Paving slab specific weight: weight of 1 m²

Traditional asphalt or concrete road covering is now successfully replaced by paving slabs. This alternative, varied in shape and color, can completely change the look of familiar courtyards, areas, driveways, squares and parks. Paving slabs have many advantages, both technical and aesthetic. They fit well into any landscape design project where at least one path is planned and give a landscaped area a finished, distinctive appearance.

Types and Characteristics of Paving Slabs

Concrete slabs for paving sidewalks are produced by two methods, each with its own advantages:

• Vibrocasting is a simple and well-proven technology. Tiles made by this method are fairly wear-resistant and uniform in structure, durable, and, if production rules are followed, have an excellent appearance. The only drawback is that they do not withstand heavy mechanical loads.

• Pressing is an innovative technological method, more expensive than the previous one, but the resulting tiles are stronger and can be used on road sections with increased weight loads.

The main components are high-quality cement, sand and a small amount of water. Sometimes fine gravel is added to the mixture as a filler and to create a specific structure. Special pigments are used to give color; they are added directly to the mixture during mixing, or paints are applied to the surface of paving slabs. Excessively bright shades may indicate incorrect proportions, which can reduce material quality.

To increase strength and abrasion resistance, fiber or other reinforcing elements are added to the mixture.

Advantages

The clear advantages of laying paving slabs on roads, paths and sidewalks include:

• simple installation;

• wide choice of textures and colors;

• durability and abrasion resistance;

• environmental cleanliness;

• chemical inertness;

• frost resistance, heat resistance and moisture resistance;

• puddles do not form on a properly laid paving slab surface;

• soil water balance is not disturbed, which is important for garden plots.

Paving Slab Weight

When preparing a project for laying a garden path, sidewalk or area near a house, it is necessary to calculate the surface area accurately in order to buy the required amount of tile. But it often happens that a small amount of material is still missing, because paving slabs are bought by whole pallets or square meters. The weight of a pallet of paving slabs is quite large, because it contains an average of 12.5 square meters. Depending on product thickness, pallet weight can range from 660 kg for 3 cm thick tiles to 1600 kg for 6 cm thick tiles.

Calculating purchase weight by square meters is much easier. To do this, you need to know how much the selected paving slab weighs, meaning the weight of 1 m². Multiplying this value by the installation surface area gives the weight of the entire purchased batch.

For example, a 500x500x50 paving slab weighing 33 kg per piece gives about 132 kg per 1 m², because four such slabs fit into one square meter. Square formats are popular because they are easier to lay across an area, while the face pattern can create different paving designs. The exact weight of a 400x400x50 slab or any other format should be checked in the data sheet of the specific manufacturer.