Your patio
Base, sand and joint assumptions
A 50 lb bag of polymeric sand holds roughly 0.5 cu ft. Coverage depends on joint width and paver thickness, so check the coverage chart on the bag you buy.
Pavers you need
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Paver base ( compacted)
- Bulk–
- Or bags–
Bedding sand ()
- Bulk–
- Or bags–
- Polymeric joint sand–
- Dig out–
Estimate only. Bags are 0.5 cu ft (about 50 lb). The base should also run past the patio edge by about its own depth so the edge restraint sits on it; add that area if you want it counted.
Call 811 before you dig. It's free, and US law requires the one-call system so buried gas, power and water lines get marked first.
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How the paver calculator works
Pavers: the patio area divided by one paver's face area (length × width ÷ 144 for sq ft), plus your extra for cuts and breakage, rounded up. A 10 × 12 ft patio is 120 sq ft; 6 × 9 in pavers are 0.375 sq ft each, so that's 320 pavers, or 352 with 10% extra.
Base: area × base depth ÷ 12 gives cubic feet, plus about 10% because loose gravel packs down when you compact it. The ICPI construction tolerance guide lists a minimum compacted base of 4 inches for patios and walkways and 6 inches for residential driveways. Clay soil, wet sites and cold climates often need more; your local supplier or paver maker's guide will say. Base density defaults to 1.4 tons per yard (crusher run with fines).
Bedding sand: the same ICPI guide shows a nominal 1 inch layer of bedding sand under the pavers. It's screeded flat, not compacted before the pavers go down.
Joint sand: the gaps between pavers add up to (length + width) ÷ (length × width) feet of joint per square foot. Joint length × joint width × fill depth (paver thickness less ⅛ in) gives the volume of polymeric sand.
Dig out: base + sand + paver thickness is how far below the finished surface you excavate.
How much paver base do I need?
For a patio or walkway, plan on at least 4 inches of compacted base; driveways need at least 6. Multiply area by depth in inches, divide by 12 for cubic feet and by 27 for cubic yards, then add about 10% for compaction.
How much sand goes under pavers?
About 1 inch of coarse concrete sand. That's 1 cubic foot for every 12 sq ft, or about 0.31 cubic yards per 100 sq ft.
How many pavers per square foot?
Divide 144 by the paver's face area in square inches. A 4 × 8 in brick paver is 4.5 per sq ft, 6 × 9 in is 2.67, 12 × 12 in is 1, and 16 × 16 in is 0.56.
How much extra pavers should I buy?
About 5 to 10% for straight patterns on a square patio, and 10 to 15% for herringbone, diagonal patterns or curved edges with a lot of cuts.