Aggregates
MOT Type 1, shingle, gravel and crushed stone — what each one is for, which size to order, and how much you need.
Aggregate is the catch-all for crushed rock, gravel and recycled stone used as the structural layer under almost everything: roads, drives, patios, foundations and drainage. The name on the ticket matters, because a sub-base and a drainage stone are not interchangeable — one is graded to compact solid, the other is graded so water runs straight through it.
Sold by
Tonne, bulk bag (~850kg) or full load
Typical spec
BS EN 13242 (unbound), BS EN 12620 (concrete)
Coverage
~1 tonne covers 10m² at 50mm compacted
Bulk density
~1.5–1.6 tonnes per m³ loose
Aggregates on Loadbase
Delivered prices depend on the distance from the yard to your site, so they are quoted against your postcode rather than listed here.
See aggregates near youMOT Type 1 — the default sub-base
MOT Type 1 is crushed rock graded 0–40mm to a Department for Transport specification. The point of the grading is that it contains everything from 40mm stone down to dust, so when it is compacted the fines lock the larger stone together and it sets up like a solid slab.
Use it under driveways, patios, sheds, block paving and road construction. Lay it in 100–150mm layers and whacker-plate each layer; a single thick layer will not compact properly no matter how long you run the plate over it.
Type 1 is not a drainage material. Those same fines that make it compact also make it close to impermeable once it is down. If the job needs water to pass through, you want a clean stone instead.
Clean stone, shingle and gravel
Single-sized washed stone with the fines screened out — usually sold as 10mm, 20mm or 40mm. Because there are no fines, water drains freely and it never compacts solid.
10mm suits drainage runs, pipe bedding and finer concrete mixes. 20mm is the general-purpose size: soakaways, French drains, concrete mixes and decorative ground cover. 40mm is used for heavy drainage, as a capping layer and on tracks where you want something that will not travel underfoot.
Shingle is rounded, dredged or river-worn; crushed gravel is angular. Rounded stone looks better and is kinder underfoot; angular stone knits together and stays put on a slope.
Recycled and secondary aggregates
Crushed concrete (often 6F2 or Type 1 recycled), scalpings and road planings are the recycled end of the market. They do the same structural job as primary stone for a lower price and a much lower carbon cost.
For most domestic sub-base work recycled Type 1 performs identically to virgin stone. Where a specification names a primary aggregate — structural concrete, highway surface courses — it will say so explicitly, and the DoP will confirm what you have been sent.
How much to order
Aggregate is sold by weight but laid by volume, so the sum you need is: area × depth × bulk density.
As a working rule, one tonne covers about 10m² at 50mm depth once compacted, or about 5m² at 100mm. Loose material bulks up roughly 20–30% more than its compacted volume, so order for the compacted figure and expect the pile to look bigger than you were expecting.
Order slightly over rather than under. A part-load top-up costs far more per tonne than the original delivery, because you are paying for a lorry either way.
Work out how much you need
Common questions
How many tonnes of MOT Type 1 do I need for a driveway?
For a typical domestic driveway at 150mm compacted depth, allow about 0.3 tonnes per square metre. A 5m × 10m drive (50m²) therefore needs roughly 15 tonnes. Add 10% for consolidation into a soft sub-grade.
What is the difference between MOT Type 1 and Type 3?
Type 1 is 0–40mm and contains fines, so it compacts to a dense, near-impermeable layer. Type 3 is a 0–63mm graded stone with most of the fines removed, so it compacts but still drains — it is specified where a permeable sub-base is required, such as under permeable block paving.
Can I use gravel instead of Type 1 under a patio?
No. Clean gravel has no fines, so it will not lock together under load and the patio will settle unevenly. Use Type 1 or Type 3 for the sub-base and keep the gravel for drainage or decorative use.
How is aggregate delivered?
Loose by tipper lorry (usually 6, 10, 16 or 20 tonnes) or in bulk bags of roughly 850kg. Tipper delivery is far cheaper per tonne but needs room for the lorry to tip safely and a surface it can drive on.
Other materials
Trade guidance, not a specification. Always work to the product's Declaration of Performance and any drawing or engineer's specification for the job. Reviewed 2026-07-12.