TL;DR
Granular base is the layer of compacted crushed stone, commonly 3/4-inch minus aggregate, placed over prepared subgrade to support concrete slabs, pavers, and asphalt. Its angular particles interlock under plate compaction to create a stable, free-draining platform, typically 4 inches under patios and 6 to 12 inches under driveways depending on soil and climate.
What it means
Granular base is the layer of compacted crushed stone, commonly 3/4-inch minus aggregate, placed over prepared subgrade to support concrete slabs, pavers, and asphalt. Its angular particles interlock under plate compaction to create a stable, free-draining platform, typically 4 inches under patios and 6 to 12 inches under driveways depending on soil and climate. Skimping on thickness or compacting in lifts that are too deep is a leading cause of slab settlement and paver ruts that appear within a few winters.
Where it sits in the glossary
Granular base is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.