Aggregate Gradation Chart — ASTM C33 Size Numbers & Percent Passing
ASTM C33 aggregate gradation chart: percent-passing bands for coarse aggregate size numbers 8 through 467 and the fine-aggregate grading band.
Updated August 22, 2026
When a spec calls for “#57 stone,” it is naming a row of ASTM C33 Table 2: a size number that fixes, sieve by sieve, what percentage of the material must pass. Each cell below is a band — “25–60” at the 1/2″ sieve means at least a quarter and at most three-fifths of the sample passes that screen — and the bands are deliberately wide to accommodate quarries nationwide. The size numbering reads roughly from coarse to fine: #357 tops out at 2-1/2″, #57 at 1-1/2″, #8 at 1/2″; combined numbers like 357 and 467 denote blends spanning the range of their digits and are typically furnished as two separate stockpiled sizes.
Trade names travel loosely, and that is the trap this chart avoids: the “#57” at a landscape yard may be graded to a state DOT band that differs from C33, because DOTs routinely modify the envelopes for their own work. Every band here is verified against the ASTM C33 text itself — if you are batching concrete to a C33 spec, demand the producer’s gradation report against these limits, not a DOT sheet. The fine-aggregate table is C33’s single band for concrete sand, which additionally must show a fineness modulus between 2.3 and 3.1 and no more than 45% caught between any two consecutive sieves.
Coarse Aggregate Grading (ASTM C33 Table 2) — Percent Passing by Sieve
| Size no. | Nominal size | 2-1/2″ (63 mm) | 2″ (50 mm) | 1-1/2″ (37.5 mm) | 1″ (25 mm) | 3/4″ (19 mm) | 1/2″ (12.5 mm) | 3/8″ (9.5 mm) | No. 4 | No. 8 | No. 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #357 | 2″ to No. 4 | 100 | 95–100 | — | 35–70 | — | 10–30 | — | 0–5 | — | — |
| #467 | 1-1/2″ to No. 4 | — | 100 | 95–100 | — | 35–70 | — | 10–30 | 0–5 | — | — |
| #57 | 1″ to No. 4 | — | — | 100 | 95–100 | — | 25–60 | — | 0–10 | 0–5 | — |
| #67 | 3/4″ to No. 4 | — | — | — | 100 | 90–100 | — | 20–55 | 0–10 | 0–5 | — |
| #8 | 3/8″ to No. 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 100 | 85–100 | 10–30 | 0–10 | 0–5 |
Amounts finer than each laboratory sieve (square openings), mass percent, per ASTM C33/C33M Table 2. “—” = no requirement printed at that sieve. Sizes 357 and 467 are normally furnished as at least two separate stockpiled sizes (C33 Note).
Fine Aggregate Grading (ASTM C33 §6.1) — Percent Passing
| Sieve | Percent passing |
|---|---|
| 3/8″ (9.5 mm) | 100 |
| No. 4 (4.75 mm) | 95–100 |
| No. 8 (2.36 mm) | 80–100 |
| No. 16 (1.18 mm) | 50–85 |
| No. 30 (600 µm) | 25–60 |
| No. 50 (300 µm) | 5–30 |
| No. 100 (150 µm) | 0–10 |
Concrete sand per ASTM C33: additionally, not more than 45% retained between any two consecutive sieves, and fineness modulus 2.3–3.1. Masonry sand is a different, finer specification (ASTM C144) — not this band.
Sources & Further Reading
- ASTM C33/C33M-08, Table 2 (Grading Requirements for Coarse Aggregates) and §6.1 (fine-aggregate grading) — read from a public reproduction of the standard text
- Independent digit-checks: NESL Size & Grading Requirements chart (AASHTO M43-harmonized columns, cell-identical to the C33 print); Hunker ASTM #57 stone specifications; Komplet America #57/#67 gradations; matestlabs/transcalc C33 fine-aggregate reproductions
- State-DOT gradation tables were excluded as sources — DOTs modify the C33/M43 bands (the reason this chart is gated to C33-labeled reproductions)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the “#57” in #57 stone actually mean?
It is the size-number row of ASTM C33 Table 2 (shared with AASHTO M43/ASTM D448): everything passes 1-1/2″, 95–100% passes 1″, 25–60% passes 1/2″, and almost nothing passes the No. 4 sieve — so the particles mostly live between 1 in and 3/16 in. The digits hint at the blend: 57 spans the range of sizes 5 through 7. It is the workhorse concrete aggregate and drainage stone precisely because that band packs well but still drains.
Why does my quarry’s #57 sheet show slightly different limits than this chart?
Almost certainly because it is graded to a state DOT specification rather than to ASTM C33 — DOTs adopt the same size numbers but routinely tighten or shift the bands for pavement work. That is not a defect, but it is a different spec: a mix design that says “C33 #57” should be backed by a gradation report against the C33 limits shown here. Ask the producer which specification the stockpile is certified to.
Can I use masonry sand or fill sand as concrete sand?
Not if the spec says C33. Concrete sand must fit the graded band in the second table — coarse enough at the top (95–100% merely passing No. 4) and controlled at the bottom (at most 10% passing No. 100) — plus a fineness modulus of 2.3–3.1. Masonry sand (ASTM C144) is deliberately finer for workable mortar joints, and unwashed fill sand can be loaded with fines that raise water demand and shrinkage. The gradation report, not the name on the pile, is what qualifies a sand.
What happens if the aggregate falls outside its band?
Gap-graded or off-band aggregate changes the concrete, not just the paperwork: excess coarse fractions make harsh, honeycomb-prone mixes; excess fines raise water demand, bleeding, and shrinkage. C33 allows a supplier to demonstrate acceptable service history for a nonconforming gradation, but by default the band is the acceptance criterion — producers run sieve analyses (ASTM C136) on every stockpile and report percent passing against exactly these limits.
Try the Calculators
Aggregate Gradation Chart — ASTM C33 Size Numbers & Percent Passing — reuven.tools/reference/aggregate-gradation — verified against: ASTM C33/C33M-08, Table 2 (Grading Requirements for Coarse Aggregates) and §6.1 (fine-aggregate grading) — read from a public reproduction of the standard text; Independent digit-checks: NESL Size & Grading Requirements chart (AASHTO M43-harmonized columns, cell-identical to the C33 print); Hunker ASTM #57 stone specifications; Komplet America #57/#67 gradations; matestlabs/transcalc C33 fine-aggregate reproductions; State-DOT gradation tables were excluded as sources — DOTs modify the C33/M43 bands (the reason this chart is gated to C33-labeled reproductions)