Metal Dust
The fine layer that screeds flat.
Metal Dust is a fine, compactable material used as the base under paving and artificial turf. It compacts down to a hard, stable surface and screeds smooth, which is what you need when the layer above it has to sit dead flat. You will also hear it called crusher dust or blue dust.
Or call the yard on (08) 9434 2290
Real stock, not a swatch. Blended products vary a little batch to batch, so treat these as a guide rather than an exact colour match.
Metal Dust details
Metal Dust at a glance
- Product type
- Fine compactable base
- Also called
- Crusher dust, blue dust
- Compacts
- Yes, to a hard surface
- Screeds
- Yes — that is the point of it
- Primary use
- Under paving and artificial turf
- Sold as
- Loose by the cubic metre, bulka bag, trailer load
What Metal Dust suits
What can you use Metal Dust for?
Under pavers
Screeded flat as the bedding layer over a compacted base. Every unevenness in this layer shows up in the finished paving.
Under artificial turf
Synthetic grass shows every bump underneath it, and there is no soil movement to hide one later. A screeded fine base is the whole job.
Levelling before a surface goes down
Anywhere the finish has to be flat and the ground under it is not.
Paths and utility surfaces
Compacted on its own it makes a firm, clean walking surface.
How much Metal Dust
How much Metal Dust do you need?
Length by width by depth, all in metres, gives you cubic metres. For a bed 4m by 1.2m filled to 75mm, that is 4 × 1.2 × 0.075 = 0.36 m³.
It is an estimate. Uneven ground and how firmly the mix settles both change what you actually use, so round up rather than down. We have not published a recommended depth for this product — describe the bed at the counter and someone who works with it every day will tell you.
Whatever you work out here lands in the enquiry form below, already written down.
That is about one trailer load. Order a touch over rather than under — a second trip costs more than the extra scoop.
Why Metal Dust
Why choose Metal Dust?
It screeds
Fine enough to strike off flat with a straight edge. That is a different property from compacting, and it is the reason this material exists as a product rather than as a by-product.
It compacts hard
A firm, stable layer that does not shift once it is down and wetted in.
Clean and easy to work
Minimal debris in it, so it spreads and screeds without you picking lumps out of the run.
It drains better than you would expect
The client lists drainage among its qualities, and a properly compacted fine base sheds water off the surface rather than holding it under the paving.
Getting Metal Dust home
How to get Metal Dust
Collect from the yard
Open seven days at 222 Barrington St, Bibra Lake. The loader puts it straight into your trailer or ute, and someone will tell you whether what you have brought will carry the load.
Borrow one of our trailers free for two hours to get your load home. No charge, no bond.
Have it delivered
Across Perth's southern suburbs, seven days. For a quote we need the address, how much you need, and anything awkward about access — tight driveways, low branches and side access all change which truck we send. Confirm the current cost when you order.
Formats
- Loose, by the cubic metre
- Bulka bag, roughly a cubic metre each
- Trailer load, including our free two hour trailer
Using Metal Dust
How to use Metal Dust
Get the base under it right first
This is a bedding and levelling layer, not a structural one. Under a driveway or anything carrying load, a compacted road base or crushed limestone goes down first.
Work out the volume
Length by width by depth, all in metres. The bedding layer is thin — usually 20 to 30mm under pavers — so the number is smaller than people expect.
Screed it, do not just rake it
Two rails and a straight edge. Raking gets you close and close is not flat, and every bump ends up in the paving.
Compact and wet it in
Damp compacts far better than dry. Firm it before the pavers go on rather than relying on them to settle it.
When to choose something else
When it is the wrong product
- It is not a structural base. It levels and it beds; the load-carrying layer under a driveway is road base or crushed limestone, and this goes on top of that.
- It is grey, and under a pale paver a grey base can read through the joints over time. Eco-Fines is the cream equivalent for exactly that reason.
- It is not a drainage material in the soak-well sense. It sheds water off a compacted surface; it does not let water through the way clean stone does.
- It is dusty when dry. Wet it down before you work with it — better compaction and a great deal more pleasant.
Customer reviews
What people say
Metal Dust questions
Metal Dust FAQs
Goes with Metal Dust
Other products you may need
The structural layer that goes under it
This beds and levels. Something else carries the load.
What goes on top
The surface this layer exists to make flat.
Guides for metal dust
Planning your project
Metal Dust quote
Need Metal Dust for your project?
Send us the quantity you need, your suburb, and whether you would like to collect it or have it delivered. If you are not sure how much, put your measurements into the calculator above and we will check it for you.
Or ring the yard on (08) 9434 2290
222 Barrington St, Bibra Lake WA 6163 · Open 7 days
Use the calculator above and the amount lands in the message for you.