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How to fill gabion baskets

Updated: October 2026

The cage is flat in the hall, the stone is still to come, and you want the face to stay square rather than bow out by the evening. How to fill gabion baskets is a sequence: know the hole, make the wire ends safe, pack in layers with braces, then close the lid. The [Gabions comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/gabions) is where the empty cages are priced. Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk listings, the stored review notes, and UK supplier fill sheets. There is no lab test of a filled amazon cage. If you are still choosing a diameter, use the [gabion baskets buying guide](/hub/fencing-and-wire/gabions/sub/gabions-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The cage is flat in the hall, the stone is still to come, and you want the face to stay square rather than bow out by the evening.

Our top picks

Relaxdays Relaxdays gabion wall

Best overall

Relaxdays Relaxdays gabion wall
5.3/10about £33.90
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Nordswal Nordswal six gabion cages

Rank 2

Nordswal Nordswal six gabion cages
6.4/10about £169.00
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Gawany Gawany hexagonal gabion planter

Rank 3

Gawany Gawany hexagonal gabion planter
4.2/10about £68.60
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On this page
  1. 1.Match the stone to the hole
  2. 2.Assemble the cage and deal with sharp wire
  3. 3.Fill in layers and brace
  4. 4.Close the lid, and stop if this is a soil wall

Match the stone to the hole

Stone has to be bigger than the mesh hole, or it falls through as the cage settles. For about 75 mm welded mesh, Gabion Baskets Ltd talks about angular stone around 100–200 mm. That band is for their hole. In this set only the BOWEKAM bullets state a mesh, 10 × 5 cm and 12.5 × 5.5 cm, and both pages also print a size that conflicts. Relaxdays states 4 mm and leaves the hole blank. The other kept listings state neither. If you cannot measure the hole, you cannot choose the stone. TRL PPR1036 puts the minimum at the mesh opening and the maximum at two thirds of the smallest compartment or 200 mm, whichever is smaller. The mass that holds a bank is the stone, not the mesh.

Assemble the cage and deal with sharp wire

Gloves come before the first spiral. Gawany tells you the wires are pointed. Nordswal’s UK reviews say the spiral ends are sharp. Wire Fence and Devoran add eye protection because a cut end flicks. Tool-free, on Relaxdays and both Garvee listings, means you are not sold a drill. It does not mean the wire is blunt or that a connector count is printed. Run the spiral down each corner so the coils catch both meshes, and turn the last coil about 90 degrees so it cannot unwind. That turn is maker practice, not a line on every amazon page. Lay spacer hooks in while you can still reach them. Nordswal reviewers say the hooks need level ground. BOWEKAM does not list braces.
Relaxdays Relaxdays gabion wall

Testsieger

Relaxdays Relaxdays gabion wall
5.3/10about £33.90
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Fill in layers and brace

Fill the face by hand. Tipping a bulk bag against the mesh leaves voids and pushes the front out. Place the visible face first, then pack behind it. On a basket about a metre high, Gabion Baskets Ltd and Wire Fence put braces at about one third and two thirds of the height. That is their practice, not a law. A 30 cm cage needs the supplied hooks at mid-height, while you can still reach them. Do not crank the braces so tight that the face dishes inward. On a run, fill neighbouring cages in step. Only Relaxdays states 4 mm here, which is the supplier step when round stone is stacked, and the hole must still be smaller than the stone. An unstated wire means angular stone, and no stack.

Close the lid, and stop if this is a soil wall

The lid should bear on the stone. Spiral it on as you did the corners, and turn the tail so it cannot creep back. If it will not sit, take stone out. Do not stand on the lid to force it. Stop when the cage will hold soil, raise a patio or stand on a slope. One planter on level ground is this page. Three cages stacked into a bank are not. Braces and a neat lid do not replace a base, a drain or a design. That decision is on gabion retaining wall.

Common questions

What size stone do you need?
Larger than the hole you measured. For mesh around 75 mm, supplier sheets often use angular stone of about 100–200 mm. TRL caps the large end at two thirds of the smallest compartment or 200 mm, whichever is smaller. If the listing leaves the hole blank, measure the panel first. The only printed holes in this set conflict with the BOWEKAM size lines.
Can you use gravel or rounded cobbles?
Gravel and small rounded stone fall through a wide mesh and do not brace a face. Gabion Baskets Ltd treats rounded stone as decorative, and it wants a 4 mm or 5 mm face if baskets are stacked. Only Relaxdays states 4 mm here, and it does not state the hole. For a light or unstated wire, use angular stone in a single cage, not a stack of cobbles.
Do you need tools if the listing says tool-free?
You still need gloves, and the maker guides add eye protection. Tool-free, on Relaxdays and both Garvee listings, means the spirals are fitted by hand. It does not mean the ends are safe, and it does not mean a connector count is printed. Heavy-duty cutters appear only if you choose to shorten a cage, as one Nordswal reviewer did, and every cut leaves a new sharp end.
Should you fill one cage to the top before the next?
On a run, fill adjacent cages in step so a shared edge is not pulled over. Finish the braces in each layer before you add the next layer of stone. A single planter can go up in one cage. Three stacked cages that hold a bank are no longer this method, and you should stop and treat that as a retaining job.
When should you stop and not fill it as a wall?
Stop when the cage will retain soil, change a level, or stand on a slope or a soft base. Also stop if the hole is still unknown, if no braces were in the box, or if you are about to use round stone in an unstated wire. A lid and a neat face on flat ground are the end of this page. A bank needs a design, not another layer of stone.

Related pages

Best gabion baskets UK

Gabions

Gabion baskets buying guide: wire, mesh and coating

Gabion retaining wall: soil, permission and a stop

Welded vs woven gabion: a straight face or movement

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listing lines; retrieved 19 October 2026.

  1. Planning Portal, Fences, gates and garden walls: planning permission (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Planning Portal, Building regulations for fences and walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. BSI, BS EN 10223-8:2013 welded mesh gabion products (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. BSI, BS EN 10223-3:2013 hexagonal steel wire mesh products (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Wire Fence, Galfan welded gabion technical specification (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. TRL, PPR1036 gabion wall information note (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 explanatory booklet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. HSE, Manual handling in construction (retrieved 19 October 2026)