Free paver calculator
Tell the calculator your patio, walkway, or driveway size and your paver, and it works out exactly how many pavers to buy — by size and laying pattern, with a waste margin for cuts, plus the gravel base and bedding sand that go underneath, updated live, as you type.
On this page15 sections
| Material | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pavers | 951 | $713 |
| Gravel base | 4.50 cu yd | $180 |
| Bedding sand | 0.75 cu yd | $26 |
Prices are regional estimates: pavers ≈ $0.75 each (4×8 basis, scaled by size), base ≈ $40/yd, sand ≈ $35/yd. The base figure already adds ~20% for compaction.
Paver coverage, waste and prices vary by product and pattern. How accurate is this?
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
How the paver calculator works
Pavers cover a flat surface, so the count is driven by area, not volume. The paver calculator takes the size of your patio, walkway or driveway, works out how much area a single paver covers, and divides one by the other to get the number of pavers. Then it adds a waste margin for the cuts and breakage that every real install produces, and — if you ask it to — estimates the gravel base and bedding sand that go underneath.
What the result means
The headline number is the pavers to buy, waste included — the figure you hand to the supplier. The base and sand figures, in cubic yards, are what goes under the pavers: a compacted gravel base for support and drainage, topped by a thin bedding-sand layer the pavers sit in. Buy all three together and the patio is fully accounted for, from the dirt up.
What goes into your paver estimate
A paver estimate is built from three pieces: how much area you are covering, how big each paver is, and how much you over-order for cuts. Get all three right and the pallet that arrives matches the patio you draw.
Project area — the base number
Length times width gives the square footage you are covering. For an L-shaped patio, split it into rectangles, find each area, and add them. This is the geometry the calculator nails exactly; everything else scales off it.
Paver size — how much each one covers
A paver's coverage is its two dimensions multiplied, divided by 144 to convert square inches to square feet. A 4×8 in brick paver covers 0.222 ft² (4.5 per ft²); a 6×6 covers 0.25 ft² (4 per ft²); a 12×12 covers a full square foot (1 per ft²). Bigger pavers mean fewer pieces but the same total area.
Waste factor — the cuts and breakage
Every edge that is not a clean paver-length needs a cut, and the offcut is usually too small to reuse. Add breakage in transit and the odd defective piece, and you need to over-order. Ten percent covers a straight running-bond pattern; herringbone and diagonal layouts cut more and need 15–20%.
A worked example using the paver calculator
Maria is laying a 12 ft × 16 ft back patio in standard 4×8 in brick pavers, running bond. She wants the paver count with a 10% waste margin, plus the gravel base and bedding sand for a 6-inch base and 1-inch sand layer.
Step 1 — Find the project area
12 × 16 = 192 ft² to cover.
Step 2 — Find what one paver covers
4 × 8 = 32 in², divided by 144 = 0.222 ft² per paver — about 4.5 pavers per square foot.
Step 3 — Divide, then add waste
192 ÷ 0.222 = 864 pavers bare. With 10% added, 864 × 1.10 = 950.4, rounded up to 951 pavers.
Step 4 — Estimate the base and sand
Gravel base: 192 ft² × 6 in ÷ 12 = 96 ft³ ÷ 27 = 3.56 yd³. Bedding sand: 192 ft² × 1 in ÷ 12 = 16 ft³ ÷ 27 = 0.59 yd³.
How many pavers do I need?
For a quick ballpark before you measure exactly, this table gives the paver count for common project sizes using standard 4×8 in pavers, with a 10% straight-pattern waste margin already included.
| Project size | Area (ft²) | Bare pavers (4×8) | With 10% waste |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft × 8 ft walkway | 64 | 288 | 317 |
| 10 ft × 10 ft patio | 100 | 450 | 495 |
| 12 ft × 16 ft patio | 192 | 864 | 951 |
| 16 ft × 20 ft patio | 320 | 1,440 | 1,584 |
| 20 ft × 24 ft driveway | 480 | 2,160 | 2,376 |
Counts use a 4×8 in paver (0.222 ft² each, ~4.5 per ft²) and round up. Larger pavers reduce the piece count for the same area; diagonal patterns need 20% waste, not 10%.
When to use this paver calculator
Reach for it any time you are covering ground with pavers and need to know how many to buy — over-order and pallets sit in the yard, under-order and you wait on a second delivery, often from a different dye lot.
