Frequently asked questions

The product is manufactured from 100% recycled polypropylene, sourced from the UK recycling stream and moulded here in the UK. Polypropylene is an inert plastic: it does not rot, does not leach into the ground, and stays serviceable across a working range of −50 °C to +90 °C. Recycled material also keeps the carbon story honest — the panels are made from plastic that already exists rather than new polymer.

The panel has a 93% open structure. The complete construction is permeable only when its infill, bedding, sub-base and receiving ground or drainage design allow water to pass. In practice that means free-draining aggregate rather than a fines-heavy sub-base, falls that move water to a designed outfall, and ground underneath that can accept it — or an engineered overflow route where it cannot. Get those right and rain disappears as it lands, which is what makes grid surfaces candidates for SuDS-conscious drainage.

A clean, angular 10–20 mm aggregate is the usual starting point. Rounded pea gravel is not generally suitable for stable interlock. The reason is geometry, not preference: angular faces key against the cell walls and against each other, so the stone locks in place and takes load through the panel. Rounded stones roll against each other however tightly they are packed, migrate in use, and end up raked back into place every few months.

X-Grid can be used for vehicle applications when the complete build-up is designed for the traffic and ground conditions. For regular car and van traffic the published guidance starts from a 150 mm compacted MOT Type 1 or Type 3 sub-base, a geotextile where separation is needed, and edge restraint — the installation guide sets out each layer. Occasional heavier vehicles do not rule the surface out, but they change the design rather than the panel.

No. It is a product compression-test figure. Safe project performance depends on the whole construction and its support. The figure was measured on an unfilled panel by an independent laboratory following DIN 38412, and it demonstrates the panel does not collapse under load. Your actual surface capacity is set by the weakest part of the build-up — usually the ground beneath — which is why our guidance specifies sub-bases per traffic type instead of quoting the test number as a rating. When comparing products, check what other figures actually measure: filled-cell tests always read higher.

We publish what we can evidence. The material case is strong — recycled polypropylene is inert, does not rot, and carries a −50 °C to +90 °C working range — and the panel design has been proven in documented installations that have been in service for years. A formal service-life statement is being prepared through written technical approval, and it will be published here when it exists rather than estimated in marketing copy.

Yes. A substantial perimeter edge — kerb, concrete restraint or compatible edging system — should be installed before the sub-base and grid. The edge is what stops the whole construction spreading sideways under braking and turning loads; without it, gravel escapes at the perimeter first and the grid slowly loses its fill. Plan the edge detail into the excavation stage so the restraint sits on firm ground, not on the finished fill.

Gently sloping surfaces are routine — the falls that shed water are part of every design — but slopes beyond that change the engineering. On a gradient, water runs along beneath the surface and the fill wants to creep downhill, so the design needs steeper-specific detailing: deeper sub-base, closer edge restraint, sometimes terracing or anchor points. Treat anything beyond a driveway-style fall as a project for technical review before you order.

Very little, and it is the same work a normal surface needs anyway. Gravel finishes: an occasional rake to redistribute stone that shoes or tyres have shifted, and a top-up of the cells every few years as the fill settles — the grid holds the rest. Grass finishes: mow as normal (the panels sit below blade height), top up rootzone where a cell shows, and overseed worn lines in the growing season. Neither finish needs sealing, weed-treatment membranes beyond the original geotextile, or winter shut-down.

Light commercial traffic — vans, delivery vehicles, small tractors — is normal territory for the published build-ups. Regular HGV, plant or intensive commercial use, and concentrated point loads such as caravan corner-stays or skip feet, need an engineered design: the load path through the grid is only as good as the sub-base and ground beneath it, and those loads justify a proper specification. Send the load case to the technical team and we will size the construction — that review is free of marketing and short of excuses.