Natural Queensland sandstone, for walls where the look matters as much as the retaining. Sandstone is built as a gravity wall, stacked block on block, rather than the post and panel system used for...
Read the full buying guide
About Sandstone
Natural Queensland sandstone, for walls where the look matters as much as the retaining. Sandstone is built as a gravity wall, stacked block on block, rather than the post and panel system used for sleepers. There are no posts and no pier holes. The wall stands up because the blocks are heavy and sit on a properly prepared base.
The grades, and what you are paying for
Grade is about how many faces have been sawn. More sawn faces means tighter, more regular courses and a cleaner finished wall. Fewer sawn faces means more natural variation and a lower price.
| Grade | Finish | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| A Grade, 6 sawn sides | Every face sawn, the most consistent result | Feature walls, entry statements, anywhere the wall is the centrepiece |
| A Grade, 5 sawn sides | Clean finish with one natural face | Most feature walls, at a lower cost than 6 sides |
| B Premium | 2 sawn sides and 2 sawn ends, consistent 1000mm length | A tidy look on a budget, good for longer runs |
| B Grade | 2 to 3 sawn sides, 900 to 1100mm long | A rugged, natural look, and anywhere cost matters more than uniformity |
Blocks come in three face sizes, 400 x 400mm, 500 x 500mm and 600 x 600mm, in all four grades. We also carry blocky random boulders from 400mm to 1200mm for a fully natural look, and sawn sandstone steps in wheel sawn and diamond sawn.
The number people underestimate
Sandstone is dense, at roughly 2.6 tonnes per cubic metre. That puts a single block at:
- 400 x 400 x 1000mm, about 416kg
- 500 x 500 x 1000mm, about 650kg
- 600 x 600 x 1000mm, about 936kg
None of these are hand placed. You need an excavator or a loader with the right attachment on site, and you need to think about how the truck gets in before you think about the wall. Tell us the access and we will tell you honestly whether it will work.
Buying natural stone
Colour, texture and exact size vary from block to block and batch to batch. That variation is the point of the material, not a fault, but it does mean you should look before you buy. Ask our team for photos of current stock, or come and inspect it at the Rocklea yard.
Send us the wall length and the height and we will work out the block count, the grade that suits your look and budget, and how the load gets to site. If you are still deciding between sandstone and a sleeper wall, the sleepers and blocks overview compares the two, and the wall height guide covers approvals.