How many pavers do I need?
Type the size of the area and of one paver. The paver calculator counts the pavers to buy, with an extra share for cuts, and the gravel base and bedding sand to go under them.
- Pavers to buy
- 594
You need 594 pavers for 120 ft², with 1.48 yd³ of gravel base and 10 ft³ of sand.
- Area (ft²)
- 120
- Area (m²)
- 11.148
- Gravel base (yd³)
- 1.48
- Gravel base (m³)
- 1.133
- Bedding sand (ft³)
- 10
- Bedding sand (m³)
- 0.283
Pavers to buy: 594. You need 594 pavers for 120 ft², with 1.48 yd³ of gravel base and 10 ft³ of sand.
How to calculate
Counts the pavers for a patio, walkway or driveway from its size and the paver size, with extra for cuts, plus the gravel base and bedding sand to order.
Example with the default inputs (Area Length × width, Length 12 ft, Width 10 ft, Paver length 8 in, Paver width 4 in, Extra for cuts and breakage 10%, Gravel base depth 4 in, Bedding sand depth 1 in): You need 594 pavers for 120 ft², with 1.48 yd³ of gravel base and 10 ft³ of sand.
Method: Pavers = area × (1 + extra ÷ 100) ÷ (paver length × paver width), rounded up; gravel base = area × base depth; bedding sand = area × sand depth.
- Extra for cuts and breakage: 10% by default (Nicolock); use more for diagonal or herringbone patterns.
- Gravel base 4 in and bedding sand 1 in by default (Belgard: a 4 to 6 in compacted base and at least 1 in of sand for patios and walkways). Driveways need a deeper base.
- The paver size is its face size as sold; the joints between pavers are ignored. Base and sand are the compacted volumes, with no extra.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Area Length × width, Length 12 ft, Width 10 ft, Paver length 8 in, Paver width 4 in, Extra for cuts and breakage 10%, Gravel base depth 4 in, Bedding sand depth 1 in gives Pavers to buy 594, Area (ft²) 120, Gravel base (yd³) 1.481481, Bedding sand (ft³) 10.Source: Nicolock, Simplify Your Project: How to Use a Paver Calculator (plus 10 percent for waste), https://nicolock.com/2024/06/04/simplify-your-project-how-to-use-a-paver-calculator-for-accurate-estimates/; Belgard, Paver and Wall Installation Guidelines (4 to 6 in base, 1 in sand), https://www.belgard.com/plan-design/installation-beyond/installation/
- Area Length × width, Length 12 ft, Width 10 ft, Paver length 8 in, Paver width 4 in, Extra for cuts and breakage 0%, Gravel base depth 4 in, Bedding sand depth 1 in, Price per paver $0.75 gives Pavers to buy 540, Cost of pavers $405.00.Source: Belgard, Paver and Wall Installation Guidelines, https://www.belgard.com/plan-design/installation-beyond/installation/
- Area Known area, Area 215.3 ft², Paver length 7.874 in, Paver width 3.937 in, Extra for cuts and breakage 5%, Gravel base depth 5.906 in, Bedding sand depth 1.181 in gives Pavers to buy 1,050, Gravel base (m³) 3, Bedding sand (m³) 0.6.Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (metric units)
- Area Length × width, Length 10 ft, Width 3 ft, Paver length 12 in, Paver width 12 in, Extra for cuts and breakage 10%, Gravel base depth 6 in, Bedding sand depth 1 in gives Pavers to buy 33, Gravel base (yd³) 0.555556, Bedding sand (ft³) 2.5.Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (1 yd³ = 27 ft³)
How it works
- Area = length × width, or the area you type.
- Pavers to buy = area × (1 + extra ÷ 100) ÷ (paver length × paver width), rounded up to a whole paver.
- Gravel base = area × base depth, shown in cubic yards and cubic metres.
- Bedding sand = area × sand depth, shown in cubic feet and cubic metres.
- Cost (when you type a price) = pavers to buy × price per paver.
