Patio Calculator
Get a complete paver patio material list: pavers, base gravel, bedding sand, joint sand and edging.
What you need
247
Pavers needed — Includes your waste allowance. Round up to full pallets when ordering.
- Patio area
- 224 sq ft
- Base gravel to order
- 4.98 cu yd
- Base gravel weight
- 7.47 US tons
- Bedding sand to order
- 0.76 cu yd
- Bedding sand weight
- 1.03 US tons
- Polymeric joint sand bags
- 3
- Edge restraint needed
- 60 ft
Loose volume, including 20% for compaction loss.
About one 50 lb bag per 80 sq ft of standard pavers.
Perimeter of the patio. Add spikes at roughly 12 inch centres.
Estimates for planning. Confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering — see the assumptions below for the figures used.
Shop this project
Every quantity below came straight off your patio calculation, so this is the full order in one place. Quantities come straight from your calculation above — check them against your supplier's pack sizes before ordering.
Your shopping list
- Pavers
- 247
- Paver base gravel
- 4.98 cu yd
- Paver bedding sand
- 0.76 cu yd
- Polymeric joint sand
- 3 bags
- Paver edge restraint
- 60 ft
- Landscape fabric
- 224 sq ft
Materials
Pavers
Paver base gravel
Crushed and graded so it locks together when compacted.
Paver bedding sand
Polymeric joint sand
Sets hard in the joints to stop weeds and washout.
Prep & extras
Paver edge restraint
Spiked plastic edging — without it the outer course creeps.
Landscape fabric
Blocks weeds under mulch, stone and paver base. Skip it under soil you plan to plant.
Tools & equipment
Plate compactor
Rentable by the day. Hand tamping a base this size rarely holds.
Rubber mallet
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How to use the patio calculator
This is the whole shopping list for a paver patio in one place — pavers, the crushed base under them, bedding sand, polymeric joint sand and edge restraint. Enter your patio size and paver choice, and add prices if you want a total build cost.
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate depends on figures that vary by supplier and conditions. These are the ones used here, so you can sanity-check the result against your own quote.
- Base gravel includes a 20% allowance because crushed stone loses 15 to 20% of its loose volume when compacted.
- Polymeric joint sand is estimated at one 50 lb bag per 80 sq ft, which suits standard pavers with narrow joints. Wide joints or flagstone can need a bag per 30 to 50 sq ft.
- Edge restraint is the patio perimeter. It is only calculated for rectangular and circular patios — for an irregular shape, measure the edge directly.
- Excavation depth should be the base depth plus the sand depth plus the paver thickness. Pavers are typically 2⅜ in thick.
- Material only. Labour, tool rental, geotextile fabric and delivery are not included.
Frequently asked questions
What materials do I need to build a paver patio?
Pavers, crushed stone base, coarse bedding sand, polymeric joint sand and edge restraint with spikes. You will also want geotextile fabric over soft subgrade, and access to a plate compactor — that is a rental, not a purchase, for a one-off patio.
How deep do I need to excavate for a patio?
Add up the base depth, the bedding sand and the paver thickness. For a typical patio that is 6 inches of base, 1 inch of sand and a 2⅜ inch paver — about 9⅜ inches of excavation below your finished surface level.
How much slope does a patio need?
A quarter inch of fall per foot, running away from the house. Over a 14 foot patio that is 3½ inches of drop. Less than that and water pools; much more and furniture feels unstable.
Is a paver patio cheaper than concrete?
Materials for pavers cost more per square foot, but there is no formwork, no finishing window and no crew needed, so a DIY paver patio often lands cheaper overall. Pavers also let you lift and reset a section — a cracked concrete slab is a demolition job.
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