Concrete Paver Calculator

1. Enter the length and width of the area in feet.
2. Enter the paver length and width in inches, from the product listing.
3. Set a waste allowance for cuts and the bedding sand depth, nominally 1 inch.
4. Read the result: pavers to buy, plus bedding sand and the edge restraint length.

Here is what each result line means:

A concrete paver calculator turns the size of a patio, walkway or driveway into the number of pavers to buy. Interlocking concrete pavers are laid on a compacted base and a thin layer of bedding sand, so the count depends only on the area and the face size of each paver.

The tool divides the area by the paver face, adds a waste allowance for cuts at the edges and works out the bedding sand and the edge restraint you need. If you are pouring a solid slab instead, the concrete coverage calculator shows how far a load of concrete goes, and the concrete cost calculator prices a pour for comparison.

Pavers tile the area, so the number needed is simply the area divided by the area of one paver face. Paver sizes are given in inches, so the face area in square inches is divided by 144 to get square feet.

1. Multiply the area length by the width for the paved area in square feet.
2. Multiply the paver length by its width and divide by 144 for the face area in square feet.
3. Divide the area by the face area for the raw count, then add the waste allowance and round up.
4. Multiply the area by the sand depth over 12 for bedding sand, and add twice the length plus width for the edging.

For the weight of a concrete base or border, the concrete weight calculator gives the tonnage.

Suppose you are laying a 12 by 10 foot patio in 4 by 8 inch pavers, with 10 percent waste and a 1 inch bedding sand layer.

Calculation: the area is 12 x 10 = 120 sq ft. One paver face is 4 x 8 = 32 sq in, or 32 / 144 = 0.222 sq ft, so 4.5 pavers cover a square foot. The raw count is 120 x 4.5 = 540, and with 10 percent waste that is 594 pavers. Bedding sand at 1 inch is 120 / 12 = 10 cu ft, and the edge is 2 x (12 + 10) = 44 ft.

The lesson: small pavers add up fast. A modest patio in brick-size pavers is close to 600 pieces.

Paver Size

The count is inversely proportional to the face area. Switching from a 4 by 8 inch paver to a 6 by 9 inch one cuts the count by more than 40 percent for the same area.

Laying Pattern

A running or stack bond needs few cuts, while a herringbone or a basket weave at an angle, and curved edges, create more offcuts. Raise the waste allowance for those.

Shape of the Area

Curves, corners and obstacles add cuts. For an irregular area, split it into rectangles, add their areas and use a higher waste figure.

Joints

Pavers have small built-in spacers and narrow sand-filled joints. Ignoring the joints makes the count slightly high, which is covered within a normal waste allowance.

Pavers and a poured slab can cover the same patio, but they are bought, built and repaired differently.

To price the slab option, size it with the concrete slab calculator in the related tools and price it with the cost calculator.

Ordering Pavers

Turn the area into a count before you visit the supplier, then compare it with the coverage printed on each pallet.

Ordering Bedding Sand and Edging

The sand volume and the edge length size the other two materials you need for the job.

Comparing Paver Sizes

Try different paver sizes to see how the count and the laying effort change before you choose a product.

1. Mixing Up Feet and Inches

Enter the area in feet and the paver size in inches, as the fields are labelled. Entering the paver in feet makes the count far too small.

2. Using the Paver Thickness

The count uses the face, length and width, not the thickness. Thickness matters for traffic, not for how many you need.

3. Skipping Waste on a Complex Pattern

Herringbone and curved layouts need more cuts. Too little waste leaves you a few pavers short, often from a different production batch.

4. Forgetting the Bedding Sand and Base

Pavers sit on a compacted base and a sand layer. Order those too; the base depth comes from ICPI guidance and the manufacturer.

5. Not Buying Spares

A few extra pavers from the same batch make future repairs match. Keep them.

The count is exact for a rectangular area; the waste allowance covers cuts and pattern effects.

Divide the area in square feet by the face area of one paver in square feet, then add 5 to 10 percent waste. A 12 by 10 foot patio in 4 by 8 inch pavers is 120 x 4.5 = 540 pavers, or about 594 with 10 percent waste.

A 4 by 8 inch paver has a face of 32 square inches, so 144 / 32 = 4.5 pavers cover a square foot. A 6 by 9 inch paver covers 54 square inches, so about 2.67 per square foot.

About 5 percent for a simple running bond on a rectangle, and 10 percent or more for herringbone, angled patterns or curved edges, which create more cuts. Keep a few spares for repairs.

ICPI shows a nominal 1 inch layer of bedding sand for interlocking concrete pavement, with permeable pavers using about 2 inches of bedding aggregate. The tool uses whatever depth you enter.

Multiply the area by the depth in feet. At 1 inch, a 120 square foot patio needs 120 / 12 = 10 cubic feet, or about 0.37 cubic yards, before any allowance for compaction and spillage.

Edge restraint is the edging that stops pavers spreading at the perimeter. For a rectangle it equals the perimeter, twice the length plus the width, so a 12 by 10 foot patio needs about 44 feet.

No. The count depends only on the face size. Thickness matters for the load the pavers carry, such as a driveway versus a patio, not for how many you need.

No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

• ICPI construction tolerance guide (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute; nominal 1 in bedding sand in the typical section).
• Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI; tech specs for interlocking concrete pavement).
• American Cement Association (American Cement Association; concrete products basics).