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What size wacker plate

Updated: 21 October 2026

What size wacker plate you need is two choices, width and force, and they are not the same number. A 400 mm forward plate is the usual hire size for an open patio. A kilonewton figure is how hard that plate is claimed to hit. Peter F. followed Hireload’s split and the eight amazon.co.uk listings on 20 October 2026. This is not a patio we compacted. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices stay on the [plate compactor comparison](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/plate-compactor). Fumes and sockets are on [electric vs petrol wacker plate](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/plate-compactor/sub/plate-compactor-petrol-vs-electric).

What size wacker plate you need is two choices, width and force, and they are not the same number. A 400 mm forward plate is the usual hire size for an open patio.

Our top picks

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate

Best overall

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate
9.2/10about £235.81
View offer
Neilsen Neilsen CT2146 petrol plate

Best value

Neilsen Neilsen CT2146 petrol plate
1.0/10about £434.95
View offer
Neilsen Neilsen CT1708 petrol plate

Alternative

Neilsen Neilsen CT1708 petrol plate
1.0/10about £935
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Width and force
  2. 2.Forward or reversible
  3. 3.What this set actually states
  4. 4.Hire or buy

Width and force

Hireload puts a 400 mm forward plate on an open patio, and an 18 inch reversible on deeper or confined work. Speedy’s framing is about 12 kN for ordinary paths and about 25 kN on thicker ground. Those are hire descriptions, not a test of these machines. Width is one pass. Force is the listing’s impact claim. Evolution states 5 kN and layers up to 50 mm. The printed units here are 5 kN, 20 kN, 1030 kg and 8200 N. Read the unit on the page.

Forward or reversible

A forward plate walks away from you. That is Hireload’s open patio and straight path. A reversible plate travels backwards, which is how you leave a trench. None of the eight listings says it is reversible, so a confined trench is a hire outside this set. Pavingexpert’s light-duty figure is about 75 mm of compacted Type 1, and about 100 mm where a car will pass. Those depths are not a Building Regulations clause for your postcode. How you spread them is on compact MOT Type 1 for a patio.
Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate

Testsieger

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate
9.2/10about £235.81
View offer

What this set actually states

The Evolution, at about £235.81, states 5 kN, 230 V and 26 kg. Plate size on Amazon is blank. The maker page prints 320 × 300 mm and 400 × 320 mm. It is the only large UK review file, 4.5 from 155. Who it suits is on best plate compactor UK. The CT2146 states 1030 kg and 510 × 350 mm, with no UK rating. The CT1708 states 20 kN and 550 × 440 mm. Compatible with a Honda GX160 is not a box list that says compactor. The C60 rows generally state no force. A 30 cm depth claim is not one lift.

Hire or buy

Hireload publishes £29.99 ex-VAT a day for a 400 mm forward plate and £49.99 ex-VAT for an 18 inch reversible, plus delivery. One day can sit under the £235.81 electric plate. A machine you will use again moves the sum the other way. Buy the Evolution when layers stay inside the 50 mm line and you have 230 V. The CT2146 is the lower-priced petrol row that states force and plate size. Leave a page that prints neither. At work, the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 still apply. HSE’s initial value for an ordinary plate is 18 m/s², and gloves do not block vibration.

Common questions

What size wacker plate do I need for a patio?
For an open patio with foot traffic, Hireload points you at a 400 mm forward plate, and Pavingexpert’s light-duty compacted depth is about 75 mm of Type 1. Speedy’s usual hire class is about 12 kN. The Evolution states 5 kN and a 50 mm layer, so it is a thinner-lift tool than that hire class. None of these Amazon listings says it reverses.
Is a bigger plate always better?
A wider plate covers more ground per pass and is clumsier in a corner. Force is a separate claim. The CT1708’s 550 × 440 mm base and 20 kN look larger than the Evolution’s 5 kN, and Amazon does not state an Evolution plate size. A larger base does not repair a missing force, and it does not turn a 30 cm depth claim into one lift.
What does a kilonewton figure mean next to kilograms?
A kilonewton is the unit on the Evolution (5 kN) and the CT1708 (20 kN). The CT2146 prints 1030 kg. The ZeHuoGe prints 8200 N. Those are the units on the listings. 8200 N equals 8.2 kN as arithmetic only. This comparison did not measure the kilogram figure on the same scale, so keep 1030 kg in kilograms and 20 kN in kilonewtons.
Do I need a reversible plate for a garden path?
An open path is the forward-plate job in Hireload’s split. You walk to the end and turn. A reversible plate is for backing out of a trench or a confined strip. If your path is that narrow slot, hire the reversible machine. It is not one of the eight listings here.
Should I hire or buy for one patio?
Hireload’s own day rate for a 400 mm forward plate is £29.99 ex-VAT, plus delivery, which can be less than buying the £235.81 Evolution for a single day. Buying starts to make sense when you will use the plate again, or when you want the 230 V machine and you will keep layers thin. Depot rates differ, and some exclude VAT. One site’s price is that depot, not every hire shop in Britain.
How thick a layer can a 5 kN plate compact?
Evolution’s UK page describes this 5 kN, 26 kg plate for layers up to 50 mm. Hireload’s general lift is about 75–100 mm, and UK reviewers of the Amazon listing who were content stayed thin, often under about 75 mm, with extra passes. Use the 50 mm line for this plate. A 30 cm claim on other listings is a different sentence, on a different machine.

Related pages

Tamping rammer comparison

Plate compactor

Best plate compactor UK: Evolution H320-E or petrol

How to use a wacker plate: start, overlap and stop

Compact MOT Type 1 under a domestic patio sub-base

Electric vs petrol wacker plate: fumes, force, 230 V

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE, Vibration risk assessment (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE, Carbon monoxide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Pavingexpert, Sub-bases (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Evolution H320-E manufacturer page (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Hireload, What size wacker plate do I need? (retrieved 20 October 2026)