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MEASURE TWICE... CUT ONCE! TIPS FOR MEASURING UP YOUR LANDSCAPE PROJECT.

Are you planning a landscaping project for your yard, but you’re unsure how to calculate the required products?

When planning a landscaping project, accurately estimating the amount of material you need (mulch, soil, gravel etc) is important for both budget and efficiency.

Ordering too much can be costly and wasteful, while ordering too little can delay your project and result in additional delivery costs.

Here are things to consider when calculating the volume needs for common landscaping materials.

Start with your measurements.

All bulk landscape products are calculated in cubic metres for estimating and ordering. To calculate this, multiply the length by width and then the depth you wish the product to be. This figure is cubic metres (m3)

If the area is odd shaped (circle etc) you may need to drag out your old school math books lol... or maybe google online area calculators. If you have multiple areas, each area will need to be measured then added together for total m3.

The exceptions to this rule are turf and pavers which is measured in square metres (m2)

Understand and allow for product characteristics.

Different landscaping products have varying characteristics that can alter your ordering needs. For instance, most mulches will ‘mat-down’ over time and reduce the overall coverage, so this needs to be factored into your requirements. Base products such as road base and crusher dust, once compacted, can lose up to 25% of their original volume. You will need to make allowances for this loss.

When calculating volume needs, not all products are ‘one for one’.

One of the most important factors in getting your quantities right is understanding not all products are ‘1 tonne to the cubic metre’. This is known as the ‘cubic mass’ of a product. Generally, the denser the product, the heavier it will be when measured by volume. For example, most solid gravels weigh approximately 1.3 tonne per cubic metre by volume, On the other end of the landscaping spectrum, mulches weigh approximately 300 kgs per cubic metre by volume.

The easy way to look at it is… 1 tonne of bricks and 1 tonne of feathers weigh exactly the same… but 1 tonne of feathers will take up a far bigger area!

Why Is Cubic Mass so important?

Once your cubic metre requirements are calculated, you will need to multiply this figure with the designated cubic mass to work out the overall weight requirements.

e.g. If you need a total of 4 m3 of gravel and the cubic mass conversion rate is 1.3 tonne per metre, your calculations will be 4 x 1.3 = 5.2 tonne which will equal 5x 1 tonne bulka bags.

To help you, we have included the cubic mass conversion on the 'More Information' tab on each product page on our webpage.

The reason products must be calculated by weight is down to one major reason… Safety.

All Bulka bags have a maximum weight capacity once filled. If this weight is exceeded, the integrity of the bag is compromised, risking potential damage caused by rupturing of the bag.

The vehicle transporting the product, whether it is a customer’s trailer or a freight company’s truck, has a legal obligation to not exceed weight-carrying capacity of their vehicle due to road safety laws.

Any reputable landscape supply outlet should be loading bulka bags and vehicles with the use of loader scales. This not only maintains safe working loads, but also ensures the customer gets volume consistency with their orders.

Next Step?

Now you have your final volume requirements, it's just a matter of jumping online and placing your order. Maybe give thought to some short-term future projects. This way you can utilize your delivery options to maximize cost-effectiveness. The big adavntage of having landscape products delivered in Bulka Bags means you can re-seal and store unused bags until you are ready for your next project... and save on a second delivery charge!

However, if estimating still seems a little daunting, give us a call 1300 097 696 and we can help calculate your project needs for you!