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Free paver calculator for patios, walks, and driveways. Estimate 4x8 pavers, sand, gravel base, edging, waste, and installed cost.
Calculator inputs
Enter measured project values. Results update only when you choose Calculate.
Method
A 300 sq ft patio laid in 4x8 pavers takes 1,350 pavers before waste. Lay that same field in a 45-degree herringbone and cuts along every edge push the real number closer to 1,500 — a difference of about three-quarters of a pallet. Estimators who price the flat count end up eating a mid-job reorder, a second delivery fee, and sometimes a color-lot mismatch that the customer notices from the back door.
This calculator is built for hardscape contractors pricing patios, walkways, and driveways: it converts square footage to paver count for standard sizes, applies a pattern-appropriate waste factor, and quantifies the full section — compacted aggregate base, bedding sand, and polymeric joint sand — so your material order matches what actually leaves the yard. Use it at bid time to lock quantities, and again before ordering to reconcile against the final field measure.
Break the area into rectangles and triangles and total the square footage, then take off borders, soldier courses, and inlays as their own line items — a border course consumes pavers at a different rate than the field and usually in a different size or color. Measure to the outside of the edge restraint, not the finished paver line.
Divide 144 by the paver's face dimensions in inches to get pavers per square foot: 4x8 runs 4.5 per sq ft, 6x6 runs 4, 6x9 runs 2.67, and 12x12 runs 1. Multiply by your area, then round up to full bands or pallets — suppliers rarely break pallets without a surcharge.
Add 5-10% for running bond or stack bond on a rectangular field, and 10-15% for herringbone, 45-degree, or any diagonal layout where every edge paver gets cut. Curved borders, circle kits, and fields with lots of penetrations belong at the top of the range; a cut paver rarely yields a usable second piece.
Figure 4 in of compacted aggregate base for patios and walkways and 6 in or more for driveways, compacted in 2-3 in lifts — order loose volume about 15-20% above the compacted number. Screed exactly 1 in of concrete bedding sand over the base, and finish joints with polymeric sand at roughly one 50 lb bag per 50-100 sq ft depending on joint width.
About 495 of the standard 4x8 size: 100 sq ft x 4.5 pavers per sq ft = 450, plus 10% waste. With 6x6 pavers you need about 440, with 6x9 about 295, and with 12x12 about 110. Round up to full bands or pallets when you order.
Divide 144 by the paver's face area in square inches. A 4x8 paver (32 sq in) gives 4.5 per sq ft, a 6x6 gives 4, a 6x9 gives 2.67, and a 12x12 gives exactly 1. These counts assume tight joints; wide-joint products cover slightly more area per unit.
Use 5-10% for running bond or stack bond on a straight rectangular field, and 10-15% for herringbone, diagonal, or 45-degree layouts where every perimeter paver gets cut. Curves, circle transitions, and fields broken up by drains or columns push you to the high end. Under-ordering risks a color-lot mismatch on the reorder, which is more expensive to fix than the extra pavers.
Plan on 4 in of compacted aggregate base for patios and walkways and 6 in for residential driveways, with more in soft or clay soils. Excavate deep enough for base plus 1 in of bedding sand plus paver thickness, and compact the base in 2-3 in lifts. The 1 in sand bed is for setting the pavers only — it should never make up for low spots in the base.
A 50 lb bag typically covers roughly 50-100 sq ft, depending on joint width, paver thickness, and how irregular the edges are. Tight-joint field pavers land at the high end; tumbled or wide-joint products can cut coverage in half. Order from the manufacturer's coverage chart and keep a spare bag for the follow-up top-off after the joints settle.
A paver calculator turns the area of a patio, walkway, or driveway into a complete materials list: how many pavers to order, how much gravel goes into the base, how much sand for the bedding layer and the joints, and how many linear feet of edging to lock in the perimeter. It is the planning tool that hardscape contractors, landscapers, and DIY homeowners use before placing a single paver, because every layer below the surface affects how the finished installation performs over time.
Pavers themselves are only one line of the budget. A typical paver patio is a four-layer system: 6 inches of compacted crushed gravel base, 1 inch of washed concrete bedding sand, the pavers, and polymeric sand swept into the joints. Skipping the right depth on any layer or substituting the wrong material is the most common reason DIY paver projects fail within five years. The calculator helps you order enough of each layer the first time.
