Enter your patio length and width and pick a paver size, and get the number of pavers
you need — with a waste factor built in — plus the cubic yards of gravel
base and bedding sand underneath. The numbers use a standard 4-inch compacted base and
a 1-inch sand bed, the way most patios are built, and you can adjust every value.
Pavers, gravel base & sand·Preset & custom paver sizes·Cubic yards by volume
Read this first
These are estimates based on your measurements and standard layer depths, not a substitute
for a site assessment. Always buy a little extra — a few spare pavers and a partial
yard of base are cheap insurance. Base depth depends on your soil and how the patio will be
used: go deeper than 4 inches for poor-draining or soft soil, and well past it for anything
that carries vehicle loads. The sand figure is the bedding layer under the pavers, not the
joint sand that fills between them after they are set.
The calculator
Estimate pavers, base & sand
Enter your patio dimensions in feet, pick a paver size (or enter a custom width and length in inches), and set the base and sand depths. You'll get the paver count with waste applied, plus the gravel base and bedding sand in cubic yards.
Nominal face size of one paver; the calculator converts to square feet.
4″ is typical for a patio; 6″ or more for driveways or poor soil.
1″ of screeded bedding sand is standard under pavers.
5% for straight cuts; 10%+ for diagonal patterns or curves.
Patio area
Area per paver
Pavers (with waste)
Gravel base
Bedding sand
The math, honestly
How the paver and base counts are figured
Pavers come from area. The patio area is
length × width in feet. One paver covers
(paver width × paver length) / 144 square feet, because there are
144 square inches in a square foot. Divide the patio area by the area of one paver,
multiply by 1 + waste/100, and round up — you can't buy a fraction
of a paver, and the waste covers cuts and breakage.
Base and sand come from volume. The gravel base is
area × (base depth / 12) / 27 cubic yards, and the bedding sand is
area × (sand depth / 12) / 27 cubic yards. The depth is divided by
12 to convert inches to feet, and the result is divided by 27 because a cubic yard is
3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft, the unit bulk gravel and sand are sold in.
Why depth and waste matter: a 4-inch base is the patio standard, but
soft or poorly draining soil and any vehicle load call for going deeper — base
depth is a function of your site, not just the surface size. The waste factor protects
you from running a few pavers short at the very end, which is far more annoying than
having a couple left over for future repairs.
Paver sizes and coverage
Common nominal paver face sizes and how much each one covers, plus roughly how many it
takes to cover 100 square feet before waste. These are the figures the calculator uses
— larger pavers cover more per piece, so you need fewer of them.
Paver size
Area eachw × l ÷ 144
Per 100 sq ftbefore waste
4 × 8 in
0.2222 sq ft
450
6 × 6 in
0.25 sq ft
400
6 × 9 in
0.375 sq ft
267
12 × 12 in
1.0 sq ft
100
Pavers-per-100-sq-ft is 100 divided by the area of one paver, rounded up to whole pavers,
with no waste added. The calculator adds your waste percent on top. Nominal sizes ignore
joint gaps; tight-jointed paver systems are sized so the nominal figure works in practice.
Typical base and sand depths
Starting-point layer depths by use. These match the calculator's defaults — but
base depth ultimately depends on your soil and load, so treat the deeper figures as
minimums for harder use, not ceilings.
Use
Gravel basecompacted
Bedding sandscreeded
Walkway / patio
4 in
1 in
Patio, poor soil
6 in
1 in
Driveway
6–8 in
1 in
Driveway, poor soil
8–12 in
1 in
Compacted depths — order roughly 20–25% more loose gravel than the finished
depth, since it settles when tamped. Bedding sand stays at about 1 inch regardless of use;
it's the base that gets deeper. For structural or vehicle-bearing work, follow local
guidance and a soils assessment.
Reading the result well
The numbers are only useful if you act on them sensibly. Four things worth knowing before
you buy.
Match base depth to soil and use
Four inches of compacted gravel is the patio standard, but it assumes reasonable, well-draining soil and foot traffic only. Soft, clay-heavy, or poorly draining ground wants 6 inches or more, and anything carrying vehicles — a driveway, a parking pad — needs a deeper engineered base. The base, not the paver, is what fails first when it's too thin.
Don't skip edge restraint
This calculator counts pavers, base, and sand, but a lasting patio also needs edge restraint around the perimeter — paver edging, a concrete toe, or a soldier course — to keep the field from spreading. Without it the outer pavers creep outward, joints open, and the surface loosens over a season or two. Budget for the linear feet of edging separately.
Order base loose, not compacted
The base figure here is the compacted volume. Gravel settles when you tamp it, so order roughly 20–25% more loose material than the finished depth to end up with a solid 4 inches. Bulk gravel and sand are sold by the cubic yard, and most suppliers have a delivery minimum, so a small patio may round up to a partial or full yard anyway.
