Paver Calculator
Pavers for a patio, path or pad from its area and the paver’s size, with the joint counted once, plus base and bedding sand in cubic yards from the depths you enter.
The working
Area = Length × Width
= 12 ft × 12 ft
= 144 sq ft
Pavers = Total area × 144 ÷ Module area in sq in
Pavers laid
pavers
Waiting on you
Enter the paver’s length and width from your supplier, or count from a pallet label.
- Total paved area
- 144ft²
- Base, volume
- —cu yd
- Bedding sand, volume
- —cu yd
Enter the area, or its length and width, and the length and width of one paver. The calculator counts pavers by area, rounds up once to whole pavers, and adds only the allowance you enter. Base and bedding sand come as volumes from your own depths, in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres, and as tons only from a density you enter.
How this calculator works
Only your inputs and exact unit conversions. Where a figure comes from anywhere else, it is recorded below with its source.
- Formula version
- 1.0.0
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-30
- External data
- 4 sources
- Category
- Materials
What this calculates
Three quantities for a paved area laid on an aggregate base and a bedding sand layer: the number of pavers, the volume of base, and the volume of bedding sand. The pavers come from the area and the area one paver covers with its joint. Base and sand come from the area and the depth of each layer.
Joint sand, edge restraints, geotextile, sealer and drainage are not calculated. The bulletin quoted below describes them; their quantities depend on your design and products.
The paver count: area ÷ module
The module is the paver plus its joint, the area of pavement one paver takes up. A square foot is 12 × 12 = 144 sq in, so a square foot takes 144 ÷ module pavers. For a 4 × 8 in module that is 144 ÷ 32 = 4.5 per square foot, and for a 12 × 12 in module 144 ÷ 144 = 1.
Pavers = Total area × 144 ÷ Module area in sq in. The count is printed exactly, then rounded up once, at the end, so a part paver counts as a whole one. The paver’s area is not rounded first: a 4 × 8 in paver is 32 ÷ 144 = 0.2222 sq ft, and dividing 600 sq ft by 0.23 instead gives 2,609 pavers against 600 × 144 ÷ 32 = 2,700, 3.4% short, before any joint is considered.
Several areas are added first: identical areas multiply the first area, and up to three more rectangles are added to it. Nothing is rounded until the count.
Nominal and actual sizes: the joint is counted once
A size can be a module, the paver and its joint together, or the paver itself as measured. A module already includes the joint, so nothing is added. A measured size does not, so the joint you will lay is added once to the length and once to the width: a paver with a joint on each side shares each joint with its neighbour, so one joint per paver in each direction.
Adding a 1/8 in joint to a size that is already a 4 × 8 in module counts it twice: 4.125 × 8.125 = 33.515625 sq in gives 4.2965 pavers per sq ft instead of 4.5, 4.52% short. Choose which kind of size you have; the calculator does not guess.
CMHA’s bulletin says joint widths should be consistent and between 1/16 and 3/16 in (2 and 5 mm), that most pavers are made with spacer bars that keep a minimum joint, and that pavers without spacers are guided by string lines. Pavestone’s Holland Stone sheet says to install with joints of approximately 1/8 in. The range is quoted, and the joint you enter is yours.
Two makers’ "4 × 8" figures do not agree, so a per-square-foot figure belongs to a product. Belgard’s 2024 Mid-South guide gives 120 sq ft and 540 pieces per pallet for Holland Stone in 4" × 8": 540 ÷ 120 = 4.5 per sq ft, the same as a 4 × 8 in module. Pavestone’s Holland Stone sheet states 4.66 stones per sq ft for a nominal 3 7/8 × 7 13/16 in stone, 3.6% more. Neither sheet says whether its coverage includes the joint. Use your supplier’s size or its pallet label.
CMHA cites ASTM C936 for pavers made in the U.S., with tolerances of ±1/16 in on length and width and ±1/8 in on height. ASTM C936 is sold and was not read; only the bulletin’s summary of it is quoted.