Units: 1 ft = 12 in = 0.3048 m exactly, 1 yd³ = 27 ft³, 1 ft² = 144 in².
Exact arithmetic. Each size is read as the exact decimal you typed, in the unit you typed it in (12 ft 6 in is exactly 150 in). Every step is an exact fraction, so 17,280 in² ÷ 32 in² is exactly 540 pavers, never 541. When you type in a unit, the page stores the size in metres and reads it back as the decimal with the fewest significant digits, in one of the box's units, that gives the same stored number (a feet-and-inches pair counts by its value in inches; on a tie the first unit in the menu wins). When no decimal of up to 17 significant digits in those units gives the stored number (a value that was not typed on the page), the stored number's own shortest decimal, in metres or square metres, is used.
Output format. Pavers is a whole number, rounded up. Square feet, cubic yards and cubic feet show with at most 2 decimals; square and cubic metres with at most 3; the cost in dollars and cents. Each is rounded half up from its exact value.
Assumptions
- Extra for cuts and breakage: 10% by default, from Nicolock’s guide; from 0% to 100%.
- Gravel base 4 in and bedding sand 1 in by default, from Belgard’s guidelines for patios and walkways (4 to 6 in of compacted base, at least 1 in of sand). Either depth can be 0.
- The paver size is its face size as sold; joints are ignored. Base and sand are compacted volumes with no extra added.
- Lengths of the area are more than 0 and at most 1,000 m; a typed area is at most 1,000,000 m². A paver side is from 1 cm to 10 m. Base and sand depths are from 0 to 1,000 m.
Worked examples by hand
A 12 × 10 ft patio of 4 × 8 in pavers, 10% extra. Area = 120 ft² = 17,280 in². One paver = 32 in². 17,280 × 1.1 ÷ 32 = 594 pavers. Base: 120 × 4/12 = 40 ft³ = 1.48 yd³. Sand: 120 × 1/12 = 10 ft³.
The same patio with no extra, at $0.75 a paver. 17,280 ÷ 32 = 540 pavers exactly; 540 × $0.75 = $405.
20 m² of 20 × 10 cm pavers, 5% extra, 15 cm base, 3 cm sand. 20 × 1.05 ÷ 0.02 = 1,050 pavers. Base 20 × 0.15 = 3 m³; sand 20 × 0.03 = 0.6 m³.
A 10 × 3 ft walkway of 12 × 12 in pavers, 10% extra, 6 in base. 30 × 1.1 ÷ 1 = 33 pavers. Base 30 × 0.5 = 15 ft³ = 0.56 yd³. Sand 30 × 1/12 = 2.5 ft³.
Other questions people ask
How do I calculate how many pavers I need?
Divide the area by the area of one paver, add extra for cuts, and round up. A 12 × 10 ft patio is 120 ft², or 17,280 in². A 4 × 8 in paver covers 32 in², so it takes 540 pavers, and 594 with 10% extra.
How much extra should I order?
Nicolock suggests 10% for waste. Straight patterns with few cuts need less; diagonal and herringbone patterns, curved edges and many borders need more. Set the extra to 0 to get the bare count.
How deep should the gravel base be?
Belgard’s installation guidelines give 4 to 6 in of compacted gravel for patios and walkways. Driveways and soft soils need more; follow your paver maker’s guide for your project.
How much sand goes under pavers?
About 1 in of bedding sand, screeded flat on top of the base (Belgard: at least 1 in). For a 120 ft² patio, that is 120 × 1/12 = 10 ft³ of sand.
How many cubic yards of base do I need?
Multiply the area by the base depth in feet and divide by 27. A 120 ft² patio with a 4 in base needs 120 × 4/12 = 40 ft³, or 1.48 yd³. Gravel compacts, so suppliers often suggest ordering a little more.
Do the joints between pavers change the count?
Slightly. The calculator uses the paver size as sold and ignores the joints, which are usually a few millimetres wide, so it errs toward a few pavers too many.