Bedding sand is not joint sand
The sand figure is the screeded bedding layer the pavers sit on — usually about an inch of coarse sand. The joint sand swept between pavers after they're set (often polymeric) is a separate, much smaller purchase sold by the bag, and this calculator doesn't estimate it. Don't confuse the two when buying.
Where to buy
Got your numbers? Here's where to pick up what you need:
The terms behind the calculator, in plain English. These are background definitions, not
installation specifications — follow local guidance and a soils assessment for
structural or vehicle-bearing work.
Paver
A precast concrete, clay, or stone unit laid in a field to make a hard surface. The number you need is the patio area divided by the area of one paver, so the paver's face size — its width times length — drives the count directly.
Square foot
The working unit for paver counts. One square foot is 144 square inches, which is why a paver's area in square feet is its width times length in inches divided by 144. Patio area is simply length times width, both in feet.
Gravel base (sub-base)
The compacted layer of crushed gravel under the sand and pavers that spreads load and lets water drain. 4 inches is typical for a patio; driveways and poor soil need more. Its volume is patio area times depth (in feet) divided by 27 for cubic yards.
Bedding sand
The thin, screeded layer of coarse sand — about 1 inch — that the pavers are set into so each one beds level. It's computed the same way as the base: area times depth in feet, divided by 27. It is not the same as joint sand.
Joint sand
Fine sand, often polymeric, swept into the gaps between pavers after they're laid to lock them together and resist weeds. It's a small, separate purchase sold by the bag and is not estimated by this calculator, which covers only the bedding layer beneath the pavers.
Cubic yard
The standard unit for ordering bulk gravel and sand — a cube three feet on each side, equal to 27 cubic feet. Divide a cubic-foot total by 27 to convert. Suppliers usually have a delivery minimum, so small jobs still round up.
Waste factor
Extra pavers bought above the bare count — typically 5% for a straight-cut rectangle, 10% or more for diagonal patterns, curves, or many cuts — to cover breakage and unusable offcuts. A few leftovers are useful for future repairs, so rounding up is cheap insurance.
Edge restraint
A rigid border around the patio perimeter — plastic paver edging, a concrete toe, or a soldier course of pavers — that stops the field from spreading and shifting over time. It's essential for a lasting installation but is measured in linear feet, so it's outside what this area-and-volume calculator estimates.
Frequently asked
Divide the patio area in square feet by the area of one paver, add a waste factor, and round up. One paver's area is its width × length in inches ÷ 144. For a 10 ft × 12 ft patio (120 sq ft) with 4×8 in pavers (0.2222 sq ft each) and 5% waste, that's 120 ÷ 0.2222 × 1.05 = 567 pavers. Always round up — you can't buy a fraction of a paver. Try it in the calculator.
Multiply the patio area by the base depth in feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A typical patio uses a 4-inch compacted gravel base. For a 120 sq ft patio that's 120 × (4/12) ÷ 27 = about 1.48 cubic yards. Order roughly 20–25% more loose gravel, since it settles when tamped, and go deeper than 4 inches for poor-draining soil.
A 1-inch layer of bedding sand is standard. Multiply the patio area by the sand depth in feet and divide by 27. For a 120 sq ft patio with 1 inch of sand that's 120 × (1/12) ÷ 27 = about 0.37 cubic yards. This is the screeded bedding layer only — it does not include the joint sand swept between pavers after they're set.
For a foot-traffic patio, 4 inches of compacted gravel is typical. For a driveway or anything that carries vehicles, 6 inches or more is the common minimum, and soft or poor-draining soil calls for going deeper still. Base depth depends on soil and use, not just the surface size, so treat these as starting points and follow local guidance for structural or vehicle-bearing work.
Edge restraint is a rigid border — plastic paver edging, a concrete toe, or a soldier course — around the perimeter that keeps the field of pavers from spreading. It's not optional for a lasting patio: without it the outer pavers migrate, joints open, and the surface loosens. This calculator estimates pavers, base, and sand only, not the linear feet of edging, so budget for that separately.
Add about 5% for a simple rectangular patio with straight cuts, and 10% or more for diagonal (45-degree) patterns, curves, or lots of cuts around obstacles. The waste covers pavers that break during cutting and handling plus odd offcuts you can't reuse. This calculator defaults to 5% and you can change it. A few leftover pavers are handy for repairs down the line.
Yes, directly. The count is patio area divided by the area of one paver, so larger pavers cover more per piece. A 4×8 covers 0.2222 sq ft, a 6×6 covers 0.25 sq ft, and a 12×12 covers 1.0 sq ft. The same 120 sq ft patio needs about 540 pavers at 4×8 but only 120 at 12×12, before waste. Switch sizes in the calculator to compare.
There are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27. Bulk gravel and sand are sold by the cubic yard, so converting your cubic-foot total to cubic yards (divide by 27) tells you how much base and bedding sand to order.