Buy 908 pavers, 2.37 yd³ of base gravel and 0.59 yd³ of bedding sand to cover 192 ft².
824.9 net before 10% waste · 192 ft².
3.56 tons at the density you set. Compaction eats some depth, so order a little over.
Screeded, not compacted. Polymeric joint sand: about 3 bags of 50 lb (22 kg) as a rough allowance.
The full perimeter.
$4.94 per ft². Materials $949. Edit the prices. They are not a quote.
Type the patio size and the paver size. This paver calculator counts pavers with the joints included, then adds waste, base gravel, bedding sand and edge restraint, so the order is right the first time. Round patios and fire pit rings work too. Add prices and a labor rate and you have the cost to put in pavers.
Quick answer A 12 × 16 ft patio (192 ft²) of 4 × 8 in pavers with a ⅛ in joint and 10% waste takes 908 pavers (825 before waste), 2.37 yd³ of base (3.56 tons at 1.5 tons/yd³) and 0.59 yd³ of bedding sand.
A patio paver calculator works in area, and the same sum serves as a paving calculator for a walkway. Each paver owns its own face plus half the joint on every side, so the count is the patio area divided by (paver length + joint) × (paver width + joint). That is why a patio laid with joints needs slightly fewer pavers than plain area ÷ face area. Then waste is added and the result is rounded up to a whole paver.
Small patios have a second check. Cut pavers at the edge each use a whole paver unless the offcut fits somewhere else, so the calculator also counts a plain grid of whole pavers plus a cut row on each side, in whichever direction takes fewer. If that number is higher than the area figure with waste, it wins. This matters on small or awkward patios, where the area sum can come up a few pavers short and the replacement pallet will not match the colour.
Base and bedding sand are boxes: area × depth, converted to cubic yards. That is the sum behind any paver base calculator or paver sand calculator. The base is crushed stone sold by weight, so the volume is multiplied by a compacted density. Bedding sand is screeded, not compacted. The edge restraint is the full perimeter. Add a price per paver, per ton of base and per yard of sand, plus an installer's rate per ft², and you get the total and the cost per square foot. That is what a paver patio cost calculator or a cost to install pavers calculator reports.
For a circle, switch Shape to Circle and enter the diameter. The area is π × radius², so a 10 ft circle is 78.5 ft², and the edge restraint is the circumference, π × diameter. A fire pit ring needs two diameters: choose Ring, then enter the outside diameter and the hole. The area is π × (outside² − hole²) ÷ 4, so you do not pay for the hole. Pavers cut to a curve waste more, which is why the hint for a circle or ring is 15–20%.
Mark the patio corners first with the squaring calculator, and plan where the water goes with the French drain cost calculator. To weigh the cost against wood or composite for the same space, run the size through the deck calculator.
N = pavers to buy, L × W = patio (π × D² ÷ 4 for a circle), p × q = paver face, j = joint width, w = waste %.
module = (paver length + joint) × (paver width + joint)
net pavers = patio area / module
pavers to buy = ceil( net pavers × (1 + waste/100) )
or the plain-grid count, if that is higher (rectangles)
base yd³ = area ft² × base depth ft / 27
base tons = base yd³ × density
sand yd³ = area ft² × sand depth ft / 27
edge = 2 × (length + width)
cost = pavers × price + base tons × price + sand yd³ × price + area ft² × labor rate
circle area = π × diameter² / 4 edge = π × diameter
ring area = π × (outside² − hole²) / 4 edge = π × outside diameterThe module is (8 + ⅛) × (4 + ⅛) = 33.52 in², so 192 ft² holds 824.9 pavers. Ten percent waste buys 908. A 4 in base is 2.37 yd³ (3.56 tons), 1 in of sand is 0.59 yd³, and the edge restraint is 56′. At the sample prices that is $949.
A diagonal pattern wastes more at the edges, so waste is 15%: 257.6 net, 297 to buy. A 6 in base for a patio on softer ground is 1.85 yd³, or 2.78 tons at 1.5 tons/yd³. The sand layer stays at about 1 in whatever the base thickness is.
A circle 10′ (3.05 m) across has an area of π × 60² = 11310 in², or 78.5 ft². With 4 × 8 in pavers and a ⅛ in joint that is 337.4 net, and 15% waste for the cut edge buys 389. The base is 0.97 yd³, the sand 0.24 yd³, and the edge restraint runs 31′ 5″ around the circumference.
