How the paver calculator works
The count
Paver count = patio area ÷ paver face area × waste factor. A 4×8 paver covers 32 sq in (0.222 sq ft), a 6×9 covers 54 sq in, and so on. The waste allowance covers cuts, breakage, and the two pavers you'll crack learning the splitter — 5% for straight-run patios, 10% typical DIY, 15% for diagonals and curves where every perimeter piece is a cut.
The base is the actual project
Pavers don't make a patio; the base does. The standard section:
- 4–6 inches of compacted crushed gravel (Class 2 base or similar) — the calculator converts your area to cubic yards. Patios in freeze-thaw climates or under vehicle loads go to 6+ inches.
- 1 inch of coarse bedding sand — roughly a ton per 100 sq ft — screeded, never walked on.
- Edging restraints — the unsung hero; without them the perimeter creeps and the joints open.
Order of operations: excavate, landscape fabric (optional), gravel in 2-inch lifts compacted with a plate compactor, screed sand, lay pavers tight, cut edges, compact again, sweep polymeric sand into joints, mist to set.