The paper demonstrates the contribution of the type and particle size distribution of ballast materials to the result of obtaining the required performance indicators of the ballast layer of the railway embankment. The criteria influencing the quality of crushed stone and its functional affiliation are investigated. The necessary and sufficient criteria for the formation of the optimal granulometric composition of functionally selected ballast materials are established, which make it possible to obtain embankments with specified parameters of structure and properties. The proposed methods were tested in the development of a practical technology for obtaining embankments with specified operational properties based on the optimal granulometric composition of various fractions of polymineral waste after glass chemical polishing.