Pavers, base and sand
Type feet and inches like 12'6" or just 12.5. Add a second area for an L-shaped patio, or tick Subtract for a fire pit or a flower bed inside it. Everything is saved on this device.
About the paver calculator
This free paver calculator tells you how many pavers you need for a patio, a path or a driveway. Enter the size of the area and pick the paver size. The tool adds the joint between the pavers and an extra for cuts, and rounds up to whole pavers.
Pavers sit on a gravel base and a thin bed of sand. So you also get the cubic yards and tons of base gravel and the bags of bedding sand. Add a price per paver to see the cost.
Features
- Pavers to buy — with the joint and an extra 5–15% for cuts, rounded up
- 7 paver sizes — from 4 × 8 in brick pavers to 24 × 24 in slabs, or your own size
- Gravel base — cubic yards and tons for a patio, a soft-ground patio or a driveway, with extra for packing down
- Bedding sand — cubic feet and 0.5 cu ft bags (or 25 kg bags)
- Any shape — rectangles, circles, triangles and trapezoids; add areas or subtract a fire pit
- Pallets and cost — the price per paver, and pallets if you know how many pavers are on one
- Feet or metres — m², m³, tonnes and 25 kg bags in metric
- Saved on this device — the list is still there at the garden center
How many pavers per square foot?
One paver covers its own size plus half a joint on each side. With a 1/8 in joint:
| Paver size | Pavers per sq ft | Pavers per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in (brick paver) | 4.30 | 430 |
| 6 × 6 in | 3.84 | 384 |
| 6 × 9 in | 2.58 | 258 |
| 12 × 12 in | 0.98 | 98 |
| 16 × 16 in | 0.55 | 55 |
| 12 × 24 in | 0.49 | 49 |
| 24 × 24 in | 0.25 | 25 |
In metric, with a 3 mm joint:
| Paver size | Pavers per m² | Pavers per 10 m² |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 20 cm | 47.8 | 478 |
| 20 × 20 cm | 24.3 | 243 |
| 30 × 30 cm | 10.9 | 109 |
| 40 × 40 cm | 6.2 | 62 |
| 30 × 60 cm | 5.5 | 55 |
| 60 × 60 cm | 2.8 | 28 |
These numbers are before the extra for cuts.
Worked example
The page opens on a 12 × 10 ft patio of 4 × 8 in pavers with 1/8 in joints:
- Area: 12 × 10 = 120 sq ft
- One paver with its joint: 8 1/8 × 4 1/8 = 33.5 sq in
- Pavers: 120 × 144 ÷ 33.5 = 516 before the extra
- With 10% for cuts: 516 × 1.1 → 568 pavers
- Gravel base, 4 in deep: 120 × 4 ÷ 12 = 40 cu ft, plus 20% for packing down = 48 cu ft = 1.78 cubic yards, about 2.67 tons
- Bedding sand, 1 in deep: 120 ÷ 12 = 10 cu ft = 20 bags of 0.5 cu ft
In metric, a 4 × 3 m patio of 10 × 20 cm pavers with 3 mm joints needs 632 pavers with 10% extra, 1.44 m³ of base (about 2.56 tonnes) and 20 bags of sand of 25 kg.
How deep should the base and the sand be?
| Project | Gravel base, packed | Sand bed |
|---|---|---|
| Patio or walkway on firm ground | 4 in (10 cm) | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
| Patio on clay or soft ground | 6 in (15 cm) | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
| Driveway for cars | 8 in (20 cm) or more | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
Use crushed stone (paver base or crusher run) for the base, not round pea gravel. Packed stone takes less room than loose stone, so the tool adds 20% for packing down (you can change it under Sand, packing and pallets). Cold places with deep frost and very soft ground often need a deeper base: ask a local supplier.
How much extra should I add?
| Layout | Extra for cuts |
|---|---|
| Straight edges, running bond or stack bond | 5% |
| Curves, steps or many corners | 10% |
| Herringbone or a 45° pattern | 15% |
Keep a few spare pavers after the job. A paver that cracks later is easy to swap — if you still have one from the same batch.
Frequently asked questions
How many pavers do I need per square foot?
About 4.3 brick pavers (4 × 8 in) with 1/8 in joints, 0.98 pavers of 12 × 12 in and 0.25 of 24 × 24 in. Add 5–15% for cuts.
How much gravel base do I need for pavers?
For a patio, 4 in of packed crushed stone. A 12 × 10 ft patio needs 40 cu ft; with 20% for packing down that is 1.78 cubic yards, about 2.7 tons.
How much sand goes under pavers?
A 1 in (2.5 cm) bed. One cubic foot of sand covers 12 sq ft at 1 in, so a 120 sq ft patio needs 10 cu ft — 20 bags of 0.5 cu ft.
Does the joint change the number of pavers?
Yes. Without a joint, a 4 × 8 in paver gives 4.5 pavers per sq ft. With a 1/8 in joint it is 4.30. Use the gap of your paver's spacer bars, or 1/8 in if you are not sure.
How many pavers are on a pallet?
It depends on the paver: big slabs come fewer to a pallet than brick pavers. Ask the supplier how many pavers (or square feet) one pallet holds, and type it under Sand, packing and pallets to get the number of pallets.
Can I use metres and centimetres?
Yes. Switch to Metres & cm to get pavers per m², the base in m³ and tonnes, and the sand in 25 kg bags.
Related tools
- Gravel Calculator — crushed stone for a driveway or a base, by the ton
- Concrete Calculator — a concrete slab instead of pavers
- Square Footage Calculator — the area of a yard of any shape
- Brick Calculator — bricks and mortar for a garden wall
- Tile & Flooring Calculator — tiles for an indoor floor
How to use it
- Choose Feet & inches or Metres & cm
- Enter the length and width of the area, or choose another shape. Use Add another area for an L shape, and Subtract for a bed or fire pit inside it
- Pick the paver size, or type your own length and width
- Check the joint and pick the pattern for the extra
- Pick the gravel base for your project
- Add a price per paver to see the cost, then press Copy the list
