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Quartzite chip chart calculator
Put your area, depth and waste allowance in: 500 square feet at 4 inches with 10% waste needs 550.00 square feet, 6.79 cubic yards exact, order 7 cubic yards.
★ CONSTRUCTION · MATERIALS · QUARTZITE CHIP CHART
Quartzite Chip Chart: 7 Cubic Yards, 500 Sq Ft at 4 Inches
On the defaults — 500 square feet at 4 inches deep with a 10% waste allowance — you need 550.00 square feet of coverage, 6.79 cubic yards exact, so order 7 cubic yards of quartzite chips. This is the QUARTZITE CHIP version of the coverage chart — the sandstone-chip-chart page is the SANDSTONE CHIP version — 400 square feet at 4 inches with 10% waste; the granite-chip-chart page is the GRANITE CHIP version — 500 square feet at 2 inches with 10% waste; the basalt-chip-chart page is the BASALT CHIP version — 500 square feet at 3 inches with 10% waste; and the marble-chip-chart page is the MARBLE CHIP version — 600 square feet at 2 inches with 10% waste.
What does 6.79 cubic yards of quartzite chips mean?
It means that a 500-square-foot bed at 4 inches deep needs 550.00 square feet of coverage once a 10% waste allowance is added, and one cubic yard of quartzite chips covers 81 square feet at that depth, so the exact figure is 6.79 cubic yards and the order is 7 cubic yards. The two steps are the whole story in miniature: the waste step grows the area first, and the coverage step turns that grown area into cubic yards. The part people get wrong is ordering the exact figure: a supplier delivers whole yards, and 6.79 yards ordered as 6 leaves the last stretch of bed thin, which is why the order is always rounded up. The other part people get wrong is the reverse — measuring the bed after edging is in, which shrinks the measured area and understates the order by exactly the edging strip.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is 500 square feet really the bed, or the whole garden? Five hundred square feet is the ground the quartzite chips actually cover, and it is the figure the order turns on: the 750-square-foot branch orders 11 cubic yards against the 7-yard headline, so a 250-square-foot measurement difference is four extra yards. Measure length times width of the bed itself, and leave paths, lawn and planting holes out of it — a bed measured with its surroundings priced in orders chips for ground that never gets any.
Is 4 inches really the depth, or the depth after settling? Four inches is the finished layer depth, and it is the figure the coverage turns on: the 3-inch branch orders 6 cubic yards against the 7-yard headline, so one inch is one yard at this size. Chips settle and wash into the soil over the first season, so if the bed must still be 4 inches after settling, start a little deeper or plan a top-up — a depth measured on fresh, loose chips reads deeper than the bed ends up.
Is 10% waste really needed, or is the ground flat? Ten percent is the allowance for spreading loss, uneven ground and edging gaps, and it is the figure the needed area turns on: the 0%-waste branch orders 7 cubic yards against the 7-yard headline, so the waste line does not change the order here — but at other sizes it can, and on a slope it is the honest figure. Use 0% only for a perfectly flat, freshly measured bed with tight edging.
Worked example
On the defaults: 500 square feet, 4 inches deep, 10% waste.
- Coverage per cubic yard: 324 ÷ 4 is 81 square feet.
- Needed area: 500 × 1.10 is 550.00 square feet.
- Exact cubic yards: 550.00 ÷ 81 is 6.79.
- Order: 6.79 rounded up is 7 cubic yards — never rounded down.
And the other way: the area behind 6.79 cubic yards is 500 square feet, the depth behind 6.79 cubic yards is 4 inches, and the waste behind 6.79 cubic yards is 10%. With 0 square feet the model honestly shows 0.00 cubic yards and an order of 0, because a bed with no area needs no quartzite chips — an edge that shows the area is entered independently of the depth. And 81 square feet at 4 inches with 0% waste lands exactly on 1.00 cubic yard and orders exactly 1, not 2, because an exact integer is already a whole load.
