Last updated: 2026-07-01

Paver Patio

Pavers are sold by the piece, and the number a patio needs comes down to two things: the area to cover and the footprint of a single paver. This calculator estimates how many pavers are required for a patio, walkway, or driveway, including a waste allowance for edge cuts and breakage, and an optional cost estimate from the unit price.

Area, paver footprint, and waste

Start by measuring the ground area to pave. For a rectangle this is length times width; for an irregular shape, split it into rectangles and add the pieces together. Next, find the footprint of one paver from its nominal length and width:

where $L$ and $W$ are the paver dimensions. Dividing the patio area by this footprint gives the number of pavers for a perfect, cut-free fit. Real layouts always need a few extra for the pieces cut to fit the edges, for breakage during handling, and for spares. A waste allowance expands the count, which is then rounded up to a whole paver:

where $A$ is the patio area and $k$ is the waste allowance as a fraction. Rounding up matters because a paver cannot be split into a useful fraction of itself, and running short mid-project usually means a second trip and a possible dye-lot mismatch.

If a unit price $p$ is entered, the material cost follows directly:

Worked example

Base and bedding layers

A paver patio is only as good as what sits beneath it. The pavers themselves rest on a thin bedding layer of sand, which in turn sits on a compacted aggregate base that spreads the load and drains water away. This calculator counts the pavers, not the underlying layers. To estimate those, take the patio area and multiply by the chosen depth of each layer to get a volume — a compacted base of roughly 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) is common for foot traffic, with about 2.5 cm (1 in) of bedding sand on top, plus a little more sand swept into the joints at the end. The right depths depend on soil, drainage, and whether the surface will carry vehicles, so confirm them against local guidance.

Choosing inputs

Use the nominal paver dimensions for the footprint, and remember that a small joint gap between pavers slightly reduces the count in practice. Pick a larger waste allowance for diagonal or herringbone patterns and for patios with curved or angled edges, since those produce more cut pieces. For estimating the loose material that goes under and between the pavers, see Mulch & Garden Soil Calculator.