Paver Calculator

Find the area you are covering in square feet, then divide it by the area of a single paver in square feet - a paver's area is its length times its width in inches, divided by 144. Divide the project area by that number, add a waste percentage for cuts and breakage, and round up. Enter your numbers above and the calculator does this; add a base depth and/or sand depth as well to also get the gravel base and bedding sand volumes for your project.

It depends on the paver size. A 4 by 8 inch brick-size paver covers 32 square inches, so about 4.5 fit in a square foot. A 6 by 6 inch paver is 4 per square foot, an 8 by 8 inch paver is 2.25, and a 12 by 12 inch paver is exactly 1. Divide 144 by the paver's length times width in inches to get the figure for any size.

A 10 by 10 foot patio is 100 square feet. With 4 by 8 inch pavers that is 450 before waste, or 495 once you add 10 percent for a straight layout. With 12 by 12 inch pavers it is 100, plus waste. The exact number always depends on the paver size and the laying pattern.

A 12 by 12 foot patio is 144 square feet. With 12 by 12 inch pavers that is exactly 144 before waste. A running-bond layout adds about 10 percent (159), a 90-degree herringbone about 15 percent (166), and a 45-degree herringbone up to 20 percent (173), because diagonal patterns need more cut pieces around the edges.

About 10 percent for a running bond or other straight layout, about 15 percent for a 90-degree herringbone, and up to 20 percent for a 45-degree herringbone or a design with many curves and angled cuts. These are guidance figures - the calculator does not apply them for you; enter the percentage that fits your pattern in the optional waste field.

The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association publishes 4 inches of compacted aggregate base for walkways, patios, and other pedestrian areas, and 6 inches for residential driveways, over a compacted soil subgrade - but states these as minimums for ideal conditions: a strong subgrade, good drainage, and a non-freeze climate. CMHA recommends adding roughly 50% more depth for each of those conditions your site doesn't meet, so a driveway with weak or poorly drained soil in a hard-freeze climate can need close to 15 inches. Build and compact the base in 2 to 3 inch lifts, then add a nominal 1 inch of bedding sand on top. Enter your own base depth above for a paver base calculation matched to your actual site, rather than the published minimum.

For the gravel base, multiply the area by your entered base depth in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards - a 100 square foot patio with a 4 inch base depth entered comes to about 1.2 cubic yards. The bedding sand works the same way: a 1 inch sand depth entered over that same 100 square feet is about 0.3 cubic yards. Enter either depth above and this calculator works as a paver base calculator and paver sand calculator together, showing each as a planning estimate from the number you enter rather than a fixed figure; use the Gravel Calculator for a full base-material calculation with weight and delivery figures.

Measure to the finished face of the pavers for the count. For the base and edge restraint, excavate 6 to 8 inches wider than the paver field on any side that is not against a house or wall, so the restraint has something solid to anchor to. Diagonal and herringbone layouts also produce more cut pieces along the perimeter, which is why they carry a higher waste percentage.

Bedding sand is the setting layer spread over the compacted base and screeded before the pavers are placed on top of it. Joint sand is a separate material swept into the gaps between the pavers once they are installed, filling the joints - CMHA Guide Specification PAV-GSP-011-21 treats bedding sand and joint sand as two distinct materials with separate grading requirements. This calculator estimates bedding-sand volume only, from the sand depth you enter; it does not estimate joint sand or polymeric sand. Confirm the joint-sand material and quantity with your paver manufacturer or project specification.