How to choose cabro thickness: 50mm, 60mm or 80mm
Thickness is the one decision you cannot fix later without lifting the whole area. It is also the one most people get wrong, because they choose for the everyday car and forget the one lorry a year.
The rule
Choose the thickness for the heaviest vehicle that will ever drive on it, not the one that uses it daily. A Kenyan home compound sees a water bowser, a building-materials lorry or a moving truck at some point. That is why 60mm, not 50mm, is the safe default for a home.
| Thickness | Duty | Typical use | Indicative load | Base under it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50mm | Light |
Limits you to light vehicles. Not for a compound where a lorry may deliver water or building materials. | Small cars, up to about 10 tonnes | 100–150mm hardcore |
| 60mm | Medium |
The safe default for a normal Kenyan home. Handles the occasional water bowser or materials lorry. | Up to about 20 tonnes | 150–200mm hardcore |
| 80mm | Heavy |
Only worth paying for where lorries drive routinely. Needs a 250–300mm compacted base to perform. | Up to about 40 tonnes | 250–300mm hardcore |
50mm: walkways, patios and light residential
50mm blocks are the cheapest per m² and perfectly adequate where only people and small cars go: garden paths, verandas, patios, event areas, and a short driveway for a saloon car. The limit is honest — a 50mm block on a 150mm base will carry a car for decades, but a loaded lorry can crack it and rut the base. If there is any chance of a lorry, go to 60mm.
60mm: the Kenyan home default
Compounds, driveways, estate access roads, apartment parking, church and school grounds, mall parking. 60mm on a 150–200mm compacted hardcore base carries vehicles up to roughly 20 tonnes. It costs more than 50mm per m², but the difference is usually a small share of the total once base work and laying are counted, and it removes the risk of the one heavy delivery doing damage.
80mm: lorries, forecourts and yards
Petrol stations, go-down loading bays, container and trailer yards, bus parks and public roads. 80mm on a 250–300mm compacted base carries up to roughly 40 tonnes and takes the turning and braking forces of heavy vehicles. Do not pay for 80mm on a home compound — the money is better spent on the base.
Mix thicknesses to save money
On a plot with a lorry route and separate walkways, use 80mm or 60mm on the route and 50mm on the walkways. The base depth changes with the thickness, so plan the levels for both.
What thickness does not fix
- A base on black cotton soil that was not removed. The paving will heave whatever the thickness.
- Missing edge restraint. Thick blocks creep outward just like thin ones.
- No fall for drainage. Standing water softens any base.
- Weak blocks. A hand-moulded 80mm block can be weaker than a machine-pressed 60mm one.
Colour does not add strength
Red, charcoal and yellow blocks cost more because pigment costs more. Strength comes from thickness, the mix, the pressing and the curing. Anyone telling you a coloured block is stronger is selling colour.
Still unsure? Send a photo of the area to Studiogrey on WhatsApp and say what vehicles use it. We answer with a thickness and the reason.
Questions on this
Is 50mm cabro strong enough for a car?
For a saloon car on a properly prepared base, yes. It is not the right choice where a lorry, water bowser or lorry-mounted crane will ever drive — that is 60mm minimum.
Why is 60mm the default for a Kenyan home?
Because most compounds see an occasional heavy vehicle: a water bowser, a building-materials lorry, a moving truck. 60mm handles those without cracking; 50mm may not.
When do I need 80mm?
Anywhere lorries drive routinely: petrol station forecourts, go-down loading bays, container yards, trailer parks, bus parking and public roads.
Can I mix thicknesses in one job?
Yes, and it saves money. Put 80mm on the lorry route and 60mm or 50mm on the walkways and parking bays. The base must be adjusted to match.