HOW TO MEASURE AGGREGATE

How To Measure Aggregate

It’s important to know how much gravel/stone you need to be able to carry out your garden project before you begin. If you haven't worked this out, it makes purchasing all your materials difficult and can leave you short or with too much product at the end. 

Not knowing how much material you need and how far the product will spread could cause delays for you if you end up requiring more. As much as we strive to deliver as quickly as possible, no one likes starting a job and having to pause to wait for another delivery.

We sell our aggregates in two forms: 25kg Pre-Packed Bags or our Bulk Bags (Builders Bags). The Bulk Bags vary in weight depending on the type of aggregate as some are heavier than others.

How do I work it out? 

To work out how much aggregate you’ll need, you will need to know the size of the area first and foremost. Measuring the length and the width will give you your dimensions. To work out the square footage of the area, multiply the length by the width. This will give you a general idea of the area needing to be covered. 

As we all know, not every garden is perfectly square. A handy tip to make calculations easier for yourself is to split your garden down into square or rectangular sections where possible, you can then add the square footage figures together to get a complete total. 

As a general rule of thumb a 25KG bag would cover an area 0.3m in length by 0.3m in width to a depth of 40mm. So for an area 1m by 1m at a depth of 40mm you would require 3 bags. 

On average an 850KG Bulk Bag contains approximately 42 bags worth of aggregates. 

It is more cost efficient to buy in bulk, providing you will use it all.

*This is an approximate guide, this may vary depending on the size of the stone and the base you are laying on. 

** Figures have been rounded to the nearest decimal point. 

If you are using the gravel/stone for a driveway that will be driven on regularly, you want to lay your aggregates at a thicker depth than if they are being used for decorative purposes. 

How do I know how deep my aggregate needs to be?  

As stated above, the size of the aggregate you are using can have an effect upon how much you need. Different sized aggregates need to be laid at different depths to ensure a good coverage and level of stability.

We recommend for aggregates that are 10mm, 14mm or 20mm, the depth for decorative purposes be 30-45mm and for driveways 50-60mm. For 40-75mm we suggest 40-50mm for decorative and 50-60mm for driveways.

We hope this helps, however please ask one of our dedicated team for assistance if you are unsure about anything.