Most ordering mistakes come from measuring in the wrong unit. Paving is sold by the square metre, walling by the tonne, coping by the linear metre and steps by the piece. Measure a wall in square metres and you will have a number that is correct and useless.
This guide explains how to measure for each type of stone, what to add for cuts, and what to send us if you would rather we worked it out with you.
Pick what you are building and enter your measurements. Every figure is an estimate to plan with; we confirm quantities when you enquire. Nothing here is added to your basket.
Paving is sold per square metre. Measure each rectangle of the area; add another for L-shapes and separate patches.
Enter a length and width for every area to see an estimate.
| What you are buying | Sold by | What to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Paving and flags | square metre | Area: length × width |
| Crazy paving | square metre | Area: length × width |
| Dressed walling | square metre, or by the tonne or linear metre on some projects | Wall face area |
| Drystone walling | tonne | Face area for a cladding skin; length, height and base width for a freestanding wall |
| Sawn setts | square metre, or by the tonne for some orders | Area to be covered |
| Cobbles | tonne bag; also sold as edging | Area to be covered, at roughly 2.5 to 3 m² per tonne bag; for edging, the length of the run in linear metres |
| Coping and wall cappings | linear metre | The run along the top of the wall |
| Steps | piece | Count them, and measure each length |
| Rockery stone | tonne | Discuss the feature with us |
The unit is shown on every product page next to the price, so check it there before you order. Where a product can be supplied either by area or by weight, the basis you are quoted on matters more than the number.
For a rectangle, multiply length by width. A patio 6 m by 5 m is 30 m².
For anything irregular, split it into rectangles and triangles you can actually measure, work each one out, and add them together. A triangle is half its base times its height. Do not try to average an awkward shape into a single rectangle.
Then add for cuts. We suggest adding 10% for cuts and wastage, so a 20 m² patio typically requires around 22 m². Cuts around curves, steps, manhole covers and planting beds all consume more stone than a square terrace does, so treat 10% as the starting point rather than the ceiling.
Measure twice. It costs nothing and it is far cheaper than a second delivery.
This is where the units change, and it is the one most people get wrong. There are two ways a stone wall gets built, and they need very different amounts of stone.
A cladding skin on a block wall. Retaining walls are usually built this way: a blockwork or concrete wall does the structural work, and a single skin of stone about 100 to 120 mm deep faces it. Measure the face, total length multiplied by total height. A wall 10 m long and 0.5 m high has 5 m² of face. A standard tonne bag, around 800 kg, covers roughly 2.5 to 3 m² of face, so that wall needs about two bags.
A freestanding double-skin wall built entirely from the stone. Two faces, with a packed core of smaller hearting stone between them, so it uses far more than twice a cladding skin. As a guide, at 600 mm high allow roughly two-thirds to one bag per metre run for a wall 450 to 525 mm wide at the base, and around 1.1 to 1.3 bags per metre for a full 600 mm-wide wall with a buried footing course. The Dry Stone Walling Association's rule of thumb for a full-height field wall is about a tonne of stone per square metre of face.
Reclaimed stone is best ordered with 10 to 15% extra for waste. These are guides from our published coverage and the walling association's rule, not a quotation, so send us the wall's length, height and base width and we will confirm the quantity before you order.
Sawn setts are usually supplied by the square metre, so measure the area exactly as you would for paving and add for cuts.
Cobbles are sold by the tonne bag but laid by the square metre. As a rule of thumb a tonne bag covers about 2.5 to 3 m², so measure the area as you would for paving, divide by that coverage and round up to whole bags. They are deep rather than flat (our reclaimed Yorkstone cobbles run approximately 150 to 200 mm wide by 200 to 250 mm long by 150 to 200 mm deep), so the exact coverage depends on the size you choose and how tightly they are set; tell us the area and the size and we will confirm the tonnage. Cobbles are also sold as edging: for that, measure the run in linear metres and send it to us with the cobble size.
Rockery stone is sold by the tonne and is not really a measuring job at all. Send us photographs and rough dimensions of the feature you have in mind and we will talk it through.
Coping is sold by the linear metre. Measure along the top of the wall, following it round any returns, and add the lengths together. Do not include the wall's height or thickness in that figure. Tell us the width of the wall you are capping, because the coping has to sit correctly on it.
Steps are sold by the piece. Count how many treads you need and measure the length of each one. If they are bullnose, or you need a specific overhang, say so at the enquiry stage, because that is a specification question and not a quantity one.
Most of our products also carry a quantity calculator on the product page itself. Put your measurements in and it will estimate the coverage for the product and selection you are looking at, which takes the guesswork out of the conversion. It is the quickest way to sanity-check a figure you have worked out by hand.
Order a free sample while you are there. It costs you nothing and it is worth seeing the stone against your house before you commit to a quantity.
Send us the following and we will do the sums with you:
Talk to us about your project. If you want to understand the money as well as the quantity, our Yorkstone paving cost guide sets out what to ask for in a written quotation.
Browse the ranges while you are measuring: paving, walling, setts and cobbles, coping and steps.
It depends on the unit it is sold in. For paving, measure the area in metres, length times width, and add around 10% for cuts. For walling, measure the wall face and convert to tonnes. For coping, measure the run in linear metres. For steps, count the pieces.
Multiply length by width for a rectangle. For an irregular shape, divide it into rectangles and triangles, measure each, and add them together. Then add your allowance for cuts.
We suggest starting at 10%. A patio with curves, steps or a lot of edges will use more than a plain rectangle, so discuss the allowance with your installer rather than treating one percentage as universal.
Say how it is built first. A single cladding skin on a block wall needs its face area, length times height, at roughly 2.5 to 3 m² per 800 kg bag. A freestanding double-skin wall built from the stone needs roughly two-thirds to one bag per metre run at 600 mm high, more for a full 600 mm-wide wall with a footing course. Send us length, height and base width and we will confirm.
Both, depending on what it is. Paving, crazy paving and sawn setts are normally supplied by the square metre. Drystone walling, cobbles and rockery stone are sold by the tonne. Coping goes by the linear metre and steps by the piece. The basis is shown on each product page beside the price.
Yes. Send the dimensions, a sketch or photographs, and the product you are considering, and we will work through the quantity with you before anything is ordered.
345 reviews
The Hebden stone has completely transformed our patio area.
A great company to work with for our courtyard garden project. The customer service was fantastic and the Hebden stone has completely transformed our patio area. Speedy delivery and very little breakages — any variations just add to the charm.
Henry's project shows what Hebden does in a contemporary courtyard. — Yorkstone Supplies
