About Required Materials

What we do

We built Required Materials to make planning projects faster, simpler and more practical. Whether you are working out how much concrete you need for a base, how many bricks are required for a wall, how much gravel to order for a driveway, or how much paint is needed for a room, our calculators are designed to give a quick starting estimate using sensible default assumptions.

The site covers a wide range of categories including building, paving, landscaping, interiors, insulation and energy, with dedicated calculators and estimator pages for many of the most common UK material searches.

Who it is for

Required Materials is useful for anyone who needs a quick estimate before ordering supplies, pricing work or planning a job. That includes DIY users tackling home improvements, builders pricing labour and materials, landscapers planning garden projects, and property owners comparing options before speaking to a supplier or contractor.

We aim to keep the calculators easy to use while still reflecting the kinds of dimensions, measurements and assumptions commonly used on UK projects.

How our estimates work

Our calculators are based on standard formulas, practical assumptions and common material allowances. Many tools include defaults for wastage, joint thicknesses, board lengths, bedding depths, densities or coverage rates depending on the material being estimated.

These figures are intended to provide a practical guide, not a final specification. Actual requirements can vary depending on product choice, installation method, site conditions, manufacturer recommendations, design details and building regulations.

Important note

Required Materials provides generated estimates to help with planning and comparison. All results should be checked before ordering materials or starting work. Measurements, project details, structural requirements and product specifications should always be verified by the user, supplier or a qualified professional where appropriate.

For structural work, regulated installations or high-value orders, we strongly recommend confirming quantities and suitability with an experienced contractor, engineer, architect or merchant.

Why we built it

Too many material calculators are either overly basic, cluttered, slow, or clearly built without real user intent in mind. Required Materials was created to offer a faster, cleaner and more useful experience, with straightforward tools, readable results and search-friendly pages that help users get to the answer they need quickly.

Contact

If you would like to report an issue, suggest a calculator, or get in touch about the site, please use the contact details or contact form provided on the website.