The paved area is π × (120² − 36²) ÷ 4 = 10292 in², or 71.5 ft². That needs 354 pavers at 15% waste, 35 fewer than the full circle, because the 3 ft hole for the pit is not paved. The outside edge is 31′ 5″ and the inner edge is 9′ 5 1/8″.
A 3 mm joint, 10% waste, a 100 mm base and 30 mm of sand: the module is (200 + 3) × (100 + 3) mm, so the 12 m² terrace takes 574 pavers net and 632 to buy. Base is 1.2 m³ (2.14 t), sand is 0.36 m³, and the edge restraint is 14 m.
Check your order against these before you buy. Every row uses 4 × 8 in pavers with a ⅛ in joint, a 4 in compacted base and 1 in of bedding sand. Rectangles take 10% waste, and the paver size table is for a 10 × 10 ft patio. The circle and fire pit ring tables take 15%, because every paver on a curved edge gets cut, and the ring tables leave a 3 ft hole in the middle.
| Patio size | Pavers | Base gravel | Bedding sand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 8 ft | 303 | 0.79 yd³ | 0.2 yd³ |
| 10 × 10 ft | 473 | 1.23 yd³ | 0.31 yd³ |
| 10 × 12 ft | 568 | 1.48 yd³ | 0.37 yd³ |
| 12 × 12 ft | 681 | 1.78 yd³ | 0.44 yd³ |
| 15 × 15 ft | 1064 | 2.78 yd³ | 0.69 yd³ |
| 16 × 16 ft | 1210 | 3.16 yd³ | 0.79 yd³ |
| Paver size | Net, ⅛ in joint | To buy, 10% waste |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in | 430 | 473 |
| 6 × 6 in | 384 | 423 |
| 6 × 9 in | 258 | 284 |
| 12 × 12 in | 98 | 108 |
| 16 × 16 in | 55 | 64 |
| 18 × 18 in | 44 | 49 |
| 24 × 24 in | 25 | 28 |
| Diameter | Area | Pavers | Base gravel | Bedding sand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft | 28.3 ft² | 140 | 0.35 yd³ | 0.09 yd³ |
| 8 ft | 50.3 ft² | 249 | 0.62 yd³ | 0.16 yd³ |
| 10 ft | 78.5 ft² | 389 | 0.97 yd³ | 0.24 yd³ |
| 12 ft | 113.1 ft² | 559 | 1.4 yd³ | 0.35 yd³ |
| 14 ft | 153.9 ft² | 761 | 1.9 yd³ | 0.48 yd³ |
| 16 ft | 201.1 ft² | 994 | 2.48 yd³ | 0.62 yd³ |
| Outside diameter | Area | Pavers | Base gravel | Bedding sand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 43.2 ft² | 214 | 0.53 yd³ | 0.13 yd³ |
| 10 ft | 71.5 ft² | 354 | 0.88 yd³ | 0.22 yd³ |
| 12 ft | 106 ft² | 524 | 1.31 yd³ | 0.33 yd³ |
| 14 ft | 146.9 ft² | 726 | 1.81 yd³ | 0.45 yd³ |
| 16 ft | 194 ft² | 959 | 2.39 yd³ | 0.6 yd³ |
Know the patio in square feet and not in feet and inches? Read the count straight from this table. It is the calculation above with a ⅛ in joint and 10% waste, so any patio that comes to the same area gives the same count.
| Patio area | 4 × 8 in | 6 × 6 in | 6 × 9 in | 12 × 12 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft² | 237 | 212 | 142 | 54 |
| 100 ft² | 473 | 423 | 284 | 108 |
| 150 ft² | 709 | 634 | 426 | 162 |
| 200 ft² | 946 | 845 | 567 | 216 |
| 300 ft² | 1418 | 1267 | 851 | 324 |
| 400 ft² | 1891 | 1689 | 1134 | 431 |
Use these tables as a paver patio cost estimator. The cost to put in pavers is the materials plus the labor. The tables use the calculator's sample prices ($0.80 for a 4 × 8 in paver, $55 a ton of base stone, $45 a yard of bedding sand) and three example labor rates, so they show how the total moves. They are not a price. Laying pavers cost depends on your region, the pattern, the base and who does the work, so replace the samples with real quotes.
