# Forum Home Renovation Paving  How much roadbase to order?

## tony2096

I'm trying to calculate how much roadbase I need for 18 sq meters with an average depth of 150mm (compacted). Using the calculator on this website  http://www.pavingexpert.com/calcall.htm#focus14 I get an answer of 5.3 tonnes of DTp1 (which I assume would be the same?) but when  I rang up ANL they said I only need 2.9 tonnes. 
What formula do you guys use? 
Also, what is the formula for paving sand? 
Tony

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## dazzler

I would go with cubic metres and then leave it to them work out how many tonnes. The weight is really irrelevant to me as I want to know how much they have delivered by volume. 
You need 2.7cm So I would ask for 3cubic metres to be delivered..   
I would have thought it ways more than 1.1tonne a cubic meter.  My skid steer really notices crusher dust and similar.

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## tony2096

Does roadbase compress much?  
If I need 3 cubic meters after compaction, do I pretty much just need to order 3 cubic meters of roadbase?

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## Bloss

My guess is they said 2.9m3 (rather than tonnes) - which is about a 5% allowance about the 2.77 or so you need - as dazzler said. That would allow for compression, but it can be variable - just get 3m3 or a little over (they usually measure 'full' anyway).  :2thumbsup:  
As to the paving sand it is dependent on the depth you will use for the sand 40-50mm is what I uses - I have seen shallower -25-40mm, but IMO it doesn't matter much. So for 50mm depth you would need 18000x.05 = about a cubic metre. As you might have noticed if the road base is 1500 then the sand will be 1/3 of the so 1/3 needed - .9m3 round up to 1m3. 
I have to say unless you have a need to raise the area 150mm seems a deep base. Nothing wrong with that, but costs more and no point unless you have too.

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## Terrian

crushed rock = about 1.3t per m3
paving sand = about 1.5t per m3
(depends on how wet or dry the product is, both soak up a fair amount of water !) 
but really, just order by volume, it would be very few and far between garden supplies that have scales or a weigh bridge.

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## tony2096

Thanks guys - I'll order by volume...sounds much more straightforward! 
Another thing that ANL said that surprised me was when I asked about jointing sand (ie the sand you brush into the cracks after laying the pavers). They said they just sell their paving blend (described as double washed Nepean river sand) for use in both the bedding layer and as the jointing sand.  
Now I've read about special jointing sand - should I look around for someone who sells this or does this paving blend sound adequate? 
Tony

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## Bloss

> Thanks guys - I'll order by volume...sounds much more straightforward! 
> Another thing that ANL said that surprised me was when I asked about jointing sand (ie the sand you brush into the cracks after laying the pavers). They said they just sell their paving blend (described as double washed Nepean river sand) for use in both the bedding layer and as the jointing sand.  
> Now I've read about special jointing sand - should I look around for someone who sells this or does this paving blend sound adequate? 
> Tony

  You use what you have used to sit the pavers on . . .

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## jamc0984

Road base in SE QLD weighs in at 1.7 tonne to the cubic metre (work in a landscape yard!) Most pebble and rock and sand, about 1.5 tonne and soils depending on organic content, 0.9 tonne. 
Dont use your bedding sand to fill the gaps (river sand) its usually way too coarse. Cement Australia make a product called Gap sand (you should be able to get it down there) with a silicon additive that will last a lot longer even their joint fill product (kiln dried sand) will work better. Alternatively, Boral Masonary also have a product called Geofix which when exposed to air goes off in a bout 45 minutes and sets like concrete (chemical reaction) very effective, but about 60 bucks to do 8 metres square.

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## tony2096

Thanks jamc - I've found a local supplier of the Australia cement gap sand you mention so that sounds like it's the best for me for filling the gaps. 
Also thanks for the density values for the road-base etc - now I can hopefully avoid ordering double (or half) what I need! 
Tony

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## Bloss

> Road base in SE QLD weighs in at 1.7 tonne to the cubic metre (work in a landscape yard!) Most pebble and rock and sand, about 1.5 tonne and soils depending on organic content, 0.9 tonne. 
> Dont use your bedding sand to fill the gaps (river sand) its usually way too coarse. Cement Australia make a product called Gap sand (you should be able to get it down there) with a silicon additive that will last a lot longer even their joint fill product (kiln dried sand) will work better. Alternatively, Boral Masonary also have a product called Geofix which when exposed to air goes off in a bout 45 minutes and sets like concrete (chemical reaction) very effective, but about 60 bucks to do 8 metres square.

  I should have expanded a little - it depends on the sand used for bedding as jamc says - you have to know what you are looking at when you see the bedding sand supplied. The sands I have used for bedding have been OK for filling too - so your local supplied sand will be the guide.

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