Engineered rip-rap for erosion control, slope armoring, and channel work. Drain rock for french drains, foundation perimeter drainage, and infiltration. Two material families, one call, sized to the spec your engineer actually wrote.
Rip-rap is large angular stone placed to resist erosion in flood channels, bridge fills, graded slopes, and culvert outfalls. The job is to stay put while water moves across it at speed. Drain rock is smaller, clean-washed aggregate placed to let water move through it. French drains, foundation perimeters, infiltration basins, leach fields. The job of drain rock is to be the path water takes, not the barrier.
Putting the wrong material in the wrong place is the most common failure on drainage and erosion work. Drain rock under real runoff velocity washes away. Rip-rap in a french drain clogs and holds water against the thing you were trying to protect. We supply both, we deliver them on the same job, and we will tell you which one belongs where.
Two product families on one page because they show up on the same jobs. Pick the side that matches the problem.
Armor against flowing water, not a drainage aggregate.
Drainage aggregate, not an armor layer.
Three gradations that cover most Clark County, NDOT, and private civil work. Custom D50 available when the engineer calls for it.
Heavy-duty erosion armor
Our largest standard grade, sized for impact resistance on the jobs where water velocity actually matters.
Mid-range erosion control
The most-spec'd residential and commercial grade. Easier to place than the big stuff, and it still reads as engineered armor rather than landscape rock.
Tight D50 gradation
When the engineer specs a D50 and a gradation curve, this is the grade that hits the paperwork.
Culvert outfalls are where erosion shows up first. Water exits a concrete pipe carrying the energy it picked up inside, hits the slope, and starts cutting. An engineered rip-rap apron absorbs that energy before it can undermine the pipe or the fill behind it.
The apron is sized by velocity at the pipe outlet, usually stepping from a larger D50 at the pipe face down to smaller transition rock at the edges of the scour pad. We supply the full gradation in one delivery when the plan calls for it, so the crew does not lose a half day chasing transition stone.
3/4 drain rock for standard drainage, 1.5 inch drain rock for heavier applications. Both clean-washed and screened, loaded from our yard for french drains, foundation perimeters, and under-slab drainage across the Valley.
Standard drainage aggregate
Tan and buff colored, clean-screened, ready to drop in a trench and backfill over. Our default drain rock for residential and light-commercial drainage work.
Heavier drainage layer
The step up when 3/4" drain rock would choke under sediment, or when the engineer wants more void space for stormwater carry.
Pro tip: A french drain is only as good as what it sits on. Filter fabric under the rock, perforated pipe pitched at 1 percent minimum, then 3/4 drain rock as the backfill. Skip the fabric and the drain chokes in a few seasons.
The quick reference. The engineer's plan still wins when the two disagree.
| Scenario | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Residential slope or ravine stabilization | Rip-Rap 4 to 8" | Mid-range armor handles normal runoff and is reasonable to place by hand or small equipment. |
| Commercial property slope reinforcement | Rip-Rap 4 to 8" or 6" D50 | Standard commercial grade. Reads as engineered without needing the big 18" blocks. |
| Flood control channel or bridge fill | Rip-Rap 12" D50 | High velocity needs heavier stone, and both the paperwork and the inspector want the 12" D50. |
| Highway embankment per NDOT spec | Engineered D50 per plan | NDOT calls the grade on the plan, and we pull from the closest quarry that ships to that spec. |
| Foundation perimeter drain | 3/4 drain rock | Standard residential drainage aggregate that moves water away from the footing before it becomes a problem. |
| Leach field or infiltration basin | 1.5" Drain Rock | Larger voids carry more water before sediment builds up, which means less maintenance downstream. |
| Under-slab capillary break | 3/4" Drain Rock | Clean, open-graded drain rock with no fines to wick moisture into the slab. |
Clark County flood control basins, concrete-lined channels transitioning to rip-rap aprons, and detention pond spillways. When the plan calls for D50 sizing, we match the gradation and ship the test data that travels with the load.
NDOT embankment protection, bridge approach fills, culvert inlets and outfalls, and abutment armoring. We supply rip-rap that meets state spec directly to county and municipal contractors, loaded from the closest of our 42 sourced quarries.
Properties backed against desert washes or graded slopes in the Valley. Rip-rap locks the slope in place before the first monsoon-season storm finds a weakness. Mid-range 4 to 8" is usually the right call for homes and HOAs.
3/4 drain rock in a trench with filter fabric and a perforated pipe moves water away from the foundation before it pushes into the slab. Standard residential detail, also used in commercial perimeter drains and under-slab capillary breaks.
Planter-bed drainage, downspout infiltration pits, and dry streambeds with structural intent. Drainage rock hides under the finish material and keeps the water moving when the monsoon arrives.
Septic drain fields and engineered stormwater infiltration basins where sediment load would clog smaller aggregate. 1.5" drain rock buys years of service before the voids pack down.
| If the Problem Is… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Water moving fast and you need to stop erosion | Rip-Rap | Sized for velocity so the stones stay put while water keeps going. |
| Water collecting and you need to move it out | Drain Rock | Open-graded, washed, high flow. Drain rock is the path water takes, not the barrier. |
| Slope on a commercial or residential property | Rip-Rap 4 to 8" | Reads as engineered armor, reasonable to place, and a common county spec. |
| Foundation perimeter or french drain | 3/4 drain rock | Standard drainage gradation that bridges over perforated pipe slots without clogging. |
| Engineered D50 specified on the plan | Rip-Rap 12" D50 | Tight-graded and documented, so it passes the submittal. |
| Leach field or infiltration basin | 1.5" Drain Rock | Larger voids mean less sediment packing and longer service life. |
Real drain rock from our yard, real rip-rap from sourced quarries. Color varies pinkish-tan to grey-buff depending on source.
3/4" #67, 1.5", and 1x3" for general drainage, ready-mix feedstock, and sub-base work above drain rock layers.
ExploreWhen the rip-rap apron transitions back to a drivable or bearing surface, Type II base carries the load.
ExplorePipe bedding and backfill sand for the perforated drain pipe under a french drain or foundation drain.
ExploreRough backfill behind a rip-rap armor layer where non-structural fill is all the plan calls for.
ExploreTell us the D50 or the trench size, the tonnage, and the site. We will call you with a quote, delivery windows, the nearest sourced quarry, and any submittal paperwork your engineer wants to see.