| Patio size | Materials | Labor $5/ft² | Labor $10/ft² | Labor $15/ft² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | $494 | $994 | $1,494 | $1,994 |
| 12 × 12 ft | $711 | $1,431 | $2,151 | $2,871 |
| 12 × 16 ft | $949 | $1,909 | $2,869 | $3,829 |
| 16 × 20 ft | $1,581 | $3,181 | $4,781 | $6,381 |
| 20 × 20 ft | $1,976 | $3,976 | $5,976 | $7,976 |
| Price per paver | Materials per ft² | With $5/ft² labor | With $10/ft² labor | With $15/ft² labor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.50 | $3.52 | $8.52 | $13.52 | $18.52 |
| $0.80 | $4.94 | $9.94 | $14.94 | $19.94 |
| $1.20 | $6.83 | $11.83 | $16.83 | $21.83 |
| $2.00 | $10.62 | $15.62 | $20.62 | $25.62 |
A fire pit ring is a layout calculation only. Concrete pavers close to open flame can crack or spall, and fire pit makers and paver makers give their own rules for a liner or ring around the fire. Local fire rules set the distance to a building. Check those before you build.
Pavers are not a code-section question, but the base is. The interlocking-paver industry (ICPI) publishes base-thickness guidance for patios, walks and driveways, and a thicker base is the usual answer for soft or frost-prone soil or for vehicle loads. Treat the 4 in default here as a common patio starting point, not a design for your soil.
Drainage and slope are not calculated here. A patio is normally laid with a slight fall away from the house, and building codes and local stormwater rules decide where that water may go. IRC R401.3 wants the ground to fall at least 6 in in the first 10 ft from a foundation wall and, where a barrier stops that, a slope of at least 2% (about ¼ in per foot) on paved surfaces within 10 ft of the foundation. Check with your building department if the patio sits against a foundation. The IRC text is in IRC 2021 Chapter 4, Foundations.
The joint-sand bag count is a rough allowance of one 50 lb (22 kg) bag per 70 ft² (6.5 m²). Bag labels give real coverage, and it depends on joint width and paver size, so take the label over this number.
Section numbers refer to IRC 2021 section numbers; England Approved Document K. Local amendments are common, so confirm with your building authority.
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Divide the patio area by the area of one paver plus its joint, add waste, and round up. A 10 × 10 ft patio of 4 × 8 in pavers with no joint is 450 pavers before waste. A ⅛ in joint lowers that slightly, because each paver owns a bit of the joint.
A 10 × 10 ft area is 100 ft², so it takes 98 pavers of 12 × 12 in with a ⅛ in joint, and exactly 100 with no joint. Add 10% for waste and buy 108. Pavers sold as 12 × 12 in are sometimes a little smaller, so measure one from the pack.
Area × base depth, converted to cubic yards. A 4 in base under 100 ft² is about 1.23 yd³, or about 1.85 tons at 1.5 tons per cubic yard of compacted crushed stone. Around 4 inches of compacted base is a common starting point for a patio or walkway. Driveways and soft or frost-prone soil need more, so check the interlocking-paver industry (ICPI) guidance for your use, and expect compaction to eat some of the depth.
Area × sand depth, converted to cubic yards. The bedding layer is about 1 inch (25 mm) of screeded sand, so 100 ft² takes about 0.31 yd³. Never use sand to fill a low spot in the base, because thick sand settles unevenly. Joint sand for the finished surface is a separate, smaller amount.
Running bond on a rectangle stays close to the geometric count, so 10% waste is usually enough. Diagonal and herringbone layouts make more offcuts and often want 15%. Use the waste field, and keep a few spares from the same pallet, because paver colour varies between batches. The edge restraint is the full perimeter (twice the length plus twice the width, or π × the diameter for a circle) on every side not already held by a wall or a curb.
Work out the area first: π × diameter² ÷ 4 for a circle, and π × (outside² − hole²) ÷ 4 for a ring. Divide by the area of one paver plus its joint, add 15–20% for cutting the curve, and round up. A 10 ft circle of 4 × 8 in pavers is about 389 pavers, and the same circle with a 3 ft fire pit hole is about 354. Pick the shape in the calculator and it does the arithmetic.
Paver installation cost is the materials plus the labor, divided by the area. At the calculator's sample prices (a 4 × 8 in paver at $0.80, base stone at $55 a ton, sand at $45 a yard) the materials for the 12 × 16 ft patio come to about $4.94 per ft². Add an installer's rate per ft² in the labor field to see the installed total, and replace the samples with real quotes: laying pavers cost varies by region, pattern, base depth and product.
Because a patio is built from whole pavers. On a small or awkward size, the cut pavers along the edges each use up a whole paver unless the offcut fits somewhere else. The calculator counts that plain grid as well as the area figure and uses the higher of the two. It is only a few pavers, but it is the few that decide whether you finish the job or wait on a second pallet.