Paver Calculator
Calculate how many pavers you need for a patio, walkway or driveway from the area and paver size, plus gravel base, bedding sand and polymeric sand bags.
By CalcBuilt Editorial TeamUpdated September 9, 2026Formulas checked against manufacturer specs, see how we calculate.
Results
- Pavers to buy
- 542 pavers
- 516 pavers cover the area, plus 5% waste. Order every pallet from one production lot
- Gravel base
- 1.48 cu yd
- 4 in compacted depth, placed in lifts of 4 in or less; order about 20% more loose
- Bedding sand
- 0.37 cu yd
- 1 in of coarse concrete sand, screeded, never compacted before the pavers go down
- Polymeric sand (50 lb bags)
- 2 bags
- 0.125 in joints; one bag fills about 75 sq ft. Sweep in dry, compact, blow the faces clean, then mist
- Area
- 120 sq ft
- 4.3 pavers per sq ft at 4 in x 8 in
Paver formula
Paver footprint (sq in) = (Paver width + joint) x (Paver length + joint)
Pavers = Area (sq ft) x 144 / Paver footprint x (1 + waste %)
Gravel base (cu yd) = Area x Base depth (in) / 12 / 27, Bedding sand (cu yd) = Area x Sand depth (in) / 12 / 27
Polymeric sand bags = Area / 75 sq ft per 50 lb bag (1/8 in joints)Worked example
A 16 x 14 ft patio (224 sq ft) in 6 x 9 in pavers with 1/8 in joints: each paver occupies 6.125 x 9.125 = 55.9 sq in, so 144 / 55.9 = 2.58 pavers per square foot. 224 x 2.58 = 577 pavers, or 606 with 5% waste.
Base: 224 x (6 / 12) = 112 cubic feet of crushed stone, which is 4.15 cubic yards compacted; order about 5 yards loose to cover 20 percent compaction. Bedding sand at 1 in: 224 / 12 = 18.7 cubic feet, or 0.69 cubic yards. Polymeric sand: 224 / 75 = 3 bags.
Quick reference
| Paver size | Footprint with joint (sq in) | Per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x 4 in | 17.0 | 8.46 | 847 |
| 4 x 8 in | 33.5 | 4.30 | 430 |
| 6 x 6 in | 37.5 | 3.84 | 384 |
| 6 x 9 in | 55.9 | 2.58 | 258 |
| 12 x 12 in | 147.0 | 0.98 | 98 |
| 16 x 16 in | 260.0 | 0.55 | 56 |
| 24 x 24 in | 582.0 | 0.25 | 25 |
How to calculate pavers
Multiply the length and width of the area for square feet. Then work out the footprint of one paver including half a joint on each side: a 4 by 8 inch paver with 1/8 inch joints occupies 4.125 by 8.125 inches, or 33.5 square inches, so a square foot holds 4.3 pavers. Many suppliers sell by the square foot or by the pallet, so also note the coverage printed on the pallet tag.
Waste depends on the layout. A rectangular patio in a running bond needs about 5 percent for cuts along two edges. Herringbone, curves and circles cut pavers along every edge and need 10 to 15 percent. Pavers come on pallets of about 100 to 120 square feet weighing 2,500 to 3,000 lb, so the boom truck needs a spot near the work. Order every pallet from one production lot and keep a few spares, since colors change between runs.
Base, sand and joints
Excavate to the paver thickness plus the sand and base depth, sloping the subgrade 1/4 inch per foot away from the house. Compact the subgrade before anything goes on it. On clay or silt, lay a woven geotextile first so fines cannot pump up into the stone. Lay 4 to 6 inches of 3/4 inch minus crushed stone for a patio, or 8 to 12 inches for a driveway. Place it in lifts of 4 inches or less with two passes of a plate compactor per lift. Dense-graded stone compacts 15 to 25 percent, so order about 20 percent more than the compacted volume shown. A cubic yard weighs about 1.4 tons and the pit sells by the ton.
Screed exactly 1 inch of coarse concrete sand (ASTM C33) over the base. Mason sand and stone dust hold water and pump, and a thicker bed lets pavers settle and rut. Set the pavers, spike the edge restraint to the base every 12 inches, then run the plate compactor over the pavers with a pad to seat them. Sweep polymeric sand into the joints dry, compact again, and blow every grain off the faces; sand left on top sets as a haze that takes acid to remove. Mist in two or three passes until the joints refuse water, never flood, with no rain for 24 hours and temperatures above 32 F. Regular sand works too but washes out and grows weeds sooner.
What this calculator leaves out
Geotextile, edge restraint and its 10 inch spikes, and the 20 percent compaction allowance on the base. Excavation and haul-off: a 12 x 10 patio dug 7 inches deep is about 2.6 yards of dirt in the ground and about 3 in the truck. Plate compactor rental, a wet saw or splitter for the edge cuts, sealer, delivery, and the permit some towns want for a driveway apron.
Mistakes that cost money
- Base compacted in one 6 in lift stays loose at the bottom; place it in lifts of 4 in or less, two passes each.
- Polymeric sand left on the paver face when it is wetted sets as a white haze; blow every grain off before the first mist.
- Flooding polymeric sand washes the binder out of the joints; mist in passes until the joints refuse water, and no rain for 24 hours.
- No edge restraint: the outside courses creep and the joints open within a season; spike restraint to the base, not the sand.
- Bedding sand piled thick to fix a wavy base: pavers settle into the thick spots and rut; fix the base, screed 1 in.
- No geotextile on clay or silt: fines pump up into the base and the patio settles in two winters; lay woven fabric on the subgrade.
Key facts
- A standard 4 x 8 in Holland paver covers 0.22 sq ft, so a square foot takes 4.5 pavers, or about 4.3 with 1/8 in joints.
- A 12 x 12 in paver covers just under 1 sq ft; 100 sq ft needs about 98 with joints plus waste.
- A patio base is 4 to 6 in of compacted crushed stone; driveways need 8 to 12 in.
- One cubic yard of gravel covers 81 sq ft at 4 in deep, and one yard of sand covers 324 sq ft at 1 in.
- A 50 lb bag of polymeric sand fills the joints of roughly 50 to 100 sq ft of pavers, depending on paver size and joint width.
Frequently asked questions
How many pavers do I need for 100 square feet?
About 430 of the common 4 x 8 in pavers with 1/8 in joints, or about 450 with 5% waste. For 12 x 12 in pavers, 98 plus waste, so about 103.
Why did my pavers turn white after the polymeric sand?
That is haze: polymeric sand left on the paver faces when the water hit it, so the binder set on the surface. A light haze wears off in a few months of rain and traffic; a heavy one takes a polymeric haze remover or diluted muriatic acid and a stiff brush. Next time blow every grain off the faces before the first mist, and mist rather than flood.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
A 1 in bed of coarse concrete sand: one cubic yard covers 324 sq ft. A 200 sq ft patio needs about 0.6 cubic yards.
How many bags of polymeric sand do I need?
One 50 lb bag per 50 to 100 sq ft with narrow 1/8 in joints on standard pavers. Wide joints or small pavers use much more; check the coverage chart on the bag.
Sources and references
- PAV-TEC-002 Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association)
- QUIKRETE quantity calculator (polymeric jointing sand and paver sand yields) (Quikrete)
- QUIKRETE Patio Paver Jointing Sand product page (Quikrete)
Next steps for this project
The usual order for a concrete & masonry project. See all concrete & masonry calculators.
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Results are estimates based on standard formulas and typical product specifications. Confirm quantities with your supplier and local code before ordering.