Quartzite chip lookup table
Every row below is the same model at 10% waste: needed area is the area times 1.10, coverage is 324 divided by depth, and the order is the exact figure rounded up. Find your area and depth, read across, and order the figure in the last column — do not round down, because a short load leaves the bed thin at the far end.
| Area (sq ft) | Depth (inches) | Needed area (sq ft) | Exact cubic yards | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 | 110.00 | 0.34 | 1 cubic yard |
| 100 | 2 | 110.00 | 0.68 | 1 cubic yard |
| 100 | 3 | 110.00 | 1.02 | 2 cubic yards |
| 100 | 4 | 110.00 | 1.36 | 2 cubic yards |
| 250 | 1 | 275.00 | 0.85 | 1 cubic yard |
| 250 | 2 | 275.00 | 1.70 | 2 cubic yards |
| 250 | 3 | 275.00 | 2.55 | 3 cubic yards |
| 250 | 4 | 275.00 | 3.40 | 4 cubic yards |
| 500 | 1 | 550.00 | 1.70 | 2 cubic yards |
| 500 | 2 | 550.00 | 3.40 | 4 cubic yards |
| 500 | 3 | 550.00 | 5.09 | 6 cubic yards |
| 500 | 4 | 550.00 | 6.79 | 7 cubic yards |
| 750 | 1 | 825.00 | 2.55 | 3 cubic yards |
| 750 | 2 | 825.00 | 5.09 | 6 cubic yards |
| 750 | 3 | 825.00 | 7.64 | 8 cubic yards |
| 750 | 4 | 825.00 | 10.19 | 11 cubic yards |
Every branch, checked
- 500 square feet, 4-inch depth, 0% waste: 500 square feet, 4-inch depth, 0% waste: 6.17 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.
- 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste: 5.09 cubic yards exact — order 6 cubic yards.
- 750 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste: 750 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste: 10.19 cubic yards exact — order 11 cubic yards.
- 250 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste: 250 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste: 3.40 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Area behind 6.79 cubic yards: 500 sq ft — at 500 sq ft the figures are 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 6.11 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 7.47 cubic yards exact — order 8 cubic yards..
- Depth behind 6.79 cubic yards: 4 inches — at 4 inches the figures are 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 5.94 cubic yards exact — order 6 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 7.64 cubic yards exact — order 8 cubic yards..
- Waste behind 6.79 cubic yards: 10% waste — at 10% waste the figures are 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 6.48 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 7.10 cubic yards exact — order 8 cubic yards..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are 500 square feet at 4 inches with 10% waste, so the headline is one garden bed with a deep path-base layer and a standard waste allowance. The model is a division and a rounding: coverage is 324 divided by depth in inches, needed area is area times the waste factor, exact yards are needed area divided by coverage, and the order is the exact figure rounded up. The area reverse is checked at 50 square feet either side, because 50 square feet at 4 inches with waste is about 0.68 yards; the depth reverse is checked at 0.5 inches either side, because half an inch at this size is about 0.68 yards; the waste reverse is checked at 5% either side, because 5% of 500 square feet is 25 square feet, about 0.31 yards. The model does not include delivery minimums, compaction after rain, or the weight limit of the delivery truck — check those with the supplier, and re-measure the bed when the edging moves.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage per cubic yard | 324 ÷ depth in inches | 81 sq ft — 324 ÷ 4, one cubic yard covers 81 square feet at 4 inches. |
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 550.00 sq ft — 500 × 1.10. |
| Exact cubic yards | needed area ÷ coverage per cubic yard | 6.79 — 550.00 ÷ 81. |
| Order | exact cubic yards rounded up | 7 cubic yards — 6.79 rounded up, never down. |
| 500 square feet, 4-inch depth, 0% waste | same model | 6.17 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards. |
| 500 square feet, 3-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 5.09 cubic yards exact — order 6 cubic yards. |
| 750 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 10.19 cubic yards exact — order 11 cubic yards. |
| 250 square feet, 4-inch depth, 10% waste | same model | 3.40 cubic yards exact — order 4 cubic yards. |
| Area behind 6.79 cubic yards | reverse | 500 sq ft: 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards. |
| Depth behind 6.79 cubic yards | reverse | 4 inches: 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards. |
| Waste behind 6.79 cubic yards | reverse | 10% waste: 6.79 cubic yards exact — order 7 cubic yards. |
| 0 square feet | same model | 0.00 cubic yards exact — order 0 cubic yards. |
| Negative area | same model | Area — 0 or more. |
| Zero depth | same model | Depth — more than 0. |
| Negative waste | same model | Waste allowance — 0 or more. |
| 81 square feet, 0% waste | same model | 1.00 cubic yards exact — order 1 cubic yard. |
Who uses this
- A homeowner ordering quartzite chips for a bed — 500 square feet at 4 inches with waste are 7 cubic yards, with the lookup table covering other bed sizes without a second calculation.