For contractors building bids, the paver calculator reads alongside our gravel calculator for the base material breakdown and our concrete calculator if you are pouring a curb edge. Use them together to lock down the full materials package before quoting.
The math runs through five layers in order: pavers, base depth, bedding sand, joint sand, and edge restraint. Each has its own formula, and each multiplies cleanly off the area number you start with.
Pavers = Area (sq ft) / Paver Coverage (sq ft)
Gravel Base (CY) = Area x Depth (ft) / 27
Bedding Sand (CY) = Area x 0.083 / 27
Worked example: A 12 x 16 patio (192 sq ft) with standard 4 x 8 inch concrete pavers and a 6-inch gravel base.
Pavers: 192 / 0.222 = 865 pavers. Add 8 percent waste for cuts: 935 pavers. Order 950 to round up to a full pallet count.
Gravel base: 192 x 0.5 ft (6 in) / 27 = 3.56 CY. Add 10 percent compaction loss: 3.92 CY. Order 4 cubic yards of 3/4-inch minus crushed limestone.
Bedding sand: 192 x 0.083 / 27 = 0.59 CY. Order 0.75 CY of washed concrete sand to allow for screed loss.
Joint sand: Polymeric joint sand at 75 sq ft per 50 lb bag = 192 / 75 = 2.56 bags. Order 3 bags.
Edging: Perimeter = 2(12+16) = 56 LF. Order 56 LF of paver edging and 56 stakes.
Driveway projects follow the same flow but require thicker base depths (8-12 inches in stable soil, 12-16 inches in clay or freeze-thaw climates) and heavier pavers. A 600 sq ft driveway with a 10-inch base needs 18.5 cubic yards of crushed gravel, compared to 11 cubic yards for the same area at 6 inches. The base material is often a larger line item than the pavers themselves on driveway work.
Pattern adjustments: Running bond and stack bond have minimal cut waste (5-7 percent). Herringbone, basketweave, and circular patterns push waste to 10-15 percent because every paver at the edge gets a diagonal cut. Document the pattern on the bid and adjust the waste factor before ordering. See our waste factor glossary entry for cross-trade benchmarks.
192 sq ft running bond pattern. 935 standard 4x8 concrete pavers ($0.85 each = $795), 4 CY gravel base ($200), 0.75 CY bedding sand ($55), 3 bags polymeric joint sand ($90), 56 LF edging ($85). Materials: $1,225. With excavation, install, and 30 percent markup, the customer price lands around $4,800-$5,400.
120 sq ft walkway in basketweave pattern. 600 pavers including 12 percent waste for the diagonal cuts. 4-inch base = 1.5 CY gravel. Bedding sand 0.4 CY. Joint sand 2 bags. Edging 68 LF. Materials around $700; installed price typically $1,800-$2,400 depending on access and cuts.
960 sq ft. Heavier 60 mm pavers for vehicle load. 10-inch base = 30 CY gravel ($1,500). Bedding sand 3 CY ($225). About 4,800 pavers ($5,800). Concrete curb edge runs the perimeter (128 LF) instead of plastic edging. Total materials around $8,500. Installed driveway price typically $19,000-$23,000.
400 sq ft pool surround using 24x24 inch large-format pavers. 100 slabs at 4 sq ft each, plus 8 percent waste for cuts around the pool curve. Pedestal install over a concrete slab eliminates the gravel and sand layers. Materials skew toward higher per-paver cost (often $25-$60 per slab) but lower base material spend.
Compact gravel in 2-3 inch lifts with a plate compactor. Dumping 6 inches at once and compacting from the top leaves voids that cause settling.
Stone dust, mason sand, and play sand all fail. ASTM C33 concrete sand has the right gradation to lock pavers in place without holding water.
Without edging, perimeter pavers spread under load and the entire field unravels. Plastic edging spiked every 12 inches is non-negotiable on residential work.
Pitch the gravel and bedding sand at 1/8 inch per foot away from buildings. Flat installations pool water in the joints and accelerate winter freeze damage.
Pavers run in batches with slight color variation. Order all pavers (including waste) on a single PO and store extras for repairs to maintain color match years later.
Clay subgrade and high water tables require deeper bases or geotextile fabric. Walk the site, check drainage, and ask about prior issues before pricing the base depth.
Separate plan workflow
This calculator solves one bounded formula from the inputs shown. BuildVision AI supports reviewed plan takeoff, complete-document CSV, and editable quote lines; the estimator owns pricing and final bid approval.