How many pavers do I need? Enter your patio or walkway area and paver size — get the paver count with pattern waste, a soldier-course border, base gravel, bedding sand and polymeric sand quantities, pallet math, cut estimates, and a full project cost. Works in feet/meters and inches/cm.
Perimeter is approximated as a square — the border count is an estimate.
Soldier course: pavers set with the long edge perpendicular to the edge (border depth = paver length). Sailor course: long edge parallel (depth = paver width). Border pavers are counted separately from the field; always use edge restraint.
Estimates only — actual cuts depend on your layout. Confirm pallet quantities and the weight per yard with your supplier.
Three layers under every paver patio: compacted base gravel, a thin screeded bedding-sand layer, then polymeric sand swept into the joints. Uses the project area from the first tab.
Typical: 4 in for patios/walkways, 6 in for driveways. Crusher run compacts best.
Typical 80–120 sq ft per bag depending on joint width and paver size.
Cut counts are a transparent heuristic for comparing patterns on your project — running bond needs the fewest cuts, herringbone the most. Each straight cut yields roughly one usable half-paver offcut.
| Pattern | Waste % | Est. cuts | Usable offcuts |
|---|
Slope the patio away from the house/foundation — never toward it. Screed the bedding sand to the slope; do not try to fix drainage by varying paver thickness.
Worked example with 4x8 in pavers in a herringbone pattern: area = 12 x 14 = 168 sq ft. One 4x8 in paver covers 4.5 sq ft, so the exact count is 756 pavers. Herringbone needs about 10% waste for cuts, so order 832 pavers for the field. With a soldier-course border (perimeter 52 ft = 156 border pavers, border band 34.67 sq ft), the field shrinks to 133.33 sq ft = 660 pavers, for a project total of 816 pavers. That is 2 pallets at 480 per pallet, with 144 pavers left over. At $1.10 per paver the pavers cost $897.60; with base gravel, bedding sand, polymeric sand, and delivery the full project is about $1,283.60.
Rule of thumb: 4 inches of compacted base for patios and walkways (6 inches for driveways). For the 168 sq ft patio above at 4 inches: 168 x 4/12 / 27 = 2.72 yd3, plus 5% waste and 25% extra for compaction. That is about 3.68 US tons at 1.35 tons/yd3 — order 3 yd3 since bulk is sold in half-yard increments. Add a 1-inch screeded bedding-sand layer on top (0.54 yd3), which is not compacted, then sweep polymeric sand into the joints.
One 50-lb bag of polymeric sand covers roughly 80-120 sq ft depending on joint width and paver size (100 sq ft per bag is a safe default). For 168 sq ft: ceil(168 / 100) = 2 bags. Wider joints or small pavers (more joints per square foot) push you toward the 80 sq ft end — buy one spare bag, because running out mid-job leaves visible color differences.
Running bond needs about 5% waste (few cuts: roughly 21 on a 12x14 ft patio), basketweave about 8%, herringbone about 10% (roughly 156 cuts — every angled edge needs trimming), and circular/radial layouts about 12%. On 168 sq ft with 4x8 in pavers that is 794 (running bond) vs 832 (herringbone) — 38 more pavers for the pattern upgrade. The calculator lets you override the waste % if your supplier suggests otherwise.
A soldier course is one row of pavers around the perimeter with the long edge perpendicular to the edge. Count = ceil(perimeter / paver width along the edge). For a 12x14 ft patio the perimeter is 52 ft; with 4x8 in pavers laid soldier-style the 4-inch side runs along the edge, so ceil(52 / (4/12)) = 156 border pavers. The border band (34.67 sq ft) is subtracted from the field before counting field pavers. A sailor course (long edge parallel, 78 pavers here) gives a narrower border. Always add edge restraint outside the border.
It depends on size: 4x8 in pavers typically ship 480 per pallet, 6x6 in about 324, 12x12 in about 192, and 12x24 in slabs about 96. The example project needs 816 pavers: ceil(816 / 480) = 2 pallets, leaving 144 extra pavers — useful as cut stock and future repairs. Keep at least half a pallet of attic stock; dye lots change between batches.
Slope the patio away from the house at 1/4 inch per foot (2% grade); 1/8 inch per foot (1%) is the absolute minimum. For a 14 ft run at 1/4 in/ft the far edge sits 3.5 inches lower than the house side. Screed the 1-inch bedding sand to that slope — never try to fix drainage by varying paver thickness, and never slope toward the foundation.
Different jobs. This page counts discrete pavers (field + soldier-course border), sizes the three paver layers (base gravel, bedding sand, polymeric sand), and estimates pallets, cuts, and cost. Our gravel calculator estimates bulk aggregate from area x depth with waste and compaction, and the cubic yards to tons calculator converts a volume you already know into weight for 20 materials. Use those for bulk ordering; use this page when you start from a paver layout.
| Size | Dimensions | Per sq ft | Typical per pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brick / Holland 4x8 in | 4×8 in | 4.5 | 480 |
| Cobble 4x4 in | 4×4 in | 9 | 600 |
| Square 6x6 in | 6×6 in | 4 | 324 |
| Rectangle 6x9 in | 6×9 in | 2.67 | 300 |
| Large square 12x12 in | 12×12 in | 1 | 192 |
| Slab 12x24 in | 12×24 in | 0.5 | 96 |
| Pattern | Waste | Cut intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Running bond (stretcher) | 5% | Lowest (~21 cuts on 12×14 ft) |
| Basketweave | 8% | Low (~21 cuts on 12×14 ft) |
| Herringbone (45/90 deg) | 10% | High (~156 cuts on 12×14 ft) |
| Circular / radial | 12% | Highest (~21 cuts on 12×14 ft) |
Field pavers = ceil(area ÷ paver area × (1 + waste%)). 1 ft² = 144 in². Soldier/sailor border: border pavers = ceil(perimeter ÷ unit length along the edge); the border band (perimeter × border depth) is subtracted from the field area. Base volume = area × depth ÷ 27 × (1 + waste%) × compaction; 1 yd³ = 27 ft³. Bedding = area × depth ÷ 27 × (1 + waste%). Polymeric sand bags = ceil(area ÷ coverage per bag). Pallets = ceil(total ÷ per pallet). Slope drop = run × rate (1/4 in per ft = 2%).
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