How much paver base do I need?

Multiply the area by the base depth in feet, add 20% for compaction and divide by 27. A 12 × 16 ft patio on 4 inches is 64 cu ft compacted, 2.84 cu yd to order, about 4.4 tons. For bags, divide the cubic feet to order by 0.5: that patio takes 154 bags with 20% for compaction.

How many bags of paver base do I need?

Divide the base to order in cubic feet by 0.5: the 12 × 16 ft patio on 4 inches takes 154 bags with 20% for compaction, the same base as 2.84 cu yd in bulk.

How much sand do I need under pavers?

A 1 inch bed, by Concrete Network and Inch Calculator: the area × 1/12 ft. For 12 × 16 ft that is 16 cu ft, 0.59 cu yd, about 0.83 tons of dry sand.

How much joint sand do I need for pavers?

SEK Surebond gives one 50 lb bag of PolySweep for 50–75 sq ft with joints of up to 1/4 in, 25–50 sq ft with joints of 1/4–1/2 in, 15–25 sq ft with joints of 1/2–3/4 in, and notes that coverage varies with the shape, size and depth of the pavers. A 192 sq ft patio with narrow joints takes 3 to 4 bags.

Why add extra gravel for compaction?

A plate compactor presses the loose gravel down, so a compacted 4 inch base needs more than 4 inches of loose stone. Inch Calculator adds 20% for a paver base; ask your supplier how much their stone compacts and type it into the compaction field.

What gravel is used for a paver base?

Compacted crushed gravel, topped with sand, as Inch Calculator describes it; suppliers sell it under names such as paver base, crusher run, #411 or ABC. The calculator weighs it at Inch Calculator's range for crushed stone and gravel.

How much paver base do I need for a driveway?

More depth: 6 to 8 inches, by Inch Calculator. A 16 × 40 ft paver driveway on 6 inches takes 14.22 cu yd with 20% for compaction, about 22.0 tons, before the sand bed.

Paver Base Calculator

A 12 × 16 ft paver patio on a 4 inch base takes 2.84 cu yd of base gravel with 20% extra for compaction, about 4.4 tons, plus 0.59 cu yd of sand for the 1 inch bed. Enter the size and use (patio, walkway or driveway) to get the base in yards and tons, the bags of paver base, the sand bed and the joint sand for your joint width.

Units

Size preset

LengthWidth

What the pavers carry (sets the base depth)

Gravel base (in)Compaction (%)Sand bed (in)Joint width

Depths after Concrete Network and Inch Calculator (4–6 in for a patio, 6–8 in for a driveway, a 1 in sand bed, 20% extra gravel for compaction); your soil and local practice may ask for more.

2.84 cu yd (4.41 tons) of paver base gravel

Area:: 192.0 sq ft
Base, compacted:: 2.37 cu yd (64.00 cu ft)
Base to order (+20% compaction):: 2.84 cu yd (76.80 cu ft)
Or bags of paver base (0.5 cu ft):: 154
Sand bed:: 0.59 cu yd (16.00 cu ft), about 0.83 tons
Polymeric joint sand, 50 lb bags (up to 1/4 in joints):: 3 to 4

The pavers on top, with pallets and weight: the paver calculator.
Gravel for any other area: the gravel calculator.
A gravel driveway instead of pavers: the gravel driveway calculator.
A poured patio instead: the concrete patio cost calculator.

How HomeMath calculates a paver base

HomeMath takes the area × the compacted base depth, adds 20% so the base keeps its depth once compacted (Inch Calculator's figure), and divides by 27 for cubic yards; tons are the yards × 1.55, the middle of Inch Calculator's range for crushed stone and gravel. The sand bed is the area × 1 inch, weighed at 1.40 tons per yard dry. Bags of paver base are the gravel to order ÷ 0.5 cu ft; joint sand bags are the area ÷ the coverage SEK Surebond gives per 50 lb bag of PolySweep for your joint width, as a range. In metric, HomeMath converts meters and centimeters exactly (1 in = 2.54 cm) and shows the result in cubic meters, liters and square meters.

The published rules it uses: US customary units; metric conversion; gravel weights and prices; paver base depths and coverage. Their sources, and how HomeMath tests every result, are on the about page.

How deep should a paver base be?

Concrete Network puts a paver base at 4 to 6 inches and says 4 inches of crushed rock or gravel with an inch of bedding sand works well for a patio. Inch Calculator gives 4 to 6 inches for a patio and 6 to 8 inches for a driveway, with a 1 inch sand layer. The calculator starts at the low end of each; soft or wet soil can call for more. In metric the presets are 10 cm for a patio or walkway, 15 cm for a driveway and a 2.5 cm sand bed.

