How to calculate pavers
Pavers = area × (1 + extra %) ÷ (paver length × paver width ÷ 144)
Example: a 12 × 10 ft patio is 120 sq ft. A 4 × 8 in paver covers 32 square inches, or 0.222 sq ft, so the patio needs 540 pavers, or 594 with 10% extra for cuts. Home Depot suggests ordering 5 to 10% more material than the measured area.
What goes under the pavers
A paver patio is a layered system. The paver industry’s construction guide (CMHA Tech Note PAV-TEC-002-22) calls for:
| Layer | Patio or walkway | Driveway |
|---|---|---|
| Pavers | 2 3/8 in (60 mm) thick | 2 3/8 in (60 mm) thick |
| Bedding sand, screeded, not compacted | 1 in (25 mm) | 1 in (25 mm) |
| Crushed stone base, compacted | At least 4 in (100 mm) | At least 6 in (150 mm) |
The calculator adds 15% to the base because loose crushed stone packs down: Caterpillar’s tables put dry gravel about 12% heavier in the ground (bank) than loose, and the calculator rounds that up. It converts the base and sand to tons at about 1.4 and 1.35 tons per cubic yard.
Example, continued: the 120 sq ft patio needs 120 × 4 ÷ 12 = 40 cubic feet of compacted base, so about 46 cubic feet (1.7 cubic yards, 2.4 tons) of loose crushed stone, plus 10 cubic feet (0.5 tons) of bedding sand and 2 bags of polymeric joint sand.
Pavers per square foot
| Paver size | Per sq ft | Per m² |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in (100 × 200 mm) | 4.5 | 48.4 |
| 6 × 6 in | 4 | 43.1 |
| 6 × 9 in | 2.67 | 28.7 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1 | 10.8 |
| 16 × 16 in | 0.56 | 6.1 |
| 24 × 24 in | 0.25 | 2.7 |
Pavers sold in metric sizes or with spacer nibs cover a slightly different area; most packaging states the coverage per pallet or per square foot, so check it against the result.
Edges
Open edges that aren’t held by a wall or a building need an edge restraint to keep the pavers from spreading. The calculator gives the perimeter of the area as a starting point for ordering it.
For a poured patio instead, use the concrete calculator; for a gravel path, the gravel calculator; for an asphalt driveway, the asphalt calculator.
For the installed price of a concrete paver, brick or stone patio, use the paver patio cost calculator.