Road Base, Pit Run & Construction Materials — East Coast Tasmania
The materials under the surface are what determine how long a driveway, access road, hardstand, or construction platform performs. Properly specified and correctly compacted road base is what separates a surface that holds up for twenty years from one that begins to rut, crack, and soften within a few seasons. Get the base right, and everything built above it has the foundation it needs.
St Helens Quarries produces road base, pit run, and concrete pre-mix sand from our own quarries - graded in-house, stockpiled consistently, and delivered across St Helens, Scamander, St Marys, Fingal, Scottsdale, Derby, Bicheno, and the broader East Coast and North East Tasmania. We supply homeowners building new driveways, builders preparing slab bases, civil contractors working on access roads and site pads, and rural landholders constructing and maintaining farm tracks across the region.
VicRoads-compliant road base (RC 500.02) is available for projects where documented specification is required. If you're not sure which product suits your application, call us - we've been supplying road base across the East Coast for over 25 years and we'll tell you straight what the job needs.
ROAD BASE
-20mm Road Base or FCR
Our most commonly supplied road base - the standard choice for residential driveways, site preparation, concrete slab bases, and pathway construction across the East Coast.
Precisely graded crushed rock and fines engineered to lock together and compact into a hard, stable surface. The 20mm minus grading means every particle, from fine dust to 20mm stone, works together during compaction to create a base that carries load and resists movement over time.
Used daily by builders and homeowners across St Helens, Scamander, St Marys, and Fingal for driveway construction and site preparation. If you're building a new driveway or preparing a slab base, this is the product.
Good for: residential driveways, concrete slab bases, pathway sub-bases, site preparation, commercial hardstands.
-40mm Road Base
A heavy-duty compactable road base for higher-load applications and areas subject to machinery, trucks, or sustained traffic.
The larger aggregate grading provides greater interlock under compaction - delivering a denser, more stable base suited to access roads, farm tracks, rural hardstands, and civil site works across Fingal, St Marys, Scottsdale, and Derby. If your driveway or access road takes heavier-than-normal traffic, or if your ground conditions are soft, this is the product to use.
Good for: access roads with heavy traffic, farm tracks, rural hardstands, civil earthworks, soft ground conditions.
-60mm Road Base
A heavy-duty road base that steps up from -40mm for higher-load applications and tougher ground conditions. The coarser grading compacts into a dense, strong foundation suited to areas subject to heavy vehicles, sustained traffic, and wet or soft ground.
Perfect for car parks, site pads, commercial access roads, and rural hardstands where extra strength and durability are required. Compacts well and performs reliably in tougher ground conditions.
Good for: car parks, site pads, commercial access roads, heavy vehicle driveways, wet ground conditions, high-traffic rural hardstands..
-100mm Road Base - Heavy Duty
Our most robust road base product, engineered for demanding conditions where standard road base isn't enough. Designed for areas with heavy vehicles, continuous high-stress use, and wet or waterlogged ground conditions. Also suitable as a subgrade replacement where the existing ground doesn't have the bearing capacity required.
As the most cost-effective product in our road base range, it's the practical choice for large-scale rural and civil projects across the North East where budget and performance both matter.
Good for: heavy vehicle access, wet and soft ground, high-stress areas, subgrade replacement, large-scale rural road construction.
PIT RUN
Pit Run - Raw Quarry Material
Unprocessed quarry material straight from the ground — a natural mix of fines and rock that provides solid fill at a cost-effective price. No grading, no processing, which is what keeps it affordable for jobs where specification isn't the priority but volume and stability are.
Where the ground is soft, low-lying, or needs building up before other work can begin, Pit Run provides the bulk fill and bearing capacity to get it there. Drains reasonably well for an unprocessed material and handles the kind of conditions that would compromise a finer product.
Good for: bulk fill, building up low-lying areas, wet or soft ground stabilisation, base preparation where ungraded material is acceptable.
PRE-MIX
Concrete Pre-Mix - Sand and Metal Mix
Ready-to-use sand and metal mix for making concrete on site. Manufactured in-house using quality concrete sand and 20mm/14mm aggregate - simply add bagged cement and water to produce a strong, reliable concrete mix. Consistent grading means consistent results every batch.
Good for: footings, posts, small slabs, general concreting, DIY concrete work.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR YOUR PROJECT
The road base range steps up in aggregate size and load-bearing capacity from -20mm through to 100mm heavy-duty — each product occupying a distinct position based on traffic load, ground conditions, and application. For most residential driveways across St Helens and the East Coast, -20mm road base at 150mm compacted depth is the standard. For heavier traffic, softer ground, or higher-load applications, step up through -40mm, -60mm, and 100mm accordingly. Pit Run is the practical choice where bulk fill volume is the priority over specification. Pre-mix sand is for on-site concrete production where a consistent, quality aggregate blend matters.
If you're not sure where your project sits in that range, call us. We'd rather take five minutes to confirm the right product than have you lay a base that underperforms for the application.
All materials are weighed with trade-approved accuracy. Not sure how much you need? Give us your area dimensions and we'll calculate the quantity before you order.
Frequently Asked Questions
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For most residential driveways across St Helens, Scamander, and the East Coast, -20mm road base at 150mm compacted depth is the standard specification. If your driveway regularly takes truck or heavy vehicle traffic, step up to -40mm. For driveways with soft or waterlogged subgrade conditions, -60mm or 100mm heavy-duty provides the bearing capacity to stabilise the ground before the finer base goes on top. Call us with your situation and we'll confirm the right product.
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VicRoads RC 500.02 is the standard specification for road base used in Australian road construction and infrastructure. It defines grading, material quality, and compaction characteristics. It's the specification most councils, engineers, and civil contractors require for driveways, access roads, and infrastructure works. Our -20mm road base is produced in-house to meet this specification. Documentation available on request. Subject to stock availability.
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For a 15-metre driveway, 3 metres wide at 150mm depth, you'll need approximately 6.75 cubic metres or around 13–14 tonnes. Call us with your dimensions and we'll calculate it accurately - it's quicker than guessing and means you don't under-order mid-job.
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Road base is a graded, processed product engineered to compact into a stable, load-bearing surface. Pit Run is raw, unprocessed quarry material — a natural mix of fines and rock that hasn't been graded. Pit Run is cheaper and suitable for bulk fill, building up low areas, and ground stabilisation where precise specification isn't required. Road base is what goes on top of it when a compacted, load-bearing surface is needed.
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Yes. Our concrete pre-mix is manufactured in-house using quality concrete sand and 20mm/14mm aggregate — simply add bagged cement and water to produce a strong, consistent concrete mix. It's suitable for footings, posts, small slabs, and general on-site concrete work.
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Yes — we supply builders, civil contractors, concreters, and earthmoving operators across the East Coast and North East regularly. Trade accounts available. Call to discuss.