Type 1, gravel and sand calculator

How many tonnes of Type 1, gravel, sand, ballast or topsoil for an area and depth, with the bulk bags or lorry loads to order.

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Measure the area off the drawing with Take-off, then put the tonnes on a purchase order or into your quote, priced from your Book of rates. Save it to the job.

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Worked example

A sub-base for a drive 6 m × 4 m, 150 mm of Type 1, with the usual extra for compaction:

8.32 tonnes of MOT Type 1 sub-base

24.00 m² at 150 mm deep = 3.60 m³ laid
At about 2.1 t per m³, plus 10% for compaction and waste
10 bulk bags (about 0.85 t each), or 1 tipper load (up to 20 t)

How the sum works

Area × depth gives the volume in m³. The calculator multiplies by the material's typical loose density (about 2.1 t per m³ for Type 1, 1.6 for gravel and sharp sand, 1.3 for topsoil) and adds an extra: 10 percent for Type 1, which compacts down, and 5 percent for the others unless you change it.

Bulk bags and loads

A builders' merchant's bulk bag holds roughly 0.85 tonnes, though it varies by merchant and material. Above about 5 tonnes a tipper load is usually cheaper: ask the merchant what their lorry carries and whether it can tip where you need it.

Before you order

Densities change with moisture and grading, so treat the tonnes as a good estimate, not a weighbridge figure. The sub-base depth for a drive or a slab comes from the design, the engineer or building control, not from the calculator.

Guides that go with it

How to calculate how much concrete you needFree concrete calculator for slabs, footings, trench fill and round piers, in m3 with extra for waste and the number of bags. Worked examples and ordering ready-mix.How do I do a quantity take-off from drawings?How to take off quantities from drawings for a small job: scale check, set order, deductions, waste and pricing, with a worked garden room example.What should I put in a quote for building work?What a quote for building work should say: scope, exclusions, drawings, price and VAT, validity, payment stages, dates, provisional sums and variations.

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