It happens every summer. The wind swings around in the late afternoon, the umbrella lifts, and the whole thing goes over the table before anyone can grab it. Almost every time, the cause is the same: the umbrella base underneath was chosen for its looks or its price rather than its weight.
Below is a canopy-size-to-base-weight chart built entirely from figures published on our outdoor umbrellas product pages, followed by an honest comparison of concrete, granite and fillable resin bases. Print it, take it to the deck, and match your canopy before you order.
Start with the canopy, not the base
The number that decides everything is the widest span of your canopy. A 220 cm square shades a small balcony table and barely catches the breeze. A 350 cm octagon covers a full eight-seater and behaves like a sail the moment the wind picks up.
The second number is the mast diameter, and it trips people up constantly. Our concrete bases fit 41 to 45 mm masts in the small size and 52 to 55 mm in the medium. Our granite bases run 40 to 45 mm and 48 to 54 mm. Those bands do not line up, so a 48 mm mast that suits a medium granite base will not suit a medium concrete one.
The umbrella base weight table (print this one)
Every figure below comes from a weight published on a Neat Furniture product page. Where a page does not state a recommended weight, we have left the guidance to the range it does cover rather than inventing a number.
| Canopy size (widest point) | Umbrella style | Published base weight | What that means in the cart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 250 cm | Centrepost | 16–20 kg | Small concrete (16 kg) or small granite (20 kg) |
| 250–270 cm | Centrepost | 16–28 kg | Small or medium concrete or granite, or the 16 kg steel base |
| 270–330 cm | Centrepost | 25–28 kg | Medium concrete (25 kg) or medium granite (28 kg) |
| 350 cm and wider | Centrepost | 30–39 kg | Large concrete or granite (30 kg), or extra-large granite (39 kg) |
| 300 cm diagonal | Cantilever | 64–96 kg | 4–6 Resinstone weights at 16 kg each |
| 330–350 cm diagonal | Cantilever | 96–128 kg | 6–8 Resinstone weights |
| 380–400 cm diagonal | Cantilever | 128 kg | 8 Resinstone weights |
| Cantilever on a fillable base | Cantilever | 100–125 kg | Sand or blue metal ballast in a resin base |
Read it as a floor, not a ceiling. Our own umbrella pages back it up. The Harbord at 220 cm square is listed for small and medium bases. The Palermo at 330 cm calls for a medium base, and the Biarritz at 350 cm calls for a large one.
Concrete, granite or fillable: choosing the material
Once you know the weight you need, the material decides the price, the look and how you get it into position.
| Base type | Weights available | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | 16 kg, 25 kg, 30 kg | The most ballast per dollar for centrepost umbrellas on paving or decking | Painted concrete can chip if you drag it across pavers |
| Granite | 20 kg, 28 kg, 30 kg, 39 kg | Front-of-house looks and the heaviest single centrepost option we stock | Costs more, and polished stone shows scuffs |
| Fillable resin | 100 kg or 125 kg of fill | Cantilever umbrellas and any load too heavy to carry assembled | The sand or blue metal is a separate purchase |
| Steel | 16 kg, one size | Small to mid-size centrepost umbrellas on a 52 mm mast | Single size only, so check your mast first |
Our Concrete Umbrella Bases (from $109) are the workhorse choice, running 16 kg, 25 kg and 30 kg across three sizes in a black painted finish. The Granite Umbrella Bases (from $169) cover the same job in polished Grey Agate on a chrome-plated steel post. Their medium, large and extra-large sizes come with two wheels, so you tip and roll them rather than lift.
Fillable is the third path, and not really a competitor to the other two. A Large Resin Base ($639) is an empty shell that takes 125 kg of sand or blue metal, a weight class no single stone base reaches. Fill it in position, because moving it afterwards is a two-person job at best.
Cantilever umbrellas play by different numbers
A centrepost umbrella pushes straight down through its base. A cantilever hangs the canopy off to one side, so the base has to resist a lever trying to tip it. That is why cantilever ballast runs to hundreds of kilograms rather than tens.
Our Concrete Cantilever Umbrella Ballast Weight ($99) is 25 kg per piece, sold individually, and the product page notes that an average cantilever takes four to six of them. That is 100 to 150 kg of concrete sitting on the cross frame.
The Resinstone Cantilever Umbrella Ballast Weights ($59 each) are 16 kg apiece, and their page publishes the clearest canopy guidance in the range. Canopies around 300 cm diagonally take four to six weights, 330 to 350 cm take six to eight, and 380 to 400 cm take eight. Order the count, not the piece.
Wind, weather and the Australian reality check
A base sized for a still morning is not sized for a Sydney north-easterly, a Melbourne cool change or the Fremantle Doctor at four o'clock. Coastal and exposed sites should go one size up the table, every time. If you are still working out how the sizing logic hangs together, our companion piece on what size umbrella base you need walks through the reasoning behind these numbers rather than the numbers themselves.
Apartment balconies are their own case. Many strata and body corporate by-laws restrict what can be fixed to a slab or hung over a railing. Rules vary by building and by state, so check with your owners corporation first. A heavy free-standing base is usually the easier approval.
Whatever you land on, close the umbrella when you leave the area. No shade solution is designed to be left open through a storm front, and a wound-down canopy takes the load out of the equation entirely.
Umbrella base weight — frequently asked questions
How heavy should an umbrella base be for a 3 m umbrella?
For a 3 m centrepost umbrella, plan on a medium base of 25 to 28 kg. Our medium concrete base is 25 kg and the medium granite is 28 kg. A 3 m cantilever is a different animal and needs 64 to 96 kg of ballast instead.
Can I use a fillable base instead of concrete or granite?
Yes, and for cantilever umbrellas it is often the better option. A fillable resin base takes 100 to 125 kg of sand or blue metal, far more than any stone base, and ships as an empty shell. The trade-off is that the fill is a separate purchase.
Do I need a bigger base if my umbrella goes through a table?
No, but do not treat the table as ballast. A table steadies the mast against sideways movement, which helps, but it does not stop the canopy lifting the whole assembly. Size the base off the canopy, exactly as the chart above shows. For the table side of the pairing — hole sizes, centre plugs and which tables have one — see our guide to outdoor tables with umbrella holes.
What weight do I need in a windy coastal spot?
Go one row up the table from where your canopy sits. A 300 cm canopy that would take a 25 kg base is better on a 30 kg one. Near the water, take the top of a cantilever's published range rather than the bottom.
Is there a published base weight for every umbrella?
Not every product page states a weight. Some list a mast diameter, others name the compatible base by size rather than by kilograms, so where a figure is not published we have not invented one. When in doubt, match the mast first and take the heavier option that fits.
Shop the range
Every base in the table above is stocked alongside the umbrellas and the covers that keep them tidy over winter. If you are building the area from scratch, the outdoor dining settings range pairs tables with the right umbrella hole and canopy span. We deliver Australia-wide, delivery is free on orders over $100, and most orders are dispatched in 3 to 10 business days.