Counting from a pallet label
A pallet label states a number of pieces and the square feet they cover. Pavers per square foot = Pieces ÷ Coverage, and the count is then Total area × pavers per square foot, rounded up once. Whether the coverage allows for the joints, and for a partial layer, is the maker’s statement; the calculator uses the two figures as printed.
Waste allowance and price
Both are yours, optional and blank. No allowance is assumed: cuts, breakage and pattern change with the shape, the pattern and the crew. With an allowance, pavers to order = exact pavers × (1 + allowance ÷ 100), rounded up once, and it is not added to base or sand. With a price per paver, the cost is the pavers to order, or the whole pavers laid if there is no allowance, times your price.
Pages that give a percentage for waste give different ones, and none of those read cites a source for it, so none is applied here. A round patio, a herringbone pattern and a border of cut pavers each leave more offcuts than a straight run; how many is your installer’s or supplier’s call.
Base: a volume, from a compacted depth
Base volume = Total area × Depth ÷ 12, with the depth in inches, in cubic feet; ÷ 27 for cubic yards; × 0.028316846592 for cubic metres, because 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly. The depth is the compacted thickness of the finished base.
CMHA PAV-TEC-002-22 says the thickness of the base is determined by traffic, soil type, subgrade drainage and moisture, and climate. It gives two minimums for well-drained soils, measured after compaction: 4 in for sidewalks, patios and pedestrian areas, and 6 in for residential driveways, adding that in colder climates continually wet or weak soils need thicker bases. For streets and heavy-duty pavements it says a qualified civil engineer should be consulted. Those two figures can be chosen from the Base depth list, labelled with their condition; they are never the default, and your plans or engineer decide.
Loose stone is spread thicker than it ends up. No such factor was found in the bulletin: it says to spread and compact the base in lifts of 4 to 6 in and to compact pedestrian areas and residential driveways to at least 98% of standard Proctor density. The allowance for loose stone is therefore yours, entered under Extra base for compaction, and it multiplies the volume before cubic yards, tons and cost are worked out.
Tons need a density from you: base stone varies by product and moisture, and no density is assumed. Weight = Cubic feet × Density in lb per cu ft ÷ 2,000, with the density converted to pounds per cubic foot first. A bag’s own volume, printed on it, divides the cubic feet for a bag count.
Base aggregate is not one product. The bulletin asks for the aggregate specification your city, state or province uses for asphalt pavement bases, or its own Table 4 grading of dense-graded aggregate (ASTM D2940) if none exists, and names open-graded No. 57 stone only around drainage pipes. Which product you buy is between you and your supplier.
Bedding sand: a volume, from an uncompacted depth
Sand volume = Total area × Depth ÷ 12, worked the same way. CMHA says bedding sand should conform to ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 (often called concrete sand), that masonry sand for mortar should never be used for bedding, nor limestone screenings or stone dust, and that it is spread and screeded to an uncompacted nominal 1 in. That 1 in can be chosen from the Bedding sand depth list. It is an uncompacted thickness, so it is the volume to buy and the calculator adds no allowance to it.
Pavestone’s Holland Stone sheet gives a bedding course of washed ASTM C-33 sand to a depth of 1 to 1 1/2 in. The two sources overlap at 1 in. The range is quoted, not applied.
The sand that fills the joints afterwards is a different material and quantity: CMHA says joint sand may be finer than bedding sand, to ASTM C144 or CSA A179, and that bedding sand can also be used. It is not calculated here.
What the sources say (quoted, not applied)
Each has a record below. None of these figures enters a result.
- CMHA PAV-TEC-002-22: pavers for pedestrian areas, driveways and areas of limited vehicular use are 2 3/8 in (60 mm) thick; streets and industrial pavements use units at least 3 1/8 in (80 mm) thick.
- CMHA: joints between 1/16 and 3/16 in (2 and 5 mm); base compacted in lifts of 4 to 6 in; base for pedestrian areas and residential driveways compacted to a minimum of 98% of standard Proctor density.
- CMHA: an optional geotextile where soil stays saturated part of the year, where there is freeze and thaw, or over clay and moist silty subgrades; 4 in perforated drainage pipe surrounded by at least 3 in of No. 57 or similar open-graded stone, wrapped in geotextile, along the perimeter, in clay or slow-draining soils under vehicular traffic.
