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Paver Calculator

Counts the pavers for a patio, path or driveway from the area (or length × width), the paver size and the joint gap, adds waste, and estimates the bedding sand, the crushed-stone base (volume and tonnes at 1.6 t/m³) and the jointing sand from the joint geometry. Planning estimate only.

Area unit (optional)Unit of the area input; areas are reported in both m² and ft². Area to pave (m² or ft²) (optional)Area to pave in m² or ft² (see area_unit); alternatively give length and width. Length (m or ft) (optional)Length of a rectangular area (m when area_unit is m2, ft when ft2); used with width when area is not given. Width (m or ft) (optional)Width of the rectangular area (m or ft). Paver length (mm) (optional)Paver length in millimetres (200 × 100 mm is the common rectangular paver; 8 × 4 in = 203 × 102 mm). Paver width (mm) (optional)Paver width in millimetres. Paver thickness (mm) (optional)Paver thickness in millimetres, used only for the jointing-sand volume: 60 mm for patios and paths, 80 mm for driveways. Joint gap (mm) (optional)Sand joint width between pavers in millimetres (2–5 mm for interlocking concrete pavers). Waste allowance (%) (optional)Extra material for cuts, breakage and offcuts, applied as a multiplier (1 + waste_percent/100). 5 % for stack or running bond; 10 % for herringbone, circles and areas with many cuts. Bedding sand depth (mm) (optional)Screeded bedding-sand layer under the pavers; 25 mm (1 in) is standard for interlocking concrete pavers. Base gravel depth (mm) (optional)Compacted crushed-stone base thickness: 100–150 mm (4–6 in) for patios and paths, 200–300 mm (8–12 in) for driveways.

When to use

You need to order concrete or clay pavers (or setts) plus the sand and aggregate under them for a known area.

Do not use when: The surface is poured concrete (use concrete-slab), tiles bedded in adhesive with grout (use tile), or you only need the aggregate weight for a layer (use gravel).

Formula

pavers_per_m² = 1 / ((L + g) × (W + g)) with L, W, g in metres; pavers = ceil(area × pavers_per_m² × (1 + waste/100)); bedding_sand = area × depth; base_gravel = area × depth; tonnes = m³ × 1.6; joint_sand_kg = area × (1 − L × W / ((L + g) × (W + g))) × paver_thickness × 1600.

Interlocking concrete pavement practice (pavers on a 25 mm screeded sand bed over a compacted crushed-stone base, sand-filled joints of 2–5 mm); base and bedding volumes are as-placed, loose aggregate compacts by 10–20 %, and polymeric jointing sand coverage from the bag may differ from the geometric figure. Planning estimate only; check quantities against the supplier's coverage figures and local code before ordering.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`area_unit`	enum: m2 \| ft2		default m2	Unit of the area input; areas are reported in both m² and ft².
`area`	number	m² or ft²	no	Area to pave in m² or ft² (see area_unit); alternatively give length and width. Range: > 0, ≤ 100000
`length`	number	m or ft	no	Length of a rectangular area (m when area_unit is m2, ft when ft2); used with width when area is not given. Range: > 0, ≤ 1000
`width`	number	m or ft	no	Width of the rectangular area (m or ft). Range: > 0, ≤ 1000
`paver_length_mm`	number	mm	default 200	Paver length in millimetres (200 × 100 mm is the common rectangular paver; 8 × 4 in = 203 × 102 mm). Range: > 0, ≤ 2000
`paver_width_mm`	number	mm	default 100	Paver width in millimetres. Range: > 0, ≤ 2000
`paver_thickness_mm`	number	mm	default 60	Paver thickness in millimetres, used only for the jointing-sand volume: 60 mm for patios and paths, 80 mm for driveways. Range: > 0, ≤ 200
`joint_gap_mm`	number	mm	default 3	Sand joint width between pavers in millimetres (2–5 mm for interlocking concrete pavers). Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 30
`waste_percent`	number	%	default 5	Extra material for cuts, breakage and offcuts, applied as a multiplier (1 + waste_percent/100). 5 % for stack or running bond; 10 % for herringbone, circles and areas with many cuts. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 50
`bedding_sand_depth_mm`	number	mm	default 25	Screeded bedding-sand layer under the pavers; 25 mm (1 in) is standard for interlocking concrete pavers. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 100
`base_gravel_depth_mm`	number	mm	default 100	Compacted crushed-stone base thickness: 100–150 mm (4–6 in) for patios and paths, 200–300 mm (8–12 in) for driveways. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 600

