Paver/Patio Calculator
Calculate pavers, base aggregate and bedding sand for a patio.
About Paver/Patio Calculator
Base aggregate is ordered loose but placed compacted, so the volume is increased by a quarter before converting to tonnes. Edge restraint is a perimeter item and is what keeps an interlocking surface from creeping apart. Patio failures are almost always base failures rather than paver failures, which is why base depth and compaction matter more than the pavers chosen.
Formula
Paver/Patio
Pavers per m² = 1 ÷ paver face area; base tonnage = volume × 1.6 t/m³
- compaction factor
- Loose aggregate compacts by about 20 per cent, so order 25 per cent extra
- edge restraint
- Perimeter edging that stops pavers spreading under load
Worked example
With the default values below, Paver/Patio Calculator returns Pavers Required of 1,260. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Patio areaminimum 0 m2
- 24 m2
- Paver lengthminimum 50 mm
- 200 mm
- Paver widthminimum 50 mm
- 100 mm
- Compacted base depthminimum 0 mm
- 150 mm
- Bedding sand depthminimum 0 mm
- 30 mm
Results
- Pavers Required
- 1,260
- Pavers per Square Metre
- 50.00
- Base Aggregate
- 7.200 t
- Bedding Sand
- 1.080 t
- Edge Restraint
- 19.60 m
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Paver/Patio
- 3Pavers Required= 1,260
- 4Pavers per Square Metre= 50.00
- 5Base Aggregate= 7.200 t
- 6Bedding Sand= 1.080 t
- 7Edge Restraint= 19.60 m
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Paver/Patio calculated?
Pavers per m² = 1 ÷ paver face area; base tonnage = volume × 1.6 t/m³ Base aggregate is ordered loose but placed compacted, so the volume is increased by a quarter before converting to tonnes. Edge restraint is a perimeter item and is what keeps an interlocking surface from creeping apart.
Why does Paver/Patio matter?
Patio failures are almost always base failures rather than paver failures, which is why base depth and compaction matter more than the pavers chosen.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Patio area, Paver length, Paver width, Compacted base depth, Bedding sand depth. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.