- Pavestone Holland Stone cut sheet: about 4 to 8 in of compacted dense-graded base for light vehicular and pedestrian traffic; bedding sand 1 to 1 1/2 in; joints approximately 1/8 in; 4.66 stones per sq ft. Pavestone is a QUIKRETE company.
- Belgard Holland Stone, 2024 Mid-South guide: 4" × 8", 120 sq ft and 540 pieces per pallet (4.5 per sq ft by division).
What it does not decide
No pattern layout or cut list, no edge restraint, no drainage, no geotextile, no joint sand, no sealer and no structural check. Base thickness for a street, a heavy-duty pavement or a difficult subgrade is an engineering design, and the local building department and utilities have the last word on any dig. Retaining walls, brick and sand for other uses are not calculated here.
A 14 × 12 ft patio with 4 × 8 in pavers, a 4 in base and 1 in of bedding sand
The patio, the paver size, the 1/8 in joint, the 10% allowance and the depths are example inputs, not recommendations. The paver is entered as its actual size, 4 × 8 in, with the joint added once. The base and sand depths are the CMHA PAV-TEC-002-22 options chosen from their lists: 4 in, its minimum after compaction for patios over well-drained soils, and 1 in of bedding sand, uncompacted. No compaction allowance, density or price is entered, so none is worked.
- Patio
- 14 ft × 12 ft
- Paver, actual
- 4 × 8 in
- Joint
- 1/8 in (0.125 in)
- Your allowance
- 10%
- Base depth
- 4 in, compacted (CMHA option)
- Bedding sand depth
- 1 in, uncompacted (CMHA option)
- 01Area= 14 × 12= 168 sq ft
- 02Module area = (Length + Joint) × (Width + Joint)= (8 + 0.125) × (4 + 0.125) = 8.125 × 4.125= 33.515625 sq in
- 03Pavers per sq ft= 144 ÷ 33.515625= 4.296503
- 04Pavers = Area × 144 ÷ Module area= 168 × 144 ÷ 33.515625= 721.813 pavers
- 05Whole pavers= 721.813, rounded up= 722 pavers
- 06To order with your 10%= 721.813 × 1.1 = 793.994, rounded up= 794 pavers
- 07Base volume = Area × Depth in inches ÷ 12= 168 × 4 ÷ 12= 56 cu ft = 56 ÷ 27 = 2.074074 cu yd
- 08Bedding sand volume = Area × Depth in inches ÷ 12= 168 × 1 ÷ 12= 14 cu ft = 14 ÷ 27 = 0.518519 cu yd
722 pavers laid, 794 to order with your 10%; 2.07 cu yd of base, compacted; 0.52 cu yd of bedding sand
Pavers per area, by module
Before any allowance. A module is the paver plus its joint. Each row is 144 ÷ the module area in sq in, times the area; per m², 1 ÷ (length in m × width in m). The sizes are examples of arithmetic, not a list of products: your paver’s own size, or its pallet label, decides.
| Module | Module area | Pavers per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft | Per 1,000 sq ft | Per m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 4 in | 16 sq in (0.111111 sq ft) | 9 | 900 | 9,000 | 96.8752 |
| 4 × 8 in | 32 sq in (0.222222 sq ft) | 4.5 | 450 | 4,500 | 48.4376 |
| 6 × 6 in | 36 sq in (0.25 sq ft) | 4 | 400 | 4,000 | 43.0556 |
| 6 × 9 in | 54 sq in (0.375 sq ft) | 2.6667 | 266.6667 | 2,666.6667 | 28.7038 |
| 8 × 8 in | 64 sq in (0.444444 sq ft) | 2.25 | 225 | 2,250 | 24.2188 |
| 12 × 12 in | 144 sq in (1 sq ft) | 1 | 100 | 1,000 | 10.7639 |
| 16 × 16 in | 256 sq in (1.777778 sq ft) | 0.5625 | 56.25 | 562.5 | 6.0547 |
| 24 × 24 in | 576 sq in (4 sq ft) | 0.25 | 25 | 250 | 2.691 |
A paver of another size is worked in the calculator. Adding a 1/8 in joint to a size that is already a 4 × 8 in module counts it twice: 4.125 × 8.125 = 33.515625 sq in, 4.2965 per sq ft, 4.52% short. Belgard’s 4" × 8" Holland Stone pallet works out to 4.5 per sq ft and Pavestone’s states 4.66; both are quoted, not applied.
