The exact cost of materials will vary depending upon a number of factors such as
- availability;
- whether they are specialist or general materials;
- the quality of the material, especially top-dressings;
- location of the site for delivery from the supplier;
- quantity of materials being purchased - discounts for large quantities.
If we take the maintenance calendar as a guide, the following costs might be incurred, for a pitch with an area of 6,000 m²:
| Material | Quantity and unit cost | Total cost (Spring 2003) |
| Renovation Materials: | ||
| Top-dressing | say 40 tonnes required @ £24 per tonne | £ 960 |
| Grass Seed | Applied @ 17 g/m² = 4 x 25kg bags; @ £80 per bag | £ 320 |
| Fertiliser | Applied @ 25 g/m² = 6 x 25kg bags; @ £15 per bag | £ 90 |
| Turf for goalmouths | 6 yard (5.5m) x 8 yard (7.3m) = 40m² @ £6 per m² | £ 240 |
| Other Materials | ||
| Top-dressing for remainder of year | say 20 tonnes @ £24 per tonne | £ 480 |
| Fertiliser | Applied @ 25 g/m² = 6 x 25kg bags; @ £15 per bag | £ 90 |
| Diesel for machines | say (66p per litre) £3.00 gallon x 40 gallons | £ 120 |
| Turf tonic, (sulphate of iron) | At 4 g/m², 1 x25kg bag, @ £12 per bag | £ 12 |
| Line marking material | Say £6 per full overmark x 62 occasions | £372 |
| Herbicides | £100 per application for the whole pitch | £ 100 |
| Insecticides (Earthworms) |
£175 per application for 1/3rd of the pitch | £ 175 |
| Irrigation water supply | If a m³ (220 gallons) of water costs say, 80p; and if we say the equivalent of 6mm (¼") is applied over the whole pitch every other week during the period stated in the maintenance calendar, then 38m³ per week x 10 weeks = 380m³. | £ 304 |
| Total | £ 3,263 |
It is quite easy to see why top-dressing is one of the first items to be reduced in any budget cuts when it can quite easily form around 50% of the materials budget.