- A landscaper quoting a quartzite chip job — the branches price a deeper layer or a bigger bed at once, so a quote change can be costed before the customer is called.
- A garden designer costing a path or border — the depth reverse shows what an extra half inch costs in yards, so a design change can be judged in material, not just in looks.
- A supplier checking a customer order — the reverses recover the area, depth or waste behind any quoted yardage, so a short or generous order can be spotted before the truck leaves.
Accuracy & limitations
Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp, with the order rounded up to whole yards. The main limitation is the inputs, not the arithmetic: whether the area is the bed alone or the bed plus its surroundings, whether the depth is finished or freshly spread, and whether the waste allowance fits the ground are all judgement calls, and this page prices the figures you enter without checking them. This page is a calculation tool, not landscaping advice.
Cite this calculator
Quartzite chips for 500 sq ft at 4 inches with 10% waste need 550.00 sq ft, 6.79 cubic yards exact, order 7 cubic yards, plus a 16-row lookup table. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/quartzite-chip-chart/, accessed 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are quartzite chips used for in a garden bed?
As a hard, pale, sparkling ground cover: they suppress weeds, hold moisture in the soil, and keep beds looking finished without yearly mulching. Quartzite chips drain well, which suits paths and borders, and their pale colour stays cooler in sun than darker stone, though it shows leaves and soil more readily.
How deep should a quartzite chip bed be?
Four inches is the usual depth for a path base or parking strip that takes foot or wheel traffic: enough to stay put and hide the soil, without burying edging or wasting material. A shallow decorative bed usually needs only 2 inches, and every extra inch at 500 square feet is roughly another yard once waste is added.
Why order 7 cubic yards when the exact figure is 6.79?
Because suppliers deliver whole yards, and rounding down leaves the bed short: 6 yards cover about 486 square feet at 4 inches, which is 64 square feet short of the 550 needed. The order is always the exact figure rounded up, so the last stretch of bed is covered, not thin.
Do I need the 10% waste allowance?
On most real beds, yes: spreading loss, uneven ground, edging gaps and the odd wheelbarrow spill all eat into the load. Use 0% only for a perfectly flat, freshly measured bed with tight edging; on a slope, around trees, or with a long haul, the full 10% is the honest figure.
What if my supplier sells by the ton, not the yard?
Ask the supplier for the tons-per-yard of their quartzite chips — it varies by chip size and quarry — and multiply: 6.79 cubic yards times their tons-per-yard is the tonnage. Do not guess the conversion, because a wrong tons-per-yard figure moves the order by whole tons.
Do quartzite chips compact after delivery?
Yes, a little: fresh chips settle into the soil and each other over the first season, so a bed spread at exactly 4 inches can read closer to 3.5 inches a year later. If the bed must stay at 4 inches, spread slightly deep at the start or plan a small top-up, and re-check the depth before ordering a second load.