A 12 × 16 ft area by base depth, with 20% for compaction
Base	Gravel to order	Tons	0.5 cu ft bags
4 in	2.84 cu yd	4.4 tons	154
6 in	4.27 cu yd	6.6 tons	231
8 in	5.69 cu yd	8.8 tons	308

How much base, sand and joint sand do common areas need?

Base gravel with 20% for compaction, a 1 in sand bed, joint sand for joints up to 1/4 in
Area	Base gravel	Tons	Bags	Sand bed	Joint sand bags
Walkway 3 × 30 ft, 4 in	1.33 cu yd	2.1 tons	72	0.28 cu yd	2–2
Patio 10 × 10 ft, 4 in	1.48 cu yd	2.3 tons	80	0.31 cu yd	2–2
Patio 12 × 16 ft, 4 in	2.84 cu yd	4.4 tons	154	0.59 cu yd	3–4
Patio 16 × 20 ft, 4 in	4.74 cu yd	7.3 tons	256	0.99 cu yd	5–7
Patio 20 × 20 ft, 4 in	5.93 cu yd	9.2 tons	320	1.23 cu yd	6–8
Driveway 16 × 40 ft, 6 in	14.22 cu yd	22.0 tons	768	1.98 cu yd	9–13

Why order more gravel than the base depth?

A plate compactor presses the loose stone down, so a 4 inch compacted base needs more than 4 inches of loose gravel. Inch Calculator adds 20% for a paver base; the calculator does the same and shows the compacted volume beside the gravel to order. The base is weighed at 1.55 tons per cubic yard, the middle of Inch Calculator's range for crushed stone and gravel, and the sand at 1.40 for dry sand.

How do I work out a paver base by hand?

Area: 12 × 16 = 192 sq ft.
Base: 192 × 4/12 = 64 cu ft compacted; × 1.20 = 76.8 cu ft = 2.84 cu yd to order.
Bags: 76.8 ÷ 0.5 = 154 bags of paver base.
Sand: 192 × 1/12 = 16 cu ft = 0.59 cu yd.

How much joint sand do pavers need?

SEK Surebond's PolySweep chart gives the area one 50 lb bag fills by joint width, and notes that coverage varies with the shape, size and depth of the pavers, so the calculator shows a range. A 192 sq ft patio with narrow joints takes 3 to 4 bags.

Polymeric joint sand, 50 lb bags
Joint width	One bag fills	Bags for 192 sq ft
Up to 1/4 in	50–75 sq ft	3–4
1/4–1/2 in	25–50 sq ft	4–8
1/2–3/4 in	15–25 sq ft	8–13

Where do I count the pavers themselves?

The paver calculator counts the pavers, and the paver cost calculator prices the whole job. For gravel under other jobs, use the gravel calculator; for a poured slab instead of pavers, the concrete patio cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much paver base do I need?: Multiply the area by the base depth in feet, add 20% for compaction and divide by 27. A 12 × 16 ft patio on 4 inches is 64 cu ft compacted, 2.84 cu yd to order, about 4.4 tons. For bags, divide the cubic feet to order by 0.5: that patio takes 154 bags with 20% for compaction.
How deep should a paver base be?: 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel under a patio, by Concrete Network and Inch Calculator, with 4 inches working well for a patio, and 6 to 8 inches under a driveway, by Inch Calculator. Soft or wet soil and local practice can call for more.
How many bags of paver base do I need?: Divide the base to order in cubic feet by 0.5: the 12 × 16 ft patio on 4 inches takes 154 bags with 20% for compaction, the same base as 2.84 cu yd in bulk.
How much sand do I need under pavers?: A 1 inch bed, by Concrete Network and Inch Calculator: the area × 1/12 ft. For 12 × 16 ft that is 16 cu ft, 0.59 cu yd, about 0.83 tons of dry sand.
How much joint sand do I need for pavers?: SEK Surebond gives one 50 lb bag of PolySweep for 50–75 sq ft with joints of up to 1/4 in, 25–50 sq ft with joints of 1/4–1/2 in, 15–25 sq ft with joints of 1/2–3/4 in, and notes that coverage varies with the shape, size and depth of the pavers. A 192 sq ft patio with narrow joints takes 3 to 4 bags.
Why add extra gravel for compaction?: A plate compactor presses the loose gravel down, so a compacted 4 inch base needs more than 4 inches of loose stone. Inch Calculator adds 20% for a paver base; ask your supplier how much their stone compacts and type it into the compaction field.
What gravel is used for a paver base?: Compacted crushed gravel, topped with sand, as Inch Calculator describes it; suppliers sell it under names such as paver base, crusher run, #411 or ABC. The calculator weighs it at Inch Calculator's range for crushed stone and gravel.
How much paver base do I need for a driveway?: More depth: 6 to 8 inches, by Inch Calculator. A 16 × 40 ft paver driveway on 6 inches takes 14.22 cu yd with 20% for compaction, about 22.0 tons, before the sand bed.