Sand, crushed stone and screenings: how to order with delivery at a good price
The price is set by the distance, not only the material
Sand, crushed stone and screenings cost relatively little, but delivery can be a noticeable share of the total. So the address is one of the most important lines of your request. Give the town or area: suppliers will work out the distance from the quarry and offer a real price including transport. What is worth comparing is the price “delivered to the site”.
Which material for what
- Washed sand — for concrete, mortar, plaster and sandpits; cleaner than quarry sand.
- Quarry and river sand — for filling, backfilling and levelling; quarry sand has more impurities.
- Granite crushed stone — strong, for concrete, foundations and roads.
- Limestone crushed stone — cheaper, for fill and sub-base layers.
- Screenings (stone dust) — the fine particles of crushed stone, for levelling under paving, paths and platforms.
Size, truck and access
Crushed stone is graded by grain size: 5–20 mm, 20–40 mm, 40–70 mm. For concrete people usually take a finer size, and for fill under a foundation or road a larger one. If you are not sure, write what you are building, and the seller will say which size fits.
The material comes in tipper trucks of different capacity. A narrow lane, a gate, overhead power lines and soft ground all affect the choice of truck. Say if you need a smaller truck and where exactly to unload. Also check how the volume is measured: in tonnes or cubic metres, because these units do not match.
What to put in your request
- Material — sand (which kind), crushed stone (granite, limestone), screenings, gravel.
- Volume — tonnes, m³ or number of truckloads.
- Delivery address — the town or area.
- Size — for example 20–40 mm.
- What it is for — foundation, concrete, drainage, fill.
- Truck and access — a large tipper, a narrow entrance.
- Timing — for example tomorrow morning.
- Budget — for example up to ₹1,200 per tonne.
Example: “I need 20 tonnes of 20–40 mm granite crushed stone for a foundation and 10 tonnes of washed sand. Delivery to Whitefield, Bengaluru; the entrance is narrow, so I need a small tipper. Preferably tomorrow morning. Budget up to ₹1,200 per tonne.”
How it works on BlaBlaPrice and what to compare
Instead of looking for quarries and hauliers in classified ads, you write one request. Suppliers in your region answer in the chat: the price per tonne or cubic metre, what the delivery includes, and when they will bring it. Each seller sees where their offer ranks, so they compete on terms. BlaBlaPrice shows the best offer first, and the seller's reviews are next to it. Your phone stays hidden until you choose a supplier. More in how it works.
Check in which units the price is: per tonne, cubic metre or trip. Ask whether delivery is counted, whether the weight of the load is stated and whether you will get a delivery note. For washed sand, check that it really is “washed”, because sometimes the name is used just for sieved sand. Crushed stone should not contain a lot of dust and clay. For concrete, decide whether to take ready-mix or buy the components, and for formwork and frames look at timber and steel products and rebar.