What it assumes
- 01Every paver has the same size, and the module is that size plus its joint, counted once.
- 02The count is by area, rounded up once, with no pattern layout or cut list.
- 03Base and bedding sand are laid to a constant depth over the whole paved area, with vertical edges. A base wider than the paving needs a larger area entered.
- 04The base depth is the compacted depth; the bedding sand depth is the uncompacted depth to buy.
- 05Waste, compaction, density and prices apply only when you enter them.
- 06Unit conversions are exact (1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 cu yd = 27 cu ft, 1 ft = 0.3048 m).
What it does not do
- No pattern layout, cut list, border course or soldier course: a border or a different paver is worked as its own area.
- Joint sand, edge restraints, geotextile, drainage, sealer and mechanical installation are not calculated.
- Base thickness depends on traffic, soil, drainage and climate. The two CMHA depths are minimums for stated conditions, not a design for your site, and there is no pass or fail against them.
- The allowance for loose base stone is yours: no factor for it was found in the CMHA bulletin, which gives lifts and a density to compact to.
- A pallet label’s coverage is the maker’s figure and may or may not include the joint; the calculator uses it as printed.
- Tons need a density from your supplier for each material.
Common questions.
- How do I calculate how many pavers I need?
- Work out the area to be paved in square feet. Multiply by 144 and divide by the area of one paver in square inches, joint included. For a 4 × 8 in module that is 144 ÷ 32 = 4.5 pavers per square foot; for a 12 × 12 in module, 1. Round up once, at the end, and add any allowance you choose on top.
- How many pavers are in a square foot?
- It is 144 ÷ the module area in square inches: 9 for 4 × 4, 4.5 for 4 × 8, 4 for 6 × 6, 2.6667 for 6 × 9, 2.25 for 8 × 8, 1 for 12 × 12 and 0.5625 for 16 × 16. Those take the size as the paver with its joint. Two makers’ 4 × 8 pavers work out or are stated at 4.5 and 4.66 per square foot, so the product’s own figure is the one to use.
- How many square feet is a 4 × 8 paver?
- As a 4 × 8 in module it covers 32 ÷ 144 = 0.222222 sq ft. Measured on the paver itself, a 4 × 8 in paver with a 1/8 in joint added once takes 33.515625 sq in, 0.232747 sq ft. Adding the joint to a size that is already a module counts it twice.
- How many pavers do I need for 1,000 square feet?
- 1,000 × 144 ÷ the module area, before any allowance: 4,500 with a 4 × 8 in module, 4,000 with 6 × 6, 2,666.6667 with 6 × 9 and 1,000 with 12 × 12. The cost is those counts times your supplier’s price per paver; no price is assumed.
- How many pavers do I need for a 12 × 12 ft patio?
- 144 sq ft. With a 12 × 12 in module that is 144 × 144 ÷ 144 = 144 pavers; with a 4 × 8 in module, 144 × 144 ÷ 32 = 648; with a 6 × 6 in module, 144 × 144 ÷ 36 = 576. All before any allowance.
- Do I add the joint to the paver size?
- Only to a measured, actual size. A nominal size already includes it, and adding it again counts it twice: 33.515625 sq in instead of 32, which is 4.2965 pavers per square foot instead of 4.5, 4.52% short. CMHA says joints should be between 1/16 and 3/16 in, and Pavestone’s Holland Stone sheet says approximately 1/8 in. Enter the joint you will lay.
- How much waste should I add for pavers?
