Plan a patio, walkway or driveway in one go: enter the area, choose the paver size and joint width, and get the number of pavers to buy including waste, plus the gravel base, bedding sand, polymeric sand and edging that go with them. Enter a price per paver for the material cost.
Pavers to buy
174
158 + 10 % waste
Gravel base (4 in)
2.07 yd³
≈ 2.9 tons crushed stone
Bedding sand (1 in)
0.52 yd³
≈ 0.7 tons
Polymeric sand
3
50-lb bags · edging 52 ft
168 sq ft · each paver with joint covers 1.063 sq ft
📌 Pavers per sq ft = 144 ÷ ((width + joint) × (length + joint)). Base and sand are compacted volumes; buy 10 % extra. Polymeric sand covers roughly 80 sq ft per 50-lb bag with ⅜-in joints, more with tight joints.
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Pavers per square foot by size
Paver size
Per sq ft (⅜-in joint)
For 100 sq ft
For 300 sq ft
4 × 8 in
3.93
394
1180
6 × 6 in
3.54
355
1063
6 × 9 in
2.41
241
723
12 × 12 in
0.94
95
283
12 × 24 in
0.48
48
144
16 × 16 in
0.54
54
162
24 × 24 in
0.24
25
73
Before waste. Manufacturers often quote pavers per pallet and square feet per pallet; divide your total by the pallet coverage to order whole pallets.
Worked example: 12 × 14 ft patio
168 sq ft with 12 × 12 in pavers and ⅜-in joints: each paver covers 1.063 sq ft, so 158 pavers, or 174 with 10 % waste. Underneath: 4 in of gravel base = 2.07 cubic yards (about 2.9 tons), 1 in of bedding sand = 0.52 cubic yards, 3 bags of polymeric sand for the joints and 52 ft of edging restraint around the perimeter. Excavation depth about 7½ inches for 2⅜-in pavers.
Divide 144 by the paver’s footprint in square inches including the joint. A 12 × 12 in paver with ⅜-in joints covers 12.375 × 12.375 = 153 sq in, so 0.94 pavers per sq ft; a 4 × 8 in brick with the same joint is 3.9 per sq ft; a 6 × 9 in paver 2.4; a 16 × 16 in slab 0.54. For a 12 × 14 ft (168 sq ft) patio with 12 × 12 pavers that is 158 pavers, 174 with 10 % waste.
A patio or walkway needs 4 inches of compacted crushed gravel (¾-in minus or “paver base”) and 1 inch of coarse bedding sand; use 6 inches of base on clay or in freeze-thaw climates and 8–10 inches for driveways. Per 100 sq ft that is 1.23 cubic yards (about 1.7 tons) of gravel at 4 inches and 0.31 cubic yards of sand. Excavate the paver thickness plus base plus sand, typically 7–8 inches.
5 % for a simple rectangle laid in a running bond or stack pattern, 10 % for most projects with some cuts along the edges, and 15 % for curves, circles, diagonal or herringbone patterns where every edge piece is cut. Keep a few spares from the same lot for future repairs — dye lots vary.
Sand mixed with a binder that hardens when wetted, locking the pavers and keeping weeds and ants out of the joints. Coverage depends on joint width and paver thickness: roughly 80 sq ft per 50-lb bag with ⅜-in joints, 100–120 sq ft with ¼-in joints, and only 40–50 sq ft for wide-jointed flagstone.
Materials alone run about $5–12 per square foot in most of the US (pavers $2–8, base and sand $1–2, edging and polymeric sand $1–2); professional installation adds $8–20 per square foot. A 168 sq ft patio is therefore roughly $1,000–2,000 in materials for a DIY build, or $2,500–5,500 installed.