existing paved area, assess whether the existing base is firm before placing new surface stone.^[1]

Limestone ground beneath outdoor work

The mapped geologic unit at the ZIP's center point is the Nashville Group, including Bigby-Cannon Limestone and the Hermitage Formation, with limestone, calcarenite, shale, and coquina. Excavation can encounter firm rock or mixed rock materials, so use crushed angular stone where a compactable base is needed rather than round Natural Pea Gravel. Ground elevation at the center point is 540 feet. This elevation value describes the setting for grading, while the finished stone base still needs a slope that carries water away from the work area.^[2],[3]

Rain and freezing shape drainage layers

The NOAA station at Nashville Intl AP, TN, about 5 miles away, reports 50.5 inches of average yearly precipitation. For low spots or edge drains, use open Drain Rock or #57 Stone so water has a path through the stone rather than being held by fines. The station records 66 days each year when the low reaches 32 F or colder, with median freeze dates of March 31 and November 3. A well-compacted crushed-stone base limits movement when moisture in the base experiences freezing conditions.^[4]

The same NOAA station reports 4.7 inches of average yearly snowfall. Snowfall does not replace the need for a stable, draining base below driveway or patio surface material.^[4]

Housing and roadway reference

Census figures show 8,016 housing units in the ZIP, with 49 percent detached single-family houses, the same detached share as Nashville-Davidson. The median home construction year is 1993, compared with 1987 across Nashville-Davidson. These housing figures do not identify the bearing strength of an individual subgrade, so select base material from the exposed soil and intended load.^[5]

The Tennessee Department of Transportation names Mineral Aggregate Base, Type A, Section 303, Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction (April 1, 2026) as its road-building standard. Use that named standard only when a project requires a roadway specification. In Tennessee deliveries over the last 24 months, Crusher Run was the material most often listed in American Rock Supply orders, and the median order size was 5 tons.^[6],[7]