Aggregate Order Sheet
Measure, convert, and CHECK THE UNIT before you ring the yard. Tons and cubic yards are not close numbers.
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The job
- Location
- Date
- Material
- Supplier
- Sells by (tons / yards)?
- Density quoted
- Depth
- CUBIC YARDS
- TONS
- Price per unit
Sections — measure irregular areas as rectangles
| Section | Length | Width | Depth | Cubic ft | Cubic yd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The arithmetic
- Cubic feet
- length x width x (depth in inches / 12)
- Cubic yards
- cubic feet / 27
- Tons
- cubic yards x density
- Loose gravel density
- about 1.35-1.5 tons/cu yd
- Some crushed stone
- up to about 1.7
- Compacted
- around 1.55
- ⚠ 5.9 cu yd
- = about 8.3 tons — NOT a close number
- Ordering 6 when you need 8.3 t
- 28% short
- Ordering 8 when you need 5.9 yd
- 35% over
- Driveway surface
- about 4 in; path or bed, about 2 in
Before ordering
- ASK whether they price by the ton or the cubic yard
- Density asked for, for the ACTUAL material
- Depth decided — and layers counted separately if building up
- Irregular areas measured as rectangles and added
- A little extra allowed for settling
- Delivery access checked — a tipper needs room and headroom
- Somewhere for it to be tipped that is not where it must end up
- Geotextile fabric costed — cheaper than replacing lost stone
- Edging planned to stop it migrating sideways
- Help and wheelbarrows arranged; check the weight in pounds first
Check the unit before you say a number
About 5.9 cubic yards is about 8.3 tons for the same pile. Say the wrong figure to the wrong yard and you are 28 percent short or 35 percent over, on a delivery that cannot go back. Suppliers are genuinely split on which they sell by, so this is one question to ask before any other.
Look at the weight before you plan the labour
The pounds figure is on this sheet for a reason. A modest driveway is several tons, a loaded wheelbarrow is about 300 pounds, and the distance from where the lorry can tip to where the gravel needs to be is the number that decides whether this is an afternoon or a weekend.