How many handy bags equal one bulk bag?

About 12–14 standard 70-litre sacks per 850L bulk bag. Once your job needs more than 8–10 sacks, bulk nearly always wins on price per litre — and it's one delivery instead of a boot full of plastic.

Can I get a bulk bag delivered without a driveway?

Bulk bags arrive on a crane lorry that parks at the kerb — the crane can often lift the bag over a low wall or fence. No kerbside access at all? Then handy sacks carried through are your route, and that's when bags genuinely win.

Is bulk-bag material lower quality than handy bags?

Usually it's the identical product in different packaging — you're paying for handling and plastic, not better soil. The one check worth making is that the grade matches (screened vs unscreened topsoil, bark vs woodchip mulch).

Garden guide

Bulk Bag vs Handy Bags: Which Is Better Value?

Written with Paul. A full-time working gardener. After years in the City, Paul packed it all in, retrained at Writtle College, and has gardened for a living ever since. The “Paul” notes in this guide are his real advice from real jobs.

The short version

Per litre, a bulk bag (around 730L) is usually 30–50% cheaper than the same material in handy 25–75L bags. But delivery charges, access and leftovers can flip the answer.

Do the per-litre maths

Divide the price by the litres. A £90 bulk bag holding 730L is about 12p per litre; a £4.50 handy bag holding 25L is 18p per litre. Every calculator on this site shows both options side by side and flags the cheaper one automatically.

When handy bags win

Small top-up jobs (a few bags beat a £40 delivery fee), tight access with no room for a crane offload, or when you need several different materials in modest amounts.

The delivery trap

Bulk bags arrive on a pallet by crane-offload lorry — they need solid, level ground near the kerb and clear access. If the driver can't drop it sensibly, you'll be rebooking. Handy bags go in a car boot or a courier van.

Weight warning

A bulk bag of topsoil or gravel weighs around 850–1,000kg. Don't plan to barrow it far on a hot day — get it dropped as close to the job as possible.

Paul's note

Paul has watched a crane lorry turn away from a terraced house with nowhere to drop — the customer paid for the journey both ways. Check the drop before you order bulk: about 2.5m of clear width, solid level ground near the kerb, and nothing overhead. Ninety seconds of measuring saves a very expensive shrug.

Try it on the gravel calculator

Common questions

A standard bulk or dumpy bag holds 850–1,000 litres — roughly a cubic metre. 'Bulk bag' isn't a regulated size though, so always check the label: two bags at the same price can differ by 150 litres, which is real money.