How to use the paver calculator
A paved patio, path or driveway is a build-up of layers: a compacted crushed stone base, a thin bed of sand, the pavers themselves and an edge restraint to hold it all together. This calculator works out each layer from the size of the area, so you can order materials, price a quote or check a contractor's numbers in one go.
- Choose units. US mode takes feet for the area and inches for the paver and layers, and gives cubic yards and US tons. Metric mode takes metres and millimetres and gives cubic metres and tonnes.
- Enter the area. Use length and width for a rectangle, or switch to a known area and perimeter for an irregular shape. You can get the area of an L-shape or a curve from the square footage calculator.
- Enter the paver size and the joint. Pavers with built-in spacer nubs are usually sold by their nominal size, so leave the joint at zero for those.
- Set the waste for your laying pattern, then the base and sand depths.
Paver formulas
Pavers = area ÷ ((paver length + joint) × (paver width + joint)) × (1 + waste %)
Base volume = area × base depth × (1 + compaction %)
Sand volume = area × sand depth
Weight = volume × density (base ≈ 1.8 t/m³, sand ≈ 1.6 t/m³)
Excavation depth = paver thickness + sand depth + base depth
Edging = perimeter
The densities are typical values for crushed base and dry sand, so treat the weights as estimates and check them with your supplier. One cubic yard is 0.765 m³, and one US ton is 0.907 tonnes.
| Paver size | Pavers per ft² | Paver size (metric) | Pavers per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in | 4.5 | 200 × 100 mm | 50 |
| 6 × 6 in | 4 | 300 × 300 mm | 11.1 |
| 6 × 9 in | 2.67 | 450 × 450 mm | 4.94 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1 | 600 × 300 mm | 5.56 |
| 16 × 16 in | 0.56 | 600 × 600 mm | 2.78 |
| 24 × 24 in | 0.25 | 900 × 600 mm | 1.85 |
Worked examples
A 12 × 16 ft brick paver patio
The patio is 192 ft². With 4 × 8 in pavers there are 4.5 per square foot, so 864 pavers, or 951 with 10% extra for a herringbone pattern. A 6 in compacted base is 96 ft³; with 15% for compaction that is about 4.1 yd³, or roughly 6.2 US tons. One inch of bedding sand is 16 ft³, about 0.6 yd³ or 0.8 tons. The edging runs around the 56 ft perimeter, and with 2⅜ in pavers you dig about 9.4 in deep, or roughly 5.6 yd³ of soil to remove.
A 5 × 4 m block paved area
The area is 20 m². Using 200 × 100 mm blocks at 50 per m² gives 1,000 blocks, or 1,050 with 5% extra for a stretcher bond. A 150 mm sub-base with 15% for compaction is 3.45 m³, about 6.2 tonnes of Type 1. A 30 mm sand laying course is 0.6 m³, close to 1 tonne. You need 18 m of edging, and with 60 mm blocks the dig is 240 mm deep, so 4.8 m³ of spoil.
Who this calculator helps
- Landscape architects and garden designers putting quantities against a hard landscaping plan.
- Architects adding patios, paths and driveways to an early cost plan.
- Paving contractors building a materials list and a muck-away estimate for a quote.
- Homeowners pricing a DIY patio before ordering from the builders' merchant.
Practical tips
- Compact the base in layers of about 2–4 in (50–100 mm) with a plate compactor rather than all at once.
- Give the surface a fall of about 1–2% away from the house, and keep the finished level below the damp-proof course or sill.
- Order pavers for the whole job from the same batch, since colour can vary between runs.
- Work out the dig with the excavation calculator, the stone and sand with the gravel calculator, and the falls with the slope calculator.
Want to show a client the new patio first? Try different paving on a photo of the garden with Landscape.
