Paver Calculator
A paver patio needs four quantities: the pavers themselves, a crushed-gravel base, a sand bedding layer, and edge restraint around the perimeter. This paver calculator takes your patio dimensions, paver size, and laying pattern, then computes all four — including pattern-specific waste so you don’t run short mid-project. It’s the full material takeoff for a dry-laid patio in one pass.
Longest side of the finished patio.
Shortest side of the finished patio.
Common sizes: 8×4, 6×6, 12×6 in.
The shorter side of the paver face.
Angled patterns need more cuts and more waste.
Pavers needed
567
- Base count before wasteWaste allowance 5% included in headline.
- 540
- Gravel base (4 in)
- 2.22ton
- Bedding sand (1 in)
- 0.37yd³
- Edge restraint
- 44ft
How it was calculated
- Patio area = 12 ft × 10 ft = 120.0 ft²
- One paver = 0.667 ft × 0.333 ft = 0.2222 ft²
- Pavers = ceil(120.0 ÷ 0.2222 × 1.05) = 567
- Gravel = 120.0 ft² × ⅓ ft ÷ 27 × 1.5 = 2.22 tons
- Sand = 120.0 ft² × 1/12 ft ÷ 27 = 0.37 yd³
- Edge restraint = 2 × (12 + 10) = 44 ft
How it works
The paver count is a coverage division: patio area in square feet divided by one paver’s face area in square feet, multiplied by (1 + waste) and rounded up — you can’t buy a fraction of a paver.
Waste depends on the pattern because cuts drive waste. Running bond cuts only along edges (+5%); herringbone cuts every course at 45° (+10%); circular or fan patterns cut almost every unit (+15%). These allowances are industry rule-of-thumb values.
The gravel base assumes 4 inches of compacted crushed stone at roughly 1.5 tons per cubic yard — the standard residential base. Bedding sand assumes a 1-inch layer, the thin screeded cushion pavers sit on, and is reported in cubic yards.
Edge restraint is the patio’s perimeter, because plastic or metal edging locks the outer course in place along every exposed side. Against a house wall you can skip that run, so treat the number as a maximum.
Worked examples
Running-bond patio, 8×4 in pavers
A 12 ft × 10 ft patio = 120 ft². Each paver covers (8/12)×(4/12) = 0.2222 ft², so 540 pavers raw, × 1.05 waste = 567 pavers. The 4-in base needs 2.22 tons of gravel, the 1-in sand bed is 0.37 yd³, and edge restraint is 44 linear feet.
Herringbone patio, 6×6 in pavers
A 16 ft × 12 ft patio = 192 ft². Each 6×6 in paver covers 0.25 ft², so 768 raw, × 1.10 waste = 845 pavers after rounding up. Gravel base: 3.56 tons; bedding sand: 0.59 yd³; edge restraint: 56 linear feet.
How to measure
- Measure the finished patio outline, not the paver area — add 6 inches of extra base excavation beyond each edge.
- Square the corners with the 3-4-5 method so your rectangle is true; unsquare layouts create surprise cuts.
- Measure paver size off the actual product, not the label — nominal 8×4 pavers often run a hair under.
- For curves, measure the bounding rectangle and plan 15% waste or more; arc cuts waste more than straight cuts.
- Confirm the depth below final grade: 4 in base + 1 in sand means excavating about 7–8 in including paver thickness.
- Buy all pavers from the same production lot — dye lots vary, and a mid-project top-up can show a visible line.
Assumptions & limitations
Planning estimate
- Waste allowances (5% / 10% / 15%) and the 1.5 tons/yd³ crushed-gravel density are industry rule-of-thumb values; complex borders and curves may need more.
- Base and sand depths (4 in / 1 in) are standard residential practice; driveways, heavy clay soils, and frost zones often need deeper bases.
- Counts assume tight, uniform joints — wide or irregular joint spacing changes the paver count slightly.
- These are planning estimates, not engineering design; vehicle loads and drainage should follow local guidance or professional design.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on paver size and pattern. A 12×12 patio is 144 ft²; with 8×4 in pavers (0.222 ft² each) that is 648 pavers before waste, about 680 with running-bond waste. Enter your exact paver size above — the pattern waste makes a bigger difference than most people expect.
Herringbone lays units at 45°, so nearly every course meets the edge with an angled cut, and angled offcuts are usually unusable elsewhere. The calculator adds 10% waste for herringbone versus 5% for running bond — on a 500-paver patio that is 25 extra pavers you will genuinely use.
The standard residential base is 4 inches of compacted crushed gravel — not round pea gravel, which shifts. For a 12×10 patio that is about 2.22 tons. Driveways or soft clay soils may need 6–8 inches; check local frost depth guidance for your area.
One inch, compacted, and no more. The sand is a cushion, not the leveling layer — the gravel base does the leveling. Thicker bedding sand migrates and causes pavers to settle unevenly, so the common “more sand is safer” instinct is backwards.
Yes. Without it, the outer course of pavers migrates outward over time and the whole field loosens. Plastic paver edging pinned into the base works for patios; driveways usually need a concrete edge or steel. Skip it only along the run that butts against a foundation or wall.
Always. Even a perfect rectangle needs edge cuts, and broken or chipped units happen in every pallet. Order the pattern’s waste allowance — 5% running bond, 10% herringbone, 15% circular — and keep leftovers; a dye-lot mismatch on future repairs is very visible.