Every standard gabion box size, what it weighs empty and filled, how much stone it takes, and the wire it is made from — worked out the way we calculate it for production.
IS 16014:2024 lists gabion boxes 1 m wide, 1 m, 0.5 m or 0.3 m high, and 1.5 to 4 m long, with a diaphragm every metre of length. Weights are for the empty box as we make it — 10×12 mesh (D = 100 mm) with 2.70 mm mesh wire and 3.40 mm selvedge, 3.00 mm with 3.90 mm selvedge, or the 2.70 mm core with a PVC jacket — including diaphragms and lacing wire.
| Size L × W × H (m) | Volume (m³) | Diaphragms | Empty box, GI 2.70 mm (kg) | Empty box, GI 3.00 mm (kg) | Empty box, PVC coated (kg) | Stone to fill (t, approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 × 1 × 1 | 1.50 | 0 | 11.0 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 2.5 |
| 2 × 1 × 1 | 2.00 | 1 | 15.1 | 18.9 | 17.9 | 3.4 |
| 3 × 1 × 1 | 3.00 | 2 | 21.7 | 27.0 | 25.7 | 5.1 |
| 4 × 1 × 1 | 4.00 | 3 | 28.3 | 35.1 | 33.4 | 6.8 |
| 2 × 1 × 0.5 | 1.00 | 1 | 10.6 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 1.7 |
| 3 × 1 × 0.5 | 1.50 | 2 | 15.4 | 19.2 | 18.2 | 2.5 |
| 4 × 1 × 0.5 | 2.00 | 3 | 19.9 | 24.9 | 23.6 | 3.4 |
| 2 × 1 × 0.3 | 0.60 | 1 | 8.8 | 11.2 | 10.5 | 1.0 |
| 3 × 1 × 0.3 | 0.90 | 2 | 12.8 | 16.0 | 15.2 | 1.5 |
| 4 × 1 × 0.3 | 1.20 | 3 | 16.6 | 20.8 | 19.7 | 2.0 |
Stone is taken at about 1.7 t per m³ of gabion: rock at 26 kN/m³ with 35% voids, the basis IS 14458 (Part 6) uses. Your quarry’s density and packing will move it a little either way.
Some BOQs measure gabions by weight rather than by number of boxes. Because a shallow box has more mesh for its volume, the weight per cubic metre depends mainly on the box height:
| Box height | GI 2.70 mm, kg per m³ | GI 3.00 mm, kg per m³ | PVC coated, kg per m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 m | 7.5 | 9.5 | 9.0 |
| 0.5 m | 10.6 | 13.4 | 12.7 |
| 0.3 m | 14.7 | 18.6 | 17.6 |
Figures for 2 m long boxes; longer boxes come out slightly lighter per m³, the 1.5 m box slightly heavier.
A filled box is almost all stone. A 2 × 1 × 1 m box holds about 3.4 t of stone against roughly 15 kg of wire. IS 14458 (Part 6) uses exactly this to check workmanship on site: weigh a filled box and compare it with the calculated weight — a filled 1.5 × 1 × 1 m box at 35% voids should come to about 2.5 t. Much lighter means too many voids and poor packing.
For design, the same basis gives a unit weight of about 16.9 kN/m³ for the filled wall (see gabion wall design as per IS code).
| GI, 2.70 mm mesh wire | GI, 3.00 mm mesh wire | PVC coated (core / outside) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesh type | 10×12 (D = 100 mm) or 8×10 (D = 80 mm) | same | same |
| Mesh wire | 2.70 mm | 3.00 mm | 2.70 / 3.70 mm |
| Selvedge (edge) wire | 3.40 mm | 3.90 mm | 3.40 / 4.40 mm |
| Lacing wire | 2.20 mm | 2.20 mm | 2.20 / 3.20 mm |
| PVC thickness | — | — | nominal 0.50 mm, minimum 0.40 mm |
| Minimum zinc (Table 8) | 260 g/m² mesh, 270 selvedge, 240 lacing | 270 g/m² mesh, 280 selvedge, 240 lacing | as GI, under the PVC |
Full specification: gabion box. Why the zinc figure matters as much as the diameter: gabion wire.
IS 16014:2024 allows ±5% on length and width, ±5% on height for boxes taller than 0.3 m and ±10% for 0.3 m boxes, and ±10% on the mesh opening D. Wire diameters carry their own tolerances under the same standard.
Each box is cut from mesh rolls as one main panel that wraps the base, front, back and lid, plus end and diaphragm panels. For every panel the weight is:
It is the calculation we use to plan production. Actual boxes vary by a few percent with wire tolerance and roll width.
IS 16014 sack gabions are 1.5 × 0.74 m and 2 × 0.96 m, in the same 10×12 mesh and wire as boxes:
| Size L × diameter (m) | Volume (m³) | Empty sack, GI 2.70 mm (kg) | Empty sack, GI 3.00 mm (kg) | Empty sack, PVC coated (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 × 0.74 | 0.65 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 5.7 |
| 2 × 0.96 | 1.45 | 8.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
More on sack gabions.
Two boxes of the same size can differ in weight for honest reasons — 3.00 mm wire instead of 2.70 mm, PVC coating, 8×10 mesh instead of 10×12 — and for less honest ones: light zinc instead of heavy, diaphragms left out, lacing wire not counted. When comparing quotes, ask each supplier for the weight per box and the wire diameters and zinc mass on the test certificate.
About 15 kg empty in GI with 2.70 mm mesh wire, 19 kg with 3.00 mm wire, and about 18 kg PVC coated, including the diaphragm and lacing wire. Filled with stone it weighs about 3.4 t.
Under IS 16014:2024: 1.5, 2, 3 or 4 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high; or 2, 3 or 4 m long, 1 m wide and 0.5 or 0.3 m high. Other sizes are made to order.
About 1.7 t per cubic metre of box: about 3.4 t for a 2 × 1 × 1 m box and 1.7 t for a 2 × 1 × 0.5 m box.
One for every metre of length: a 2 m box has one, a 3 m box two and a 4 m box three, dividing it into 1 m cells.
In GI with 2.70 mm mesh wire, about 7.5 kg per m³ for 1 m high boxes, 10.6 kg for 0.5 m and 14.7 kg for 0.3 m high boxes — shallow boxes carry more mesh per cubic metre.
Wire diameter, PVC coating and mesh size change the weight legitimately. Light zinc, missing diaphragms or uncounted lacing wire change it too. Compare the weight together with the test certificate.
Tell us your dimensions, wire specification and quantity — we'll come back with a quotation and lead time.
