materials · 3 min read
Best Rock for French Drains
3/4" washed drain rock is the residential standard. Skip pea gravel, unwashed base, and river rock.
Pick 3/4" washed drain rock
3/4" matches the perforation size of standard 4" pipe — big enough to let water through the pipe but small enough to keep gravel out.
Washing removes the fines. Without that step your French drain silts up.
What to skip
Pea gravel packs too tight and doesn't flow well at depth.
Unwashed base rock brings its own fines into the trench.
River rock is round and shifts — it's a decorative topping, not a drain aggregate.
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