Paver Calculator

Pavers, base gravel, and both sands — the full patio order in one list.

Your patio

Use
Waste factor (cuts)
Edge cuts eat pavers — 10% suits square layouts; use 15% for curves and diagonals.

Materials list

Generated by AllUnits.io — allunits.io/calculators/paver-patio

How this calculator figures it

Base and bedding layers follow Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) guidance: 4 inches of compacted open-graded base for pedestrian areas — 6 to 8 inches for vehicular — under exactly 1 inch of ASTM C33 concrete bedding sand (ICPI Tech Spec 17). Crushed-stone base is converted at 1.4 tons per cubic yard, a typical quarry figure; your supplier's ticket weight governs.

How it works

pavers = ceil(area × pavers-per-sq-ft × 1.10)  ·  custom pavers/sq ft = 144 ÷ (W × L in inches)
base (yd³) = area × depth ÷ 12 ÷ 27  ·  bedding = area × 1" ÷ 12 ÷ 27  ·  tons = yd³ × 1.4

Worked example — a 10 × 10 ft patio in 4×8 Holland pavers: 100 sq ft × 4.5 per sq ft × 1.10 waste = 495 pavers. The 4-inch base is 1.23 yd³ (about 1.7 tons), the 1-inch bedding layer is 0.31 yd³ of concrete sand, joint fill is 2 × 40 lb bags of polymeric sand at the 70 sq ft midpoint, and edge restraint runs the 40 ft perimeter.

Paver FAQs

How deep should the gravel base be?

4 inches compacted for patios and walkways, 6 to 8 inches for vehicles — ICPI Tech Spec guidance.

What sand goes under pavers?

1 inch of coarse washed concrete sand, ASTM C33 — not stone dust. ICPI Tech Spec 17 caps bedding at 1.5 inches maximum.

How much does a bag of polymeric sand cover?

40 to 100 square feet per 40 lb bag depending on joint width.

Do I compact the base in layers?

Yes — 2 to 3 inch lifts with a plate compactor. General practice.

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Related calculators & sources

Ordering loose base material by itself? Use the Gravel Calculator. Holding back a slope beside the patio: Retaining Wall Calculator. Pouring instead of paving: Concrete Slab Calculator. Base and bedding standards are cited at ICPI/CMHA sources; convert measurements with the area and weight converters.

Estimates for planning and purchasing. Not engineering or code-compliance advice — confirm structural work with your local building department.