Gravel wearing courses (GWC) on unpaved roads are exposed to traffic and severe climate, including freeze–thaw and repeated wetting–drying, which can lead to rutting, surface degradation and increased maintenance needs. Chemical stabilization is one way to improve performance, and lignosulfonate products are of special interest because they are bio-based binders already used as dust suppressants on gravel roads. Lignin is contained in the cell walls of plants and obtained as a byproduct of the paper and lignocellulosic industries (Misra et al., 2011). Lignin, representing the third largest fraction of plant biomass, is a large complex polymer of phenylpropane and methoxy groups, a noncarbohydrate polyphenolic substance that encrusts plant cell walls and cements plant cells together (Kim et. al., 2012). Most lignin-based industrial products in the forms of binder, dispersant, emulsifier, and sequestrant are derived from sulfite lignin (International Lignin Institute, 2008). Since lignosulphonates are by-products of other processes, they are relatively inexpensive and usually used as a dust control agent during gravel roads maintenance. This paper summarizes the behaviour of a lignin-based stabilizer, Listab, in comparison with an unstabilized reference GWC, based on a laboratory study in which both mixtures were tested under controlled freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs) and soaking–drying cycles (SDCs) using a laboratory light weight deflectometer (LWD).