Calculators · Paver Calculator

Paving

Paver Calculator

Enter your patio, walkway or driveway, pick a paver size and joint, and get the pavers, gravel base and bedding sand to order.

Area 1

Shape

Length

Width

Paver size

Width × length, in inches.

Joint between pavers (in)

1/8 is the middle of the 1/16 to 3/16 range ICPI gives. Empty counts as 0.

Waste to add (%)

For cuts and breakage. Optional. Empty counts as 0%.

Base for

Sets the compacted base depth from the ICPI minimums.

Compacted base depth (in)

Depth after compaction. Clear it to skip the base.

Bedding sand depth (in)

Uncompacted. Clear it to skip the sand.

Extra base and sand (%)

Optional. For compaction and loss. Empty counts as 0%.

How to calculate how many pavers you need

Pavers are counted from the area. Work out the paved area in square feet, find how many pavers fit in one square foot, then multiply. The joint between pavers takes up space too, so it goes into the size of each piece.

Area. Length × width in feet for a rectangle. For a circle, π × (diameter ÷ 2)². Add the areas of separate pieces together.
Size of one paver with its joint. (length + joint) × (width + joint), in inches.
Pavers per square foot. 144 ÷ the size from step 2, because a square foot has 144 square inches.
Multiply and round up. Area × pavers per square foot, plus any extra you want for cuts, rounded up to a whole paver.

Pavers per square foot by size

The sizes below are the ones Belgard lists for Holland Stone and for its Dimensions line, checked October 2026. They are nominal sizes in inches. The counts use a 1/8 inch joint, the middle of the range in the next section.

Paver (width × length)	Per sq ft, no joint	Per sq ft, 1/8 in joint	Per 100 sq ft, 1/8 in joint, rounded up
3 × 9 in	5.33	5.05	505
3 × 12 in	4.00	3.80	381
4 × 8 in	4.50	4.30	430
6 × 6 in	4.00	3.84	384
6 × 9 in	2.67	2.58	258
6 × 12 in	2.00	1.94	194
9 × 18 in	0.89	0.87	88

The real size of a paver can differ a little from its nominal size, and each maker numbers its products in its own way. Check the dimensions of the product you are buying and use “Custom size” if they differ.

Joint width, base and bedding sand

A paver patio is a stack of layers: compacted soil, a compacted aggregate base, a layer of bedding sand and the pavers on top. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) publishes the guidance most installers follow. The figures below come from Tech Spec 2 (revised February 2020) and Tech Spec 10 (revised March 2022), both read in October 2026. ICPI says its Tech Specs are guidelines, not a standard.

Layer	What ICPI says	Calculator default
Joint between pavers	1/16 to 3/16 in	1/8 in (the middle, our choice)
Base, patio or walkway	At least 4 in after compaction over well-drained soils (Tech Spec 10 gives 4 to 6 in for walks)	4 in
Base, residential driveway	At least 6 in on well-drained soils (Tech Spec 10 gives 6 to 8 in)	6 in with “Residential driveway”
Base, wet or weak soil	2 to 4 in thicker in colder climates	Type your own depth
Bedding sand	Nominal 1 in uncompacted (Tech Spec 10 gives 1 to 1 1/2 in)	1 in

The base figure is the thickness after compaction, so the volume the calculator shows is compacted material. Loose material is bigger than that, and the extra to order depends on the product, so ask your supplier and type it in the “Extra base and sand” box if you want it added. ICPI also says to use concrete sand for bedding and not mason sand or stone dust, and not to use the bedding sand to fill dips in the base.

From cubic yards of base to tons

Crushed stone for the base is often sold by the ton. This calculator gives the base in cubic yards, because that is geometry. To turn it into tons you need the density of your material, and the gravel calculator has the weight per cubic yard of the common types and lets you type your own. Enter the same area there with the base depth in inches.

Example: a 12 ft by 12 ft patio

A square patio of 12 ft by 12 ft, with 4 by 8 inch pavers, a 1/8 inch joint, 4 inches of compacted base and 1 inch of bedding sand, with no extra added.

