How many pavers do I need per square foot?

Divide 144 by the paver’s face in square inches, joint included. A 4 × 8 in paver is 32 in², so 144 ÷ 32 = 4.5 a square foot laid tight; with 1/8 in joints it is 144 ÷ (4.125 × 8.125) ≈ 4.3. In metric, a 100 × 200 mm paver is 50 a square metre tight, about 48 with 3 mm joints.

How much gravel base do I need under pavers?

Patio area × base depth. A 12 × 10 ft patio with 6 in of base is 120 × 0.5 = 60 ft³, 2.2 yd³ — about 3.1 tons at 1.4 tons a yard. A 4 × 3 m patio at 150 mm is 1.8 m³, about 3 tonnes at 1.68 t/m³. The right depth depends on the soil and the traffic; take it from the paver maker or your installer.

How much sand do I need for pavers?

For the bedding layer, area × its depth: 120 ft² at 1 in is 10 ft³, about 0.37 yd³ or half a ton. In metric, 12 m² at 25 mm is 0.3 m³. Joint sand swept in afterwards is a small extra — a bag or two for a patio this size.

How many extra pavers should I buy?

About 5% for a straight running-bond or stack pattern with few cuts — the default. Go to 10% or more for herringbone, a diagonal, curves or lots of edges to cut. Keep a few spares from the same lot for repairs later.

Paver calculator

Patio length

Patio width

Extra area (optional)

ft²

A walkway or a bump-out, added on.

Waste

5% straight lay · 10%+ herringbone or curves.

Paver length

Paver width

Joint gap

Set 0 for pavers with built-in spacer nubs.

Pavers per pallet (optional)

pavers

Base gravel depth

Compacted depth — from the paver maker or your installer.

Bedding sand depth

Gravel density

t/yd³

Short tons per yd³ — ask the yard.

Sand density

t/yd³

— pavers to buy

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Show the working — with your numbers

Area arithmetic: pavers by face size plus joint, with your waste, and gravel and sand as area × the depths you type, converted by the densities you type. It does not choose the base depth, allow for compaction or edge restraint, or say what the patio will carry — take those from the paver maker or your installer, and order a little over on the base.

Type the patio size, the paver face size and joint, and the base and bedding depths you are building to. The tool gives the pavers to buy with waste, and the base gravel and bedding sand in cubic yards and tons — or cubic metres and tonnes — with an optional pallet count.

Worked example

Imperial: a 12 × 10 ft patio in 4 × 8 in pavers with 1/8 in joints, 5% waste. Area 120 ft², plus 5% = 126 ft². Each paver takes 4.125 × 8.125 = 33.5 in², 0.233 ft², so 126 ÷ 0.233 = 541.4 → 542 pavers. Base at 6 in: 120 × 0.5 = 60 ft³ = 2.22 yd³, about 3.1 tons at 1.4 t/yd³. Sand at 1 in: 10 ft³ = 0.37 yd³, about 0.5 ton at 1.35.

Metric: a 4 × 3 m patio in 100 × 200 mm pavers with 3 mm joints, 5% waste. Area 12 m², plus 5% = 12.6 m². Each paver takes 0.103 × 0.203 = 0.0209 m², so 12.6 ÷ 0.0209 = 602.6 → 603 pavers. Base at 150 mm: 1.8 m³, about 3.0 tonnes at 1.68 t/m³. Sand at 25 mm: 0.3 m³, about 0.48 tonnes at 1.6 t/m³.

On the job

Buy by the pallet, then the piece. Yards sell pavers by the pallet and often break one at a price. Type the count on the tag and the tool splits the order into full pallets and loose pieces. Same lot numbers on every pallet, or the colour shifts across the patio.

The base is where the tons go. A modest patio needs more weight in gravel than in pavers. Loose gravel compacts down, so crews order over the calculated volume — and check what the truck or trailer is rated to carry before loading it.

Joints change the count. 4 × 8 pavers laid tight are 4.5 a square foot; at 1/8 in joints, 4.3. Over 500 ft² that is about 100 pavers’ difference — a good reason to type the joint you actually lay.

What went wrong?

Quick referencefor pavers

Per ft²: 144 ÷ ((L + gap) × (W + gap)) in inches — 4 × 8 tight 4.5, 1/8 in joints 4.3
Per m²: 1,000,000 ÷ ((L + gap) × (W + gap)) in mm — 100 × 200 tight 50, 3 mm joints 47.8
Base: 100 ft² at 6 in = 50 ft³ = 1.85 yd³ · 10 m² at 150 mm = 1.5 m³
Sand: 100 ft² at 1 in = 8.3 ft³ = 0.31 yd³ · 10 m² at 25 mm = 0.25 m³
Volume: 1 yd³ = 0.765 m³ · 1 m³ = 1.308 yd³ · 1 short ton = 0.907 tonne

The formula

pavers = area × (1 + waste) ÷ ((paver length + gap) × (paver width + gap))

Area in square feet needs the paver in feet (inches ÷ 12); area in square metres needs it in metres. Gravel and sand are area × depth in the same unit, then ÷ 27 for cubic yards, and × density for tons or tonnes.

Questions

How many pavers do I need per square foot?: Divide 144 by the paver’s face in square inches, joint included. A 4 × 8 in paver is 32 in², so 144 ÷ 32 = 4.5 a square foot laid tight; with 1/8 in joints it is 144 ÷ (4.125 × 8.125) ≈ 4.3. In metric, a 100 × 200 mm paver is 50 a square metre tight, about 48 with 3 mm joints.
How much gravel base do I need under pavers?: Patio area × base depth. A 12 × 10 ft patio with 6 in of base is 120 × 0.5 = 60 ft³, 2.2 yd³ — about 3.1 tons at 1.4 tons a yard. A 4 × 3 m patio at 150 mm is 1.8 m³, about 3 tonnes at 1.68 t/m³. The right depth depends on the soil and the traffic; take it from the paver maker or your installer.
How much sand do I need for pavers?: For the bedding layer, area × its depth: 120 ft² at 1 in is 10 ft³, about 0.37 yd³ or half a ton. In metric, 12 m² at 25 mm is 0.3 m³. Joint sand swept in afterwards is a small extra — a bag or two for a patio this size.
How many extra pavers should I buy?: About 5% for a straight running-bond or stack pattern with few cuts — the default. Go to 10% or more for herringbone, a diagonal, curves or lots of edges to cut. Keep a few spares from the same lot for repairs later.

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