If you have never had concrete delivered before, the process can feel a bit daunting. What size lorry will turn up? Will it fit down your road? How much do you actually need? This guide answers all of those questions for customers in Uxbridge and the surrounding area, so you know exactly what to expect on the day.
How Concrete Delivery Works in Uxbridge
Base Concrete delivers ready mix concrete in Uxbridge using volumetric mixer lorries. These are different from the traditional drum mixers you might have seen on large construction sites. Rather than mixing the concrete at a plant and transporting it in a rotating drum, a volumetric lorry carries the raw ingredients (cement, sand, gravel, and water) in separate compartments. The concrete is then mixed fresh at your site, right before it is poured.
This means a few important things for you as a customer:
- You only pay for what you actually use. If your job turns out to need slightly less than expected, the lorry simply stops mixing.
- The concrete is at peak quality when it reaches your formwork, because it has not been sitting in a drum during a long drive.
- You can request small adjustments to the mix on the day if conditions change.
Which Lorry Size Do You Need?
Base Concrete offers two lorry sizes, and the right one for your job depends largely on how much concrete you need and how easy it is to access your site.
| Lorry Type | Capacity | Lorry Size |
|---|---|---|
| Mini mixer | Up to 4.5 cubic metres | Same size as a skip lorry |
| Standard volumetric lorry | Up to 10 cubic metres | Larger vehicle, needs good access |
The mini mixer is a very popular choice in Uxbridge for exactly the reason you might expect: access. Uxbridge town centre has a pedestrianised core and an extensive one-way road system. Many residential streets around Hillingdon, Ickenham, and Hayes have parked cars narrowing the road, or low-hanging trees and tight bends that a full-size lorry cannot manage. The mini mixer is no bigger than a typical skip lorry, so it can reach a lot of properties that a larger vehicle cannot.
If you have a bigger job and good, straightforward access, the standard lorry can carry up to 10 cubic metres and is ideal for larger bases, commercial work, or projects where multiple loads would otherwise be needed.
Access in Uxbridge: What You Need to Think About
Before you book a delivery, it is worth having a think about the route from the road to your pour point. Here are the main things that can cause problems:
Overhead obstructions such as low branches, power lines, or entrance gates with a limited height clearance. The lorry will have a mixing drum at the rear that can be quite tall when operating.
Width restrictions on residential streets or through narrow side entrances. As a rough guide, if a skip lorry can get through, a mini mixer almost certainly can too.
Distance from the lorry to where you are pouring. The lorry chute can reach several metres, but if your pour point is more than about three to four metres from where the lorry can park, you will either need to wheelbarrow the concrete or consider concrete pumping.
Soft ground or temporary crossings. If the lorry needs to cross a grass verge or a soft surface to reach the site, let us know in advance. Boards or trackway can often solve this.
If you are at all unsure about access, call the team before booking. They can advise on the right lorry and, where necessary, arrange a site visit.
What If the Lorry Cannot Reach the Pour Point?
In tighter situations, concrete pumping is often the answer. A line pump uses steel and rubber pipes laid along the ground to carry the concrete up to 100 metres or more. The pump itself sits on a 7.5-tonne lorry that can often park on the road while the pipes are run through a gate, down an alleyway, or even through the house.
This is increasingly common in the Uxbridge area, particularly for back garden projects, extensions with no rear access, and commercial jobs in built-up areas.
Which Concrete Grade Do You Need?
Concrete comes in different grades, each suited to a particular type of job. The grade refers to how strong the finished concrete will be. The Concrete Society provides a useful overview of concrete strength classes and basic properties for those who want the technical detail.
For most domestic and commercial jobs in Uxbridge, the grades below cover the majority of situations:
| Job Type | Recommended Grade |
|---|---|
| Shed base or light garden slab | C20 / GEN3 |
| Driveway or path | C25 or PAV1 |
| House extension base or garage floor | C25 |
| Strip or trench foundation | FND2 |
| Commercial floor slab | C30 or above |
If you are not sure which grade is right for your job, tell the team what you are building and they will point you in the right direction.
How to Work Out How Much Concrete You Need
Getting the quantity right is one of the most important parts of the process. Too little and you will have a shortfall mid-pour; too much and you are paying for unused material (though with a volumetric lorry, any unused concrete simply stays on the lorry unmixed, so over-ordering is far less of a problem than with a traditional drum delivery).
The calculation is straightforward:
Volume (cubic metres) = Length (m) x Width (m) x Depth (m)
So a base that is 4 metres long, 3 metres wide, and 0.1 metres (100mm) deep would need:
4 x 3 x 0.1 = 1.2 cubic metres
Use the concrete calculator on the Base Concrete website to do this quickly for your own dimensions. It handles all the common unit conversions if you are working in centimetres or millimetres rather than metres.
It is also worth adding a small amount for wastage. A figure of around 5 to 10 per cent on top of your calculated volume is sensible for most jobs.
Areas Covered Near Uxbridge
As well as Uxbridge itself, Base Concrete regularly delivers to Hillingdon, Ruislip, Hayes, Northwood, and Ickenham. If you are based just outside Uxbridge, the service area almost certainly covers you. You can also find local information on ready mix concrete in Ruislip if that is more relevant to your location.
Site Preparation Checklist
Before the lorry arrives, run through this checklist to make sure the day goes smoothly:
- Clear a safe parking spot for the lorry as close to the pour point as possible
- Remove any obstacles from the route the chute or pump pipes will follow
- Make sure your formwork is in place and secure
- Have enough people on site to spread and tamp the concrete as it is poured
- Keep a rake, float, and tamping board to hand
- Check that no overhead cables or branches will obstruct the lorry
- Let neighbours know if the lorry will briefly block the road
How to Get a Quote
To get a quote for concrete delivery in Uxbridge, call the team or use the contact form on the Base Concrete website. Have your measurements ready and a rough idea of when you need the delivery. The team will go through your requirements with you, confirm the right grade and lorry size, and give you a clear price.
