Free patio paver calculator: enter patio size, paver size and waste allowance to get pavers needed, pavers per square foot, patio area and the waste-adjusted order count.
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Enter patio length and width in feet, the paver length and width in inches, and a waste allowance for cuts and breakage (10 percent is a good default, 15 percent for herringbone or diagonal patterns). The calculator returns patio area, pavers per square foot, the exact paver count, and the order quantity with waste, so you buy once instead of running short mid-lay.
Pavers are counted by area, not by counting along each edge. A 12 × 10 foot patio is 120 square feet. A 12 × 6 inch paver covers 1 × 0.5 = 0.5 square feet, so the patio needs 120 / 0.5 = 240 pavers, and with 10 percent waste the order is 264 pavers. Pavers per square foot is the shortcut the trade uses: a 12 × 12 inch paver is 1 per square foot, an 8 × 8 inch paver is 2.25 per square foot, and a 4 × 8 inch paver is 4.5 per square foot. Multiply pavers per square foot by patio area and you get the same count.
Measure the patio in feet, including any border course in the same rectangle, and use the nominal paver size printed on the product (actual size can be a fraction smaller, which the joint gap absorbs). Enter the waste allowance for your pattern: 5 percent for running bond or stack bond, 10 percent for basket weave or straight runs with many cuts, and 15 percent for 45 degree herringbone or circular patterns. The waste-adjusted count is the number to order, not the exact count.
Small pavers mean more pieces and more joints, which suits curves and detailed patterns, while large pavers lay faster on big open patios. Common coverage rates are: 4 × 8 inches = 4.5 per square foot, 6 × 6 inches = 4 per square foot, 6 × 9 inches = 2.67 per square foot, 8 × 8 inches = 2.25 per square foot, 12 × 12 inches = 1 per square foot, 12 × 24 inches = 0.5 per square foot, and 24 × 24 inches = 0.25 per square foot. Check the manufacturer's coverage rate when it differs, because nominal and actual sizes are not always identical.
A 10 × 10 foot patio with 4 × 8 inch pavers needs 450 pavers, or 496 with 10 percent waste. A 12 × 12 foot patio with 12 × 12 inch pavers needs 144 pavers, or 159 with 10 percent waste. A 16 × 16 foot patio with 12 × 12 inch pavers needs 256 pavers, or 282 with 10 percent waste. A 20 × 20 foot patio with 12 × 12 inch pavers needs 400 pavers, or 440 with 10 percent waste. These are the sizes shoppers ask about most, and they all come from the same formula above.
Pavers sit on layers, not on bare soil: excavate 7 to 9 inches, compact 4 to 6 inches of gravel base (6 to 8 inches for a driveway), screed 1 inch of bedding sand, lay the pavers, then sweep polymeric sand into the joints and compact. Edge restraint stops the outer pavers creeping outward, and it is not optional on a long-lived patio. Installed cost varies widely by material and region, roughly 10 to 25 dollars per square foot for concrete pavers installed, so a 200 square foot patio often lands between 2,000 and 5,000 dollars installed, with materials alone far lower.
The three classic errors are mixing inches and feet, forgetting waste, and using the wrong paver size. A 12 × 6 inch paver is not 72 square feet, it is 0.5 square feet, and that unit slip alone can over-order by a factor of 144. Odd shapes should be split into rectangles and added, not forced into one rectangle, and always order the waste quantity: a second batch can differ slightly in colour, and running short with one row left is the most expensive mistake in the whole job.
Divide patio area in square feet by one paver's area in square feet, then add waste. A 12 × 10 foot patio with 12 × 6 inch pavers needs 240 pavers, or 264 with 10 percent waste. Enter your size above for an exact count.
4.5 pavers per square foot. A 4 × 8 inch paver covers 0.222 square feet, so 1 / 0.222 = 4.5. A 10 × 10 foot patio therefore needs 450 of them before waste.
It depends on paver size: 100 with 12 × 12 inch pavers, 225 with 8 × 8 inch pavers, and 450 with 4 × 8 inch pavers, all before waste. Add 5 to 15 percent for cuts depending on pattern.
400 with 12 × 12 inch pavers before waste, or 440 with 10 percent waste. With 4 × 8 inch pavers the same patio needs 1,800 before waste, which shows why paver size must be entered, not guessed.
Plan on 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel base for a patio (6 to 8 inches for a driveway) plus 1 inch of bedding sand. For a 12 × 12 foot patio that is roughly 1.8 to 2.4 cubic yards of base gravel, and polymeric sand is sold by the bag for the joints, not by the yard.
Five percent for running bond or stack bond, 10 percent for most patios with cuts, and 15 percent for 45 degree herringbone or circular patterns. Ordering the waste quantity up front avoids colour mismatch from a second batch.
Yes. Without restraint the outer pavers spread outward under foot traffic and the joints open up. Plastic, metal or concrete edging, spiked in place before joint sanding, keeps the field tight for years.
Four to 6 inches of compacted gravel for a patio or walkway, 6 to 8 inches for a light driveway, and 8 to 12 inches for heavy vehicle use. The base, not the paver thickness, carries the load.