How many pavers do I need?
Each paver occupies its own face plus its share of the joint, so the count divides your area by the jointed footprint, not the bare paver:
footprint = (paver width + joint) × (paver length + joint)
pavers = area ÷ footprint × (1 + waste)
pavers per ft² = 144 ÷ footprintin²
A 4×8 paver with a 1/4″ joint has a 4.25×8.25 = 35.1 in² footprint — about 4.1 pavers per square foot, so a 12×16 ft patio (192 ft²) runs about 866 pavers with 10% waste. Add sections for L-shapes and curves; rectangles, circles and triangles all sum into one total.
Pavers per square foot by size
Computed from the footprint formula at a 1/4″ joint — your joint width above adjusts the live count.
| Paver size | Footprint (in²) | Pavers per ft² | Per 100 ft² (+10%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 | 35.1 | 4.11 | 452 |
| 6 × 6 | 39.1 | 3.69 | 406 |
| 6 × 9 | 57.8 | 2.49 | 274 |
| 12 × 12 | 150.1 | 0.96 | 106 |
| 16 × 16 | 264.1 | 0.55 | 60 |
Paver base calculator: how much gravel under the pavers?
The compacted crushed-stone base does the structural work. 4–6″ is common for patios and walkways, 8–12″ for driveways, with deeper bases where soil is soft or frost is deep — these are general ranges, and your installer or local practice governs. The calculator multiplies your area by the depth you choose and converts to tons at a typical compacted-base density (editable on the gravel calculator if you want presets). Add 10–15% in the gravel order itself for compaction; here the figure is the in-place volume.
Paver sand: the 1″ bedding layer
Between base and pavers sits a 1″ screeded bed of coarse, washed sand — concrete (bedding) sand, not fine play sand or stone dust, because the angular grains lock and drain. One inch over 100 ft² is 8.3 ft³, about 0.31 yd³ or 0.43 tons. The depth field is editable but the 1″ figure is well established — thicker beds rut.
Polymeric sand calculator: joint sand from geometry
Joint sand fills the gaps, so the honest way to estimate it is the gap volume itself: the jointed footprint minus the paver face, times the paver thickness, times the number of pavers. Small pavers with wide joints need several times more than big slabs with tight joints — which is why bag-coverage claims vary so wildly. The calculator converts the joint volume to pounds at loose sand’s ~100 lb/ft³ and divides by your bag weight. Yield varies by product — check your bag, and sweep in a little extra for the first rain’s settling.
Paver patterns and waste
Pattern drives the cut count: running bond and stack layouts waste about 10%, while herringbone and any diagonal layout run ~15% because every edge meets the border at an angle and every cut piece’s offcut is rarely reusable. Borders and soldier courses add a few percent more. Set the waste field to match your layout — it applies to the paver count only, not the base and sand.
Paver cost calculator — using your local prices
Paver prices range hugely by style and region, so this tool has no built-in prices: enter your supplier’s price per paver (or per square foot), optional per-ton prices for base and sand, and your installer’s labor rate per square foot if you have a quote. The cost block multiplies them by the computed quantities — a transparent materials-plus-labor estimate built entirely from your numbers.