Paver Patio Calculator — ft to pavers, sand, gravel, cost
How to use this calculator
Enter the patio area (rectangle, circle, L-shape, or known ft²), then choose paver size and laying pattern. You get pavers, compacted gravel base, bedding sand, perimeter edge restraint, and polymeric joint sand — sized for an ICPI-style sand-set installation.
Base layers — 4-6″ compacted gravel base, 1″ sand bedding.
Patterns — running bond, herringbone (+5% waste), basket weave, stack bond.
Edge restraint — plastic or aluminum edging along the perimeter.
Saved Calculations
| Time | Shape | Area ft² | Pavers | Gravel | Sand | Cost |
|---|
How to Use This Paver Patio Calculator
Pick a shape (rectangle, circle, L-shape, or enter a known square footage), set the paver size and laying pattern, then choose your gravel base and sand bedding depths. The takeoff covers pavers, compacted aggregate base, bedding sand, perimeter edge restraint, and polymeric joint sand. Order in full pallets and full tonnage — suppliers rarely split. Add the gravel and sand quantities to a gravel & aggregate calculator when pricing bulk delivery, and use the excavation volume calculator to size the dig-out for the full base + bedding + paver thickness.
Formulas
Pavers = area ÷ paver face area × (1 + waste% + pattern%), rounded up to whole units. Gravel (tons) = area × base depth (ft) × 100 lb/ft³ ÷ 2000. Bedding sand (tons) = area × 1″ ÷ 12 × 100 lb/ft³ ÷ 2000 ≈ 1.5 t/yd³ delivered. Edge restraint = perimeter ÷ 8 ft section. Polymeric sand ≈ 1 bag (50 lb) per 40 ft² for 3/16″ joints on a 2⅜″ paver.
Base Preparation (ICPI)
Per ICPI guidance: 4″ of compacted open-graded or dense-graded aggregate for pedestrian patios, 6″ for driveways, 8–12″ for vehicular loads. Lay a 1″ screeded bedding course (do not over-thicken — it rolls and ruts). Compact the base in 2–4″ lifts to ~95% Modified Proctor. For a poured slab apron instead of pavers, see the concrete driveway calculator; set posts for an adjacent pergola with the post hole concrete calculator. Confirm cut and fill balance for sloped lots with the cut/fill calculator.
On install day
Three things estimators forget. Pallet rounding — concrete pavers ship in pallets of ~50–120 pcs depending on size; if the count lands a few pieces shy of a full pallet, push it up rather than mix dye lots later. Typical 2025 USA delivered prices: $3–6/ft² for 4×8″ holland brick, $5–10/ft² for 12×12″ slabs, $8–18/ft² for tumbled or premium textures. Geotextile + edge restraint — a non-woven fabric between subgrade and base stops the gravel from migrating into the soil; spike a plastic or aluminum edge every 12″ around the perimeter (IRC §R401.3 still applies for drainage at the house wall). Joint sand wash-in — sweep polymeric sand bone-dry, blow off the surface, then activate with a fine mist; trapping any wet sand on the paver face leaves a permanent haze.
FAQ
Which pattern wastes the most? 45° herringbone adds ~10% for perimeter cuts; running bond and basket weave run ~5%; stack bond is minimal. Polymeric vs. regular joint sand? Polymeric sand sets up firm, locking the field against weeds, ants, and washout — preferred for nearly all installs. Why a 1″ bedding limit? ICPI caps bedding sand at ≈1″ compacted; thicker sand consolidates unevenly and the surface ruts under traffic.