Step	Operation	Result
Area	12 × 12	144 sq ft
One paver with joint	(4 + 1/8) × (8 + 1/8)	33.52 sq in
Pavers per sq ft	144 ÷ 33.52	4.2965
Pavers	144 × 4.2965 = 618.7, rounded up	619
Base	144 × (4 ÷ 12) = 48 cu ft, ÷ 27	1.78 cu yd
Bedding sand	144 × (1 ÷ 12) = 12 cu ft, ÷ 27	0.44 cu yd

With 6 by 9 inch pavers the same patio takes 144 ÷ (6.125 × 9.125) = 2.5765 per square foot, which is 371.0 and rounds up to 372 pavers. The base and the sand do not change, because they depend on the area and the depth and not on the paver.

Materials for common patio sizes

With a 1/8 inch joint, no waste, 4 inches of base and 1 inch of sand.

Area	Sq ft	4 × 8 pavers	6 × 9 pavers	Base, cu yd	Sand, cu yd
4 ft × 20 ft walkway	80	344	207	0.99	0.25
10 ft × 10 ft	100	430	258	1.23	0.31
12 ft × 12 ft	144	619	372	1.78	0.44
12 ft × 16 ft	192	825	495	2.37	0.59
16 ft × 20 ft	320	1,375	825	3.95	0.99

Tips for ordering

Measure an irregular patio as several rectangles and circles and add them with “Add another area”. Curves and angles mean more cut pavers.
ICPI says gaps along the edge wider than 3/8 inch are filled with cut pavers, so cuts are part of the job and a little reserve is normal. The right amount depends on the shape and the pattern, so ask your installer and type it in the waste box.
ICPI says that when plastic, steel or aluminum edge restraints are installed after the pavers, the compacted base has to extend past the stakes that hold them. Add that strip as another area so the gravel is not underestimated.
Joint sand has no quantity here. ICPI says the bedding sand may also be used as joint sand and that it is swept in until the joints are full. For polymeric sand, follow the coverage printed on the bag.
Check the maker’s data sheet for the real size of your paver before you order.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate how many pavers I need?

Find the area in square feet, then divide by the area one paver takes up with its joint. For a 4 by 8 inch paver with a 1/8 inch joint that area is 4.125 × 8.125 = 33.52 square inches, so a square foot holds 144 ÷ 33.52 = 4.30 pavers. A 12 ft by 12 ft patio is 144 square feet, which is 618.7, so 619 pavers before any extra for cuts and breakage.

How many 4x8 pavers are in a square foot?

A 4 by 8 inch paver covers 32 square inches, so with no joint a square foot holds 4.5 of them. With a 1/8 inch joint the paver takes up 33.52 square inches and the count is 4.30. The two numbers are close because the joint is small, and the calculator uses the joint version.

How much paver base do I need for 200 square feet?

At 4 inches of compacted base, which the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute gives as the minimum for patios and walkways over well-drained soil, it is 200 × 4 ÷ 12 = 66.7 cubic feet, or 2.47 cubic yards. At 6 inches, the minimum it gives for a residential driveway, it is 3.70 cubic yards. Soil, drainage and climate can call for more. Use the gravel calculator to turn the volume into tons.

How much for 1000 square feet of pavers?

This calculator does not show prices, because they change with the paver, the region and the supplier. What you take to a supplier is the quantity. For 1,000 square feet of 4 by 8 inch pavers with a 1/8 inch joint that is 4,297 pavers, 12.35 cubic yards of compacted base at 4 inches and 3.09 cubic yards of bedding sand at 1 inch, before any extra.

How much should a 12x12 paver patio cost?

Prices change by region, paver and labor, so this page does not give one. The quantities to price are 619 pavers of 4 by 8 inches, 1.78 cubic yards of compacted base and 0.44 cubic yards of bedding sand, plus edge restraints and joint sand. Ask local suppliers for a quote in the same units.

How deep should the base be under pavers?

The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute says sidewalks, patios and pedestrian areas should have at least 4 inches of base after compaction over well-drained soils, and residential driveways at least 6. Wet or weak soils in colder climates need 2 to 4 inches more. The bedding sand on top is a nominal 1 inch. Follow your paver maker’s instructions and your local requirements.

How many extra pavers should I order?

It depends on the shape of the area, the pattern and how many cuts it needs, so ask your supplier or installer. We did not find a percentage in the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute guides we checked, so the waste box starts empty. Type the figure you were given and the calculator adds it.