Cost guide
Stockpile survey cost
What it costs to measure your stockpiles by drone, one-off or every month, and what moves the price.
Guide price: a stockpile survey costs from £395 per visit for up to ten piles on one site, or from £295 per visit on a regular monthly or quarterly programme. Ground control, volumes per pile and tonnage are included. Before VAT, with travel included within 50 miles of Corby.
| Job | Guide price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| One-off survey, up to 10 piles | from £395 | Ground control, volumes, tonnage, marked-up aerial image |
| Regular programme (monthly or quarterly) | from £295 / visit | As above, plus change since the last survey |
| More than 10 piles or several yards | quoted | Priced from a site plan or aerial image |
| Base survey before tipping starts | from £295 | Gives the most accurate volumes later |
| Covered or roofed stores | quoted | Measured by laser scan from the ground |
Guide prices before VAT for accessible sites with open airspace. Tonnage uses your density figure where you have one, otherwise a stated typical figure for the material.
What drives the price
Number and spread of piles
Ten piles in one compound are a single short flight. The same ten spread across a large development or two yards take longer to control and fly, and each pile still needs outlining and checking in the office.
How the base is set
Piles on a known hardstanding are quick. Piles tipped onto rough ground need more levels around the toe to build a sensible base, which takes more time with the rover. A survey of the ground before tipping starts is the cheapest way to make every later survey more accurate.
Frequency
Regular surveys on the same site reuse the same control and processing set-up, which is why a programme costs less per visit than one-off surveys.
How our prices compare
Published UK guides in 2026 put a stockpile or quarry volumetric drone survey at around £700–£3,500 (Dronedesk's UK drone survey price guide, May 2026). Construction-site stockpiles are smaller than quarries, and our prices are set to suit them, with ground control included.
Included on every stockpile survey
- RTK GNSS ground control
- Volume of every pile in m³
- Tonnage with a stated density
- Marked-up aerial image
- Base method stated per pile
- Results usually next working day
How it works: stockpile volume surveys. All services: price guide.
Stockpile surveys across the area
Questions we get asked
How much does a stockpile survey cost?
With Dimensure, a one-off stockpile survey costs from £395 per visit for up to ten piles on one site, including ground control, volumes in cubic metres and tonnage where the density is known. On a regular monthly or quarterly programme it costs from £295 per visit. Prices are before VAT, with travel included within 50 miles of Corby.
What is the typical UK price for a drone stockpile survey?
Published UK guides in 2026 put a stockpile or quarry volumetric drone survey at around £700 to £3,500, depending on the size of the site, the number of piles and the accuracy needed. Construction-site stockpiles are normally at the lower end of that range.
Is it cheaper than a traditional stockpile survey?
Usually. Measuring piles with a rover or total station means walking all over them, which is slow and unsafe on loose material. A drone covers all the piles in a single short flight, so the time on site, and the cost, is lower for anything more than a couple of small heaps.
What makes a stockpile survey cost more?
A large number of piles, piles spread over a big area or several yards, piles with no clear toe that need extra ground levels to build a base, and same-day results. Sheeted or roofed piles that need a laser scan are quoted separately.
Book a scan or ask a question
Send the drawing, the location and when you need it. We reply the same working day with a fixed price.