Paver Calculator for Patios & Driveways
Enter the patio size and paver type. You get the paver count with extra for cuts, plus the base gravel, bedding sand, joint sand and edging, following the paving industry's installation standard.
- Tested formulas
- Feet or metric
- Printable shopping list
2 What to buy
Updates as you typeThis is the finished, compacted volume. Loose stone packs down under a plate compactor, so order more than this; your supplier can tell you how much for their base.
| Patio area | 144 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Pavers per sq ft | 4.6 |
| Base area (runs 4" past the edging) | 173 sq ft |
| Base volume | 57.8 cu ft · 2.14 yd³ |
| Bedding sand | 12 cu ft · 0.44 yd³ (concrete sand, not stone dust) |
| Polymeric joint sand | 3 × 50 lb bags |
| Edge restraint | 48 ft, about 48 spikes (one per foot) |
Shopping list
Quick answer
A 12 × 12 ft patio (144 sq ft) of 4 × 8 inch pavers needs about 729 pavers with 10% extra for cuts. Under them go 2.14 cubic yards of compacted gravel base 4 inches deep, 1 inch of bedding sand (24 bags of 50 lb) and 3 bags of polymeric sand for the joints.
Materials for common patio sizes
| Patio | Pavers | Base (compacted) | Sand (50 lb bags) | Polymeric sand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 506 | 1.54 yd³ | 17 | 2 bags |
| 12 × 12 ft | 729 | 2.14 yd³ | 24 | 3 bags |
| 12 × 16 ft | 972 | 2.79 yd³ | 32 | 4 bags |
| 16 × 16 ft | 1296 | 3.64 yd³ | 43 | 5 bags |
| 16 × 20 ft | 1620 | 4.49 yd³ | 54 | 6 bags |
| 20 × 20 ft | 2024 | 5.53 yd³ | 67 | 7 bags |
4"×8" pavers at 4.6 per sq ft plus 10%, 4" compacted base, 1" bedding sand. Use the calculator above for your exact size.
How a paver patio is built
The paving industry's standard (CMHA, formerly ICPI) layers a patio like this, from the bottom up:
- Compacted base: at least 4 inches of dense-graded crushed stone for patios and walkways, 6 inches for a residential driveway. Use more in clay or wet soil and where the ground freezes hard. With a rental plate compactor, compact no more than 4 inches at a time.
- Bedding sand: a 1-inch layer of coarse concrete sand, screeded flat and left loose. The standard says not to use stone dust or limestone screenings here.
- Lay the pavers, then run the compactor over them to seat them in the sand.
- Joint sand swept in and compacted again. Polymeric sand sets when you wet it, which keeps it in the joints.
- Edge restraint around every side that isn't against a wall, spiked into the base.
The base should run past the edging by at least its own thickness, so the edge restraint sits on solid ground. The calculator adds that strip, plus about 3 inches for the edging itself, to the base volume.
Worked example: 12 × 12 ft patio with 4 × 8 pavers
- Area: 144 sq ft × 4.6 pavers per sq ft + 10% = 729 pavers
- Base: (12 ft + 7" each side)² × 4" = 57.8 cu ft = 2.14 yd³ compacted
- Bedding sand: 144 sq ft × 1" = 12 cu ft = 24 bags of 50 lb (about 0.5 cu ft each)
- Polymeric sand: 144 ÷ 60 = 3 bags of 50 lb
- Edging: 48 ft with a spike every foot
Pavers per square foot
Nominal sizes aren't exact, and each brand cuts its pavers a little differently, so the count per square foot varies:
| Paver | Pieces per sq ft |
|---|---|
| 4" × 8" Holland / brick | 4.08 (Rochester) to 4.8 (Lowe's guide); 4.5 Belgard, 4.58 Unilock Hollandstone, 4.66 Pavestone |
| 6" × 9" | 2.5 (Belgard) to 2.7 (Nicolock) |
| 12" × 12" | 1 |
| 16" × 16" (Rochester's is 15.66" actual) | 0.59 (1.7 sq ft each) |
If the pallet label lists coverage, enter its pieces per square foot for an exact count.
Buying the base gravel
The calculator gives the compacted volume. Crushed stone packs down when you run a plate compactor over it, so you need more loose stone than the finished layer. How much more depends on the stone, so ask the supplier for their figure. Use dense-graded base, often sold as crusher run, road base or "¾-inch minus", not clean round stone.
Tips
- Call 811 before you dig. It's free and marks buried lines.
- Slope the patio away from the house, about ¼ inch per foot, so water drains off.
- Rent a plate compactor. Hand tamping can't reach the density the base needs, and a soft base is why patios sink.
- Pull pavers from several pallets as you lay them, so color differences between batches blend in.
Frequently asked questions
How many pavers do I need for a 10 × 10 patio?
A 10 × 10 ft patio is 100 sq ft. With 4 × 8 inch pavers at about 4.6 per sq ft, that's 460 pavers, or about 506 with 10% extra for cuts. With 6 × 9 inch pavers at about 2.6 per sq ft, it's about 286 with extra.
How deep should the gravel base be for pavers?
The industry standard (CMHA) calls for at least 4 inches of compacted base under a patio or walkway and 6 inches under a residential driveway, plus a 1-inch layer of bedding sand. Go deeper in clay, wet soil or cold climates.
How much polymeric sand do I need?
A 50 lb bag covers roughly 50 to 85 sq ft of pavers with narrow joints, but only 20 to 40 sq ft with wide joints or tumbled pavers. Check the coverage chart on the bag you buy.
Can I use stone dust instead of sand under pavers?
The paving industry's guidelines say no: the 1-inch bedding layer should be coarse concrete sand (ASTM C33). The standard specifically rules out stone dust and screenings.
Last reviewed 2026-10-21. See how we calculate for our sources and assumptions.