Paver patio calculator
Enter the patio, the paver and the pattern. This counts the pavers with the waste that pattern cuts, and works out the base stone, the bedding sand and the edge restraint that go under and around them.
A nominal size already includes the joint, so leave the joint at 0. Enter a joint only if you typed the paver's actual size off the pallet label.
Compacted — 4–6" for a patio
Ask the yard for theirs
Pavers to buy
951pavers
Base stone
4.8 tons
Bedding sand
0.59 cu yd
Edge restraint
56 ft
Patio
192 sq ft
- Base at least 4" of compacted stone — passes6" is within ICPI's usual 4–6" for a patio on well-drained soil. Go deeper on clay or wet ground.
Materials, bottom to top
- Compacted base6" deep, 96.0 cu ft — 4.8 tons at 1.35 t/yd³
- 3.56 cu yd
- Bedding sand1" screeded, 16.0 cu ft — about 0.8 tons, or 32 bags of 0.5 cu ft
- 0.59 cu yd
- Pavers4.5 per sq ft × 192 sq ft = 864, plus 10% for cuts
- 951
- Edge restraintThe whole perimeter. Leave it off any side that butts a wall or slab.
- 56 ft
What this is going by
The base and sand depths follow ICPI guidance for a pedestrian patio: about 1" of concrete sand screeded over 4–6" of compacted crushed stone on well-drained soil. Clay, a wet site or a driveway all want a deeper base, and the paver maker's own instructions come first.
The volumes are the patio's own footprint. Base that runs out past the edge under the restraint, and stone lost to compaction, are extra — order a little over.
Where to buy this
- 951 pavers, 4" × 8"Home DepotLowe's
- 4.8 tons of paver baseHome DepotLowe's
- 0.59 cu yd of bedding sand (32 bags)Home DepotLowe's
- 56 ft of paver edgingHome DepotLowe's
Paver sizes and colours vary by maker, so the search is for the size, not a product. A landscape yard sells base and sand by the ton and usually beats bags on anything past a small patio.
Plain search links, nothing sponsored. Prices and stock are the shop's, and a local lumberyard will usually beat both on solid stock.
About paver patios
- How many 4x8 pavers are in a square foot?
- 4.5 at the nominal 4 × 8 — 144 square inches over 32. A 12 × 12 is 1 per square foot and a 16 × 16 is 0.5625. A nominal size already includes the joint, because the paver is made slightly under it, so don't add a joint on top of a nominal size or the count comes out short.
- How many pavers do I need for a 12 x 16 patio?
- In 4 × 8 brick pavers, 908 in a running bond with 5% for cuts, or 951 in a herringbone with 10% — 864 before any waste. On 6" of base, that patio takes about 4.8 tons of base stone and 0.59 cubic yards of bedding sand, and 56 feet of edge restraint if no side butts the house.
- How deep should the base be under a paver patio?
- ICPI guidance for a pedestrian patio on well-drained soil is about 4–6" of compacted crushed stone, with 1" of concrete sand screeded on top for the pavers to bed into. Clay, a wet site or anything a car drives on wants a deeper base, and the paver maker's own instructions come first. The calculator flags a base under 4" but prices whatever depth you enter.
- How much extra should I buy for herringbone or a diagonal pattern?
- As a rule of thumb, about 5% for a running bond or basket weave, which cut only at the edges; 10% for a 90° herringbone; and 15% for anything laid at 45°, which cuts nearly every paver along the border. They are defaults rather than a published figure — a patio with curves or lots of corners wants more, and a few spares for later repairs are worth keeping from the same batch.
You might also need
- Gravel and mulchCubic yards, tons and bags of gravel, crushed stone, sand, topsoil or mulch for a rectangle, circle or triangle at a depth.
- Concrete footings and slabsCubic yards for a run of post footings or a slab, and the bags of ready-mix that buys.
- Tile layoutFull tiles across the middle and a sized cut tile at every edge, centred or started from one wall.