Outputs

Output	Type	Unit	Description
`area_m2`	number	m²	Area to pave.
`area_ft2`	number	ft²	Area in square feet.
`pavers_per_m2`	number		1 / ((paver_length + gap) × (paver_width + gap)).
`pavers_per_ft2`	number		Pavers per square foot.
`pavers_before_waste`	integer		ceil(area × pavers_per_m²).
`pavers_needed`	integer		ceil(area × pavers_per_m² × (1 + waste_percent/100)).
`bedding_sand_m3`	number	m³	area × bedding_sand_depth.
`bedding_sand_tonnes`	number	t	Bedding sand at 1.6 t/m³.
`base_gravel_m3`	number	m³	area × base_gravel_depth (compacted volume).
`base_gravel_yd3`	number	yd³	Base volume in cubic yards.
`base_gravel_tonnes`	number	t	Base gravel at 1.6 t/m³.
`joint_sand_kg`	number	kg	Geometric joint volume (area × joint fraction × paver_thickness) × 1,600 kg/m³ of dry sand.

Example

20 m², 200 × 100 × 60 mm pavers, 3 mm joints, 5 % waste, 25 mm bedding, 100 mm base: {"area_unit":"m2","area":20,"paver_length_mm":200,"paver_width_mm":100,"paver_thickness_mm":60,"joint_gap_mm":3,"waste_percent":5,"bedding_sand_depth_mm":25,"base_gravel_depth_mm":100} → {"area_m2":20,"pavers_per_m2":47.83,"pavers_before_waste":957,"pavers_needed":1005,"bedding_sand_m3":0.5,"base_gravel_m3":2,"base_gravel_yd3":2.616,"base_gravel_tonnes":3.2,"joint_sand_kg":83.5}

200 ft², 229 × 152 mm (9 × 6 in) pavers, 3 mm joints, 5 % waste, 150 mm base: {"area_unit":"ft2","area":200,"paver_length_mm":229,"paver_width_mm":152,"joint_gap_mm":3,"waste_percent":5,"bedding_sand_depth_mm":25,"base_gravel_depth_mm":150} → {"area_m2":18.58,"pavers_per_m2":27.81,"pavers_per_ft2":2.58,"pavers_needed":543,"bedding_sand_m3":0.465,"base_gravel_m3":2.787,"base_gravel_yd3":3.645,"base_gravel_tonnes":4.46,"joint_sand_kg":57.1}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/pavers?area_unit=m2&area=20&paver_length_mm=200&paver_width_mm=100&paver_thickness_mm=60&joint_gap_mm=3&waste_percent=5&bedding_sand_depth_mm=25&base_gravel_depth_mm=100

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/pavers (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/pavers · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/construction/pavers.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/construction/pavers.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="pavers"
OpenAPI operationId: estimate_pavers
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

Wikipedia – Pavement (architecture) (reference)
Wikipedia – Bulk density (reference)

FAQ

How many pavers per square metre?

About 48 for 200 × 100 mm pavers with 3 mm joints (50 with no joint), 28 for 229 × 152 mm and 11 for 300 × 300 mm; the joint is added to both dimensions before dividing.

How thick should the base be?

100–150 mm (4–6 in) of compacted crushed stone for patios and walkways on well-drained soil; 200–300 mm (8–12 in) for driveways or clay soils, placed in compacted lifts of about 100 mm.

Is edge restraint included?

No. Add the perimeter length of edge restraint (plastic, concrete or steel) and the spikes; without it the pavers spread and the joints open.

Related calculators

Gravel Calculator — Weight and volume of other aggregate layers.
Tile Calculator — Rigid tiles with grout joints instead of sand-set pavers.
Concrete Slab Calculator — Poured concrete alternative for the same area.