Most people arrive at this decision having seen a pattern they liked and wanting to know what it is called. That is a reasonable place to start, but the choice that matters is structural rather than visual: how many sides of the block lock into its neighbours, and therefore how the surface behaves under a car. Get that right and any of the six will look good; get it wrong and a handsome courtyard develops ruts where the wheels turn.
Behaton vs UNI Blocks - the comparison people actually search for
These two are the workhorses, and they are the two we put forward for anything a vehicle touches. They are not interchangeable.
| Design | Shape and size | Interlock | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behaton | H-shaped (double-T), 20 × 16.5 cm | Locks on four sides | Car parks, vehicle entrances, commercial yards and internal roads. The four-sided lock is what resists the twisting force a turning wheel puts into a surface, which is exactly where a weaker pattern opens up. |
| UNI Blocks | Zigzag I-shape, 22.5 × 11.25 cm | Locks on two sides | Walkways, sidewalks, villa courtyards, gardens - and car parks too. It is the most widely used design in the UAE, lays fast, cuts cleanly at edges and takes a herringbone or diamond layout well. |
In short: if it is a car park, a driveway or anything with turning traffic, Behaton is the safer structural choice and UNI Blocks are the versatile one. For pedestrian areas the structural question falls away and you should pick on looks. The thickness and the base under the blocks matter at least as much as which of the two you choose - a Behaton surface on a poorly compacted base will still fail.
All six designs, with their sizes
| Design | Block size | Shape | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNI Blocks | 22.5 × 11.25 cm | Zigzag block (a soft I shape) that locks into its neighbours on both sides | Walkways, sidewalks, car parks, villa courtyards, gardens |
| Quadro | 20 cm octagon + 8 cm infill square | Octagonal block laid with small squares filling the corners | Villa walkways, courtyards, building entrances, gardens |
| Sultaniya | 24.8 × 17.5 cm | S-curved block that interlocks in a wave | Walkways, villa courtyards, heritage-style areas and gardens |
| Behaton | 20 × 16.5 cm | H-shaped (double-T) block that locks on four sides | Car parks, vehicle entrances, commercial yards, internal roads |
| Lotus | 16.2 cm | Scalloped block (lotus / fan shape) | Villa entrances, outdoor courtyards, decorative walkways |
| Ventagilio | 20 × 19 cm | Fan-shaped block laid in interlocking arcs | Villa and hotel entrances, main courtyards, feature walkways |
Choosing by what the area is for
- Villa driveway or vehicle entrance: Behaton first, UNI Blocks second, in a thickness matched to the load, over a compacted base with a kerbstone edge. This is not the place for a decorative design.
- Car park or commercial yard: Behaton or UNI Blocks with kerb edging and the falls set for drainage. Mark the bays in a second colour of block rather than paint - painted lines on a trafficked surface need redoing, a laid colour does not.
- Villa courtyard and entrance: This is where the decorative designs earn their place. Quadro takes a contrasting infill square for borders, stars and motifs; Lotus gives a scalloped, wave-like surface; Ventagilio lays in interlocking fans and suits a formal entrance.
- Garden paths and walkways: Pedestrian, so choose freely. Sultaniya's S-curve reads traditional; Quadro or rectangular slabs with a contrasting border give a defined edge. Individual blocks lift out later for irrigation or lighting work and go back down.
- Sidewalks and building forecourts: Square or rectangular paving slabs, commonly white with black or beige banding - which is what is already laid along Abu Dhabi's streets, so it matches its surroundings.
Thickness, colours and the things that are not the design
- Thickness: Decided by the use, not by the pattern. Pedestrian areas and vehicle areas take different blocks, and we confirm which against your application when we quote rather than publishing a figure that would be wrong for half the people reading it.
- Colours: Grey, black/charcoal, beige/sand, red/terracotta, yellow and brown, subject to what is in stock when you order. Shade shifts slightly between production runs, so a whole area is best taken from one batch.
- Number of colours: Each additional colour in a pattern means more cutting, more waste and more stock to hold. A two-colour scheme with a border gives most of the visual effect of a three-colour motif for noticeably less.
- Keeping spares: Keep a small quantity from the same batch on site. A cracked block is then swapped out on its own, in a colour that still matches, instead of standing out for the life of the surface.
Ready for a figure on your own site? Request a quotation - seven short questions - or send the details straight to us on WhatsApp. The full product page is interlock supply and installation.
Written by the Pasco Stones team in Abu Dhabi. The same guidance in Arabic: هذه الصفحة بالعربية.