- That is your call, so the box is blank. Cuts and breakage depend on the shape of the area, the pattern and the crew, and the pages read that publish a percentage do not agree and cite no source for it. A curved edge, a diagonal or herringbone pattern and a border each leave more offcuts than a straight run. Ask your supplier or installer, enter the percentage, and the calculator rounds up once on the exact count.
- How do I calculate the pavers for a circle?
- Choose Diameter. The area is π × diameter² ÷ 4, so a 10 ft circle is π × 100 ÷ 4 = 78.5398 sq ft. It is then divided by the module like any other area. The pavers along the curve are cut, and the count is by area, so the allowance for those cuts is yours.
- How deep should a paver base be?
- It depends on the traffic, the soil and its drainage, and the climate, and the answer is a design decision, not a constant. CMHA’s PAV-TEC-002-22 gives two minimums, measured after compaction and for well-drained soils: 4 in for sidewalks, patios and pedestrian areas, and 6 in for residential driveways. It adds that in colder climates, continually wet or weak soils need thicker bases, and that for streets and heavy-duty pavements a qualified civil engineer should be consulted. Pavestone’s Holland Stone sheet says about 4 to 8 in of compacted base for light vehicular and pedestrian traffic. You can choose the two CMHA depths from the calculator or enter your own.
- How much paver base do I need?
- Area × depth ÷ 12, in cubic feet, then ÷ 27 for cubic yards. A 168 sq ft patio with a 4 in base is 168 × 4 ÷ 12 = 56 cu ft = 2.0741 cu yd of compacted base. Loose stone is spread thicker than that, and no factor for it was found in the bulletin, so the allowance is yours to enter. Tons need your supplier’s density for the exact stone.
- Do I add 20% for compaction?
- Not here, unless you enter it. The CMHA bulletin says to spread and compact the base in lifts of 4 to 6 in and to compact pedestrian areas and residential driveways to at least 98% of standard Proctor density; no loose-to-compacted factor was found in it. One calculator adds 20% and another’s worked example uses a factor of 1.15, and neither cites a source on the page. Ask your stone supplier how much loose material makes a compacted inch of the product you are buying.
- How much bedding sand do I need?
- The same way: area × depth ÷ 12. CMHA says to spread and screed bedding sand to an uncompacted nominal 1 in., so the 168 sq ft patio takes 168 × 1 ÷ 12 = 14 cu ft = 0.5185 cu yd. Pavestone’s sheet says 1 to 1 1/2 in. CMHA says the sand should meet ASTM C33 (concrete sand), never masonry sand for mortar, limestone screenings or stone dust. Sand for the joints is a separate quantity, not calculated here.
- Can I use 3/4 gravel for paver base?
- The calculator gives volume only, and does not say which stone to buy. CMHA’s bulletin asks for dense-graded aggregate to the specification your city, state or province uses for asphalt pavement bases, or its own Table 4 grading (ASTM D2940) if none exists, compacted in lifts of 4 to 6 in. It names open-graded No. 57 stone only around drainage pipes. Whether a particular 3/4 in product is dense-graded is a question for your supplier.
- How many square feet does a bag of paver base cover?
- It depends on the bag’s volume and your depth, and the bag says. Cubic feet of base ÷ the bag’s stated cubic feet, rounded up, is the bag count. The area a bag covers is its stated cubic feet ÷ (depth in inches ÷ 12). Bag sizes differ by product, so none is assumed.
- How many tons of paver base do I need?
- Cubic yards times a density from your supplier for the exact product. Stone size, grading and moisture all move the density, so no figure is assumed. Enter it under Base density and the tons appear beside the volume; for a conversion on its own, the cubic yards to tons calculator does the same from your density.
- What about a paver walkway or a driveway?
- The same arithmetic: a length and a width, a module, and depths. Use Length and width for a path or a pad, and add other rectangles under Other rectangular areas. Driveway pavers are thicker and the base is deeper, and both are the plans’ or the supplier’s to state.
- How much do pavers cost?
- Enter your supplier’s price per paver, base and sand under Waste and price, and the calculator multiplies each out, with the line printed so you can check it by hand. No price is assumed, and delivery, edge restraints, joint sand and labour are not included.
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