Project overview
Understand quantities, dilution, container selection and calculation assumptions. This guide distinguishes aggregate stabilization from the broader construction and drainage decisions that determine pathway performance. It is designed to help specifiers, contractors and owners prepare clear questions before ordering materials.
Takeoff and calculation methods
Divide the work into measurable sections with known width, length and treated depth. The current estimator uses 15 gallons of concentrate per 1,000 square feet at a three-inch depth and includes a simplified 18-inch perimeter allowance. This is a planning model rather than guaranteed coverage for every aggregate. Verify consumption on a mockup before committing to a large material order, especially for complex path geometries. For a 100-foot-by-10-foot path at three inches, the model calculates 19.95 gallons of concentrate including its perimeter allowance and rounds up to 20 gallons.
Prepare the input geometry
Measure the actual stabilized footprint rather than the total landscape area. Split curves, widened entrances and intersections into practical rectangular segments. Record length and width in feet and the intended treated depth in inches for each segment. Note places where shared edges might cause a simplified perimeter formula to overestimate.
Work through the baseline
The PolyFirm estimator uses 15 gallons of concentrate per 1,000 square feet at three inches of depth, scaled with depth. It then adds a simplified perimeter allowance equivalent to an 18-inch-wide strip. This formula describes how the site calculates a planning estimate; it does not establish actual performance for any particular aggregate.
A numerical path example
For a 100-foot-long, 10-foot-wide path at three inches, the basic area is 1,000 square feet, requiring a nominal 15 gallons. Its 220-foot perimeter adds 330 square feet at 1.5 feet wide, requiring 4.95 more gallons. The precise estimate is 19.95 gallons and the project total is rounded upward to 20 gallons of concentrate.
Separate water from concentrate
With the planning dilution of one part concentrate to five parts water, a 20-gallon concentrate quantity corresponds to about 100 gallons of mixing water. The water is not additional concentrate to purchase. Verify the current manufacturer instructions and ensure a practical clean-water supply where work takes place.
How packaging affects an estimate
The quote builder evaluates five-gallon buckets, 55-gallon drums and 275-gallon IBC totes and can group or split project areas. A packaging suggestion is not inventory confirmation or a delivered price. Include the installation schedule, available unloading equipment and site address in a quote request.