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Breedon Porous 

BREEDONPorous is a permeable system comprising: geotextiles, geogrids and/or geomembranes; open graded, unbound, granular sub-base; porous base and/or binder; and surface courses that can also be manufactured with modified bitumen.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) promote the use of porous materials which allow water to dissipate through the surface into the appropriate drainage system. This system is specifically designed for such applications.

BREEDONPorous asphalt can be used for areas exposed to moderate traffic and for car parks. The material has a high void content to ensure rapid dissipation of rainwater through the surface and into underlying materials or rainwater capture systems.

Breedon porous is a hard wearing durable surface course that can eliminate the issue of surface water.

Porous asphalt can be manufactured to meet the specified requirements of SHW clause 938.

Ideal for:

  • Playgrounds
  • Carparks
  • Driveways
  • Difficult drainage areas
  • Lightly trafficked roads

Major benefits include:

  • High porosity
  • Part of the drainage system
  • High durability
  • Free draining

Technical Specifications

When tested in accordance with DD229: 1996, BREEDONPorous has been found to have a relative hydraulic conductivity in excess of 0.2s-1, and a water infiltration rate greater than 12,000mm/hr, when determined in accordance with BS EN 12616: 2003.

This denotes a free-draining system with in situ voids of around 20%, a horizontal permeability of approximately 2.9 x 10-9, and a vertical permeability of about 3.3 x 10-6.

This material can be installed under licence from the Breedon Group.

Sales Contacts
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  • FAQs

    1. WHAT IS ASPHALT?

    Essentially, asphalt is a combination of aggregate (crushed rock and / or sand) and bitumen (derived from crude oil). Asphalt may also incorporate additives to improve performance (e.g. fibres, wax, polymers and pigments). Asphalt is commonly used in the construction of roads, pathways, car parks, driveways and play areas. Typically asphalt is black, but it may also be red, green, blue and golden.

    2. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASPHALT?

    Commonly used asphalts in the UK are asphalt concretes (previously termed ‘bituminous macadams’ or ‘bitmacs’), hot rolled asphalts (HRAs), and stone mastic asphalts (SMAs). Asphalts can further be grouped into roadbase, binder and surface courses, each providing a different function in flexible pavement construction.

    3. WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT GRADES OF BITUMEN REFER TO?

    Bitumen is graded on stiffness (penetration in tenths of a mm of a 100g needle dropped onto a bitumen sample for 5 seconds at 25°C and softening point). Lower ‘pen’ value bitumens are therefore stiffer (i.e. 40/60 pen is stiffer than 160/220 pen). Lower ‘pen’ bitumens also have higher softening temperatures compared to higher ‘pen’ grades. Commonly used bitumen grades in the UK are 40/60 pen, 70/100 pen, 100/150 pen, and 160/220 pen. 100/150 pen bitumen is the preferred grade for most applications in the UK, although 40/60 is used for heavily trafficked roads, and 160/220 is often used for hand lay work as it is easier to apply.

    4. WHAT TYPE OF ASPHALT DO I REQUIRE?

    This will depend on the application which it is to be used. Our Sales Department will be able to offer advice on the most suitable types of asphalt for your requirement.

    5. WHAT ARE PROPRIETARY MATERIALS AND WHY CHOOSE THESE OVER ‘NORMAL’ ASPHALT MATERIALS?

    The Proprietary Materials offered by Breedon Group are extensively designed and rigorously tested to exceed the performances of traditionally used asphalts in specific applications. Our Proprietary Materials often include additives to achieve these high levels of operation.

    6. HOW MUCH ASPHALT DO I NEED?

    As a guide, please refer to our Material Calculator.

    7. WHAT DEPTH SHOULD I LAY ASPHALT?

    This can vary depending on the site. As a rule of thumb however, the depth should be at least 4 times the dimension of the largest nominal size in the mix for surface course (i.e. 40mm depth for 10mm asphalt concrete); and at least 2.5 times the dimension of the largest aggregate size in the mix for base and binder courses (i.e. 50mm for 20mm asphalt concrete).

    8. CAN I LAY ASPHALT ON TOP OF EXISTING CONCRETE?

    This is not recommended. Concrete is a rigid material, whereas asphalt is flexible. When laid on top of concrete, the asphalt cannot ‘flex’, and is therefore more likely to break up. Furthermore, any joints in the concrete will be reflected into the asphalt surface above.

    9. HOW LONG DO I NEED TO STAY OFF NEWLY LAID ASPHALT?

    This will vary dependant on weather conditions. Normally however, 24 hours without trafficking will be sufficient.

    10. WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF ASPHALT?

    The main danger with asphalt is temperature. Asphalt must be laid hot (i.e. above 120°C), which subsequently can result in severe burns. Care must be taken when working with asphalt, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times.

    11. ARE THERE ANY PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN WITH FRESHLY LAID ASPHALT?

    Asphalt remains relatively soft for up to one year after laying. When used to construct driveways, it is recommended that cars are moving when the wheels are turned. If a car is stationary when the wheels are turned (particularly with modern power steering), the asphalt can be displaced and scuffed by stresses applied at that particular point. It is also recommended that (wherever possible) vehicles are parked in different positions to avoid marking the asphalt, and fuel spillages are kept to a minimum.

    12. WHAT SIZES OF DELIVERY VEHICLES ARE AVAILABLE?

    We can supply asphalt in either 16 tonne (‘six wheeler’) or 20 tonne (‘eight wheeler’) loads. Alternatively, customers can collect any size of order above 1 tonne.

    13. HOW LONG WILL THE ASPHALT REMAIN HOT?

    This will be weather dependant. Provided the asphalt is suitably covered and insulated, asphalt should remain workable for 2 hours after production.

    14. WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED TO LAY ASPHALT?

    For hand laying, minimum requirements would be heavy-duty wheel barrows, asphalt rakes, mechanical ‘ride-on’ twin-drum roller, asphalt tamper. For larger projects, specialist machinery will be needed and advice should be sought from paving machinery manufacturers.

    15. SHOULD I USE EDGING?

    Yes. Unconfined asphalt without edging is more likely to fail than asphalt which has suitable edge protection.

    16. HOW CAN I PLACE AN ORDER?

    Orders can be taken over the telephone by our Sales Department, by fax, in person at any of our depots, or in writing.

    17. HOW CAN I OPEN AN ACCOUNT?

    Please contact our Sales Department for information.

  • Customer support

    For further information please call your local sales office:

    Hebrides: 01851 703227
    Highlands: 01463 716889
    Fife & Tayside: 01337 841989
    North East Scotland: 01330 833361
    Argyll: 01631 565128
    Central Scotland: 01698 611016
    South West Scotland & Cumbria: 01290 700777
    North East England: 0191 6153378
    Staffordshire, Shropshire & West Midlands: 01952 777910
    South Cumbria & Lancashire: 01995 676156
    North West England & Greater Manchester: 01942 441286
    North Wales & Cheshire: 01978 788880
    North / West Yorkshire: 01138 293006
    South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire: 01302 944066
    South Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Northamptonshire: 01332 694000
    Humberside (concrete): 01472 351987
    Lincolnshire: 01780 482000
    East Anglia: 01603 673949
    South West England: 02920 609777
    South East England: 01245 913063
    South Wales: 02920 609777
    Powys & Shropshire: 01568 770521
    Herefordshire & Gloucestershire: 02920 609777



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