Paver Calculator

Pavers, pallets, compacted base, bedding sand, edge restraint, polymeric sand and fabric for a paver patio, walkway or driveway. It also works out the dig, the cuts, the compaction lifts and the slope, and draws the pattern to scale.

Laying a paver patio next to a house A paver patio under construction against the back wall of a house, cut away at the front to show the layers. On the right a plate compactor works over the compacted crushed-stone base; in the middle an aluminium screed board is pulled along two screed pipes, leaving a flat one-inch bed of sand behind it; on the left concrete pavers are laid in a 45 degree herringbone, new pavers dropping into place along the edge, held by a black edge restraint pinned with spikes. The front section shows pavers on sand on the base, geotextile beneath it and the subsoil. A pallet of pavers, a paver splitter cracking a paver and a pile of bedding sand sit on the lawn.

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Paver installation reference

SLOPE ⅛–¼″ PER FT AWAY FROM HOUSE2⅜–3⅛″1″4–12″POLYMERIC SAND IN JOINTS60 OR 80 MM CONCRETE PAVERTOPSOIL AND SOD1″ CONCRETE SAND, SCREEDEDEDGE RESTRAINT ON THE BASE10–12″ SPIKE EVERY 12″BASE 6–12″ PAST THE EDGECOMPACTED ¾″ MINUS BASEWOVEN GEOTEXTILECOMPACTED SUBGRADE
Typical paver patio section, not to scale. Values are common trade practice for concrete pavers; follow the paver maker's guide and use a deeper base on clay, wet or frost-prone soil.

Layers, patio and driveway

Paver, patio
60 mm (2⅜″)
Paver, driveway
80 mm (3⅛″)
Base, patio
4–6″ compacted
Base, driveway
8–12″ compacted
Clay or deep frost
add 2–4″ of base
Bedding sand
1″, screeded loose
Base past open edges
6–12″

Materials

Base
¾″ minus crushed, dense-graded
Compaction loss
about 20%
Base, loose
≈ 1.4 t per yd³
Bedding sand
concrete sand, ASTM C33
Avoid for bedding
stone dust, mason sand
Joint sand
polymeric or fine sand
Fabric
woven geotextile, 12″ laps

Pieces and waste

4x8 Holland
4.5 per ft²
6x9
2.7 per ft²
6x12
2.0 per ft²
12x12 · 16x16
1.0 · 0.56 per ft²
Running bond, basketweave
+5%
Herringbone 90° · random
+10%
Herringbone 45°
+15%
Smallest edge cut
⅓ of a paver

Grading and compaction

Slope away from house
⅛–¼″ per ft
Base lifts
≤ 4″ each
Passes per lift
2–3, crosswise
Plate, 60 mm pavers
≈ 4,000–5,000 lbf
Plate, 80 mm pavers
5,000 lbf +
Base flatness
± ⅜″ in 10 ft
Edge spikes
every 12″

Safety Call 811 before you dig. Cutting concrete pavers releases silica dust: cut wet or use a splitter, and wear a respirator, eye and hearing protection. A plate compactor and a pallet of pavers are heavy: rent a trailer with a ramp and lift with two people.

Full notes
  • Use concrete sand (ASTM C33) for the 1 in bedding layer and screed it loose. Do not compact it before the pavers go down, and do not use stone dust or mason sand: they hold water and pump out of the joints.
  • Lay the base in lifts no thicker than about 4 in and compact each one with two or three crossing passes of a plate compactor. Dampen dry gravel so it packs.
  • Build the slope into the subgrade and the base, not the sand: the bedding layer should be the same 1 in everywhere. 1/4 in per foot (2%) away from the house drains well; 1/8 in per foot is the minimum.
  • Run the base 6 to 12 in past every open edge so the edge restraint and its spikes sit on compacted gravel, not on soil.
  • Keep cut pieces at the edges larger than about a third of a full paver. Plan the layout from the house or the most visible edge so the small cuts land where nobody looks.
  • Sweep polymeric sand in dry, compact the pavers to settle it, top up, blow the surface clean and only then mist it. Sand left on the face hardens into a haze.

Planning a bigger project?

Gravel CalculatorCubic yards and tons of gravel for a driveway, path, drainage trench or patio base.Concrete CalculatorHow many cubic yards of concrete, or how many 40, 60 and 80 lb bags, you need for a slab, patio, walkway, footing pad or round pier.Topsoil CalculatorCubic yards, tons and bags of topsoil for a new lawn, raised bed or garden, with a bulk-versus-bag cost comparison.