Construction
Paver Calculator
A paver patio is mostly four materials: pavers themselves, a 4-inch compacted gravel base, an inch of bedding sand, and polymeric joint sand to lock it all together. Plug in your patio area and paver dimensions and this calculator gives you the order quantities for all four — so you walk into the landscape yard with one list, not four guesses.
Pavers needed
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- Bedding sand (cu ft)
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- Gravel base (cu yd)
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- Polymeric sand (lb)
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The four-layer paver patio
A proper paver installation isn't just laying stones on dirt. It's a four-layer system:
- Compacted gravel base (4-6 inches): Usually #57 crushed stone or 3/4" minus. This is the structural layer that prevents settling and lets water drain.
- Bedding sand (1 inch): Coarse concrete sand (NOT play sand or paver sand) screeded flat. The pavers sit on this layer.
- Pavers: Laid in pattern, edges secured with plastic or metal edging.
- Polymeric joint sand: Swept into joints and activated with a fine water mist. Hardens to lock pavers in place.
Skip any layer and the patio fails — usually within 1-3 freeze/thaw cycles in cold climates, or within a season of heavy rain anywhere.
How the math works
- Pavers per sq ft = 144 ÷ (width × length in inches). A 6×9 paver covers 0.375 sq ft, so 2.67 per sq ft.
- Total pavers = area × per-sq-ft yield × 1.05 (5% waste for cuts)
- Bedding sand = area in sq ft ÷ 12 (for a 1-inch sand bed; a 50 lb bag is ~0.5 cu ft)
- Gravel base = area × 0.5 ft (6-inch depth, generous) ÷ 27 = cubic yards
- Polymeric sand ≈ 0.5 lb per sq ft for typical paver sizes (varies by joint width)
A 200 sq ft patio with 6×9 pavers = 561 pavers (with waste) + 17 cu ft bedding sand + 3.7 cu yd gravel base + 100 lb polymeric sand.
How to use this calculator
- Measure your actual paved area. For irregular shapes, break into rectangles, calculate each, and add up.
- Pick your paver size. Look at the box or the brick — actual dimensions are printed there. Common residential sizes: 4×8, 6×6, 6×9, 6×12, 12×12.
- Order pavers by the pallet. Pavers come in pallets of 50-100 sq ft typically. Round up to full pallets — partial pallets are priced at significant premiums.
- Get bedding sand separately from base gravel. Bedding sand is concrete sand (ASTM C33). Don't substitute play sand or "paver sand" from the bagged aisle — they don't drain properly.
- Order polymeric sand last. Wait until the pavers are down to confirm the actual joint width you ended up with — wider joints need more poly sand than the formula assumes.
Common scenarios
12 ft × 16 ft patio (192 sq ft) with 6×9 pavers. 538 pavers, 16 cu ft bedding sand (32 fifty-pound bags or one yard delivered), 3.6 cu yd compacted gravel base, 96 lb polymeric sand (2 standard 50 lb bags). Material cost lands $1,500-$3,000 depending on paver grade and region.
4 ft wide × 40 ft walkway (160 sq ft) with 4×8 pavers. 757 pavers (smaller pavers = more pieces), 14 cu ft bedding sand, 3 cu yd gravel base, 80 lb polymeric sand. Walkways need narrow edges that follow the curve — order 10% extra paver count for the cuts.
20 ft × 24 ft pool deck (480 sq ft) with 12×12 pavers. 504 pavers (12×12 is one paver per sq ft), 40 cu ft bedding sand, 9 cu yd gravel base, 240 lb polymeric sand. Pool deck installations also need slope-away grading (1/8 inch per foot away from the pool); plan extra labor time for the screed work.