Paver Calculator

Measure your patio and pick a paver - that's it. 1. Enter the patio length and width in feet (for an L-shaped or multi-part patio, add the sections together, or run the calculator once per rectangle). 2. Choose your paver size from the dropdown - the default 4 x 8 in brick paver is the most common. 3. Read the results: total pavers needed with a waste allowance already added, plus the crushed-stone base and bedding sand volumes for the sub-base. Open More options if you want to switch to metric, enter a custom paver size, change the base or sand depth, adjust the waste percentage for a diagonal or herringbone pattern, or add a price per paver for a quick cost estimate.

A paver estimate is really three smaller estimates stacked together. First, the surface area of your patio (length x width). Second, how many pavers cover that area - which depends entirely on the paver size, so a 12 x 12 in slab covers a full square foot while a 4 x 8 in brick covers only about 0.22 sq ft, meaning you need roughly 4.5 of them per square foot. Third, the sub-base that keeps the pavers flat: a compacted crushed-stone layer (typically 4 in for a patio, 6 in for a driveway) topped with about 1 in of bedding sand. Because pavers get cut around edges and curves, a waste allowance of 5-15% is added on top so you don't come up short on the last row.

Pavers = (Patio area / Paver area) x (1 + waste %)

```
Paver area (sq ft) = (paver length in x paver width in) / 144
Base (cu yd) = area x (base depth in / 12) / 27
Bedding sand (cu yd) = area x (sand depth in / 12) / 27
```

Everything you buy in whole units - pavers and 50 lb bags of polymeric jointing sand - is rounded up, because you can't buy a fraction of a paver.

How many pavers for a 10 x 20 ft patio? Area = 200 sq ft. With 12 x 12 in pavers (1 sq ft each) you need 200, and after a 10% waste allowance that's 220 pavers, plus about 2.47 cu yd of crushed-stone base and 0.62 cu yd of bedding sand.

Same patio with 4 x 8 in brick pavers? Each brick covers 0.22 sq ft, so you need about 4.5 per square foot -> 900 for 200 sq ft, or 990 pavers with 10% waste.

A small 8 x 10 ft walkway (80 sq ft) in 6 x 9 in pavers works out to about 2.67 pavers per sq ft -> 214, or 235 pavers once a 10% allowance is added.

- Buy from one batch / lot number. Paver color varies between production runs, so order all your pavers (including the waste allowance) at once.
- Don't skimp on the base. A well-compacted 4 in crushed-stone base is what stops a patio from sinking; use 6 in for anything vehicles drive on.
- Bedding sand is coarse sand, not play sand. Use concrete / sharp sand for the 1 in screed and polymeric sand only for the joints.
- Round up, then add a little. This tool already adds a waste allowance, but keep 5-10 spare pavers for future repairs.
- Check the delivery weight. Crushed stone runs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard, so a 2-3 cu yd order is a small truck load.