- Patios — the most common job, where pattern and waste factor matter most.
- Walkways and paths — long, narrow runs with lots of border cuts.
- Driveways — large areas, usually thicker pavers and a deeper base.
- Pool surrounds and courtyards — curved or irregular edges that push waste toward the high end.
Common paver sizes and how many per square foot
The math is the same for any size, but the piece count changes a lot. These are the most common rectangular and square pavers and how many it takes to cover a square foot.
| Paver size | Coverage (ft²) | Per square foot | Per 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in (brick) | 0.222 | ~4.5 | 450 |
| 6 × 6 in | 0.250 | 4.0 | 400 |
| 6 × 9 in (holland) | 0.375 | ~2.7 | 267 |
| 8 × 8 in | 0.444 | ~2.3 | 225 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1.000 | 1.0 | 100 |
Coverage is paver length × width ÷ 144. "Per 100 ft²" figures follow the Inch Calculator common-paver table. Counts ignore joint sand-gap, which is the standard estimating convention.
Choosing a paver is mostly look and budget. Smaller bricks give you finer patterns and more cut flexibility at the edges; larger pavers lay faster with fewer pieces. Whichever you pick, the total area you cover is unchanged — only the number of pieces moves.
Estimating the gravel base and bedding sand
Pavers are only as stable as what they sit on. The standard build is a compacted gravel (crushed-stone) base for support and drainage, topped by a thin layer of coarse bedding sand the pavers are set into. Both are estimated by volume — area times depth — just like concrete.
| Layer | Typical depth | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel base | 4–6 in (patio/walk), 8–12 in (driveway) | Spreads load and drains water away from the pavers |
| Bedding sand | 1 in | A level setting bed the pavers are tamped into; not a structural layer |
| Joint sand | fills the gaps | Swept into the joints after laying to lock the pavers together |
Depths follow common landscaping/manufacturer guidance: a 4–6 in compacted base for patios and walkways, deeper for driveways, over a consistent 1 in sand bed.
Waste factor: how many extra pavers to order
Order the exact calculated count and you will run short. Border pavers get cut to fit, and the offcuts are usually unusable; a few pavers crack in transit or chip on the saw; and the odd piece arrives defective. The waste margin covers all of it — and ordering it with the original delivery means it comes from the same dye lot, so the colour matches.
How much to add by pattern
| Pattern | Waste | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Running / stacked bond (straight) | 10% | Cuts only at the borders |
| Herringbone (90°) | 15% | Interlocking layout cuts at more edges |
| Diagonal / 45° herringbone | 20% | Every border paver is an angled cut with an unusable offcut |
Waste guidance follows Inch Calculator and manufacturer install sheets: ~10% for straight patterns, up to 20% for diagonal. The calculator defaults to 10% and adjusts up to 25%.
Why running short is worse than running over
Leftover pavers can be returned or kept as spares for repairs. Running out is worse: a second order may come from a different production batch with a visible colour shift, and the job stalls until it arrives. The margin exists to keep one patio one colour, laid in one go.
Paver definitions
How accurate is this paver calculator?
The area-and-coverage math is exact. Project area divided by the area one paver covers is the precise bare count, and the base and sand volumes use the same exact area-times-depth geometry as any aggregate. If your measurements are right, the piece count is right to the paver.
The waste margin and the base depths are judgement calls, on purpose. The right over-order depends on your pattern, your edges and how clean your cuts are — 10% for a simple straight patio, up to 20% for a diagonal one with a curved border. Base depth depends on the soil and the load: a patio wants 4–6 inches of gravel, a driveway more. Treat the paver count as firm, the waste as a sensible default to adjust for your pattern, and the base figures as planning numbers to confirm against your local soil and manufacturer's install guide. When in doubt, order to the high side from the same dye lot — a few spare pavers beat a colour-mismatched second delivery.
Frequently asked questions about the free paver calculator
About this paver calculator
This paver calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is sent anywhere, and the paver count, base, and sand update instantly as you change the area, paver size, or pattern. It uses the standard landscaping method: project area divided by what one paver covers, plus a waste margin for cuts and breakage.
Planning the rest of the build? Browse the full construction calculators shelf for related estimators like the concrete calculator, or see every tool in the calculator directory.