How many pavers do I need?

Divide the area in square feet by the face area of one paver in square feet. A 4 x 8 inch paver covers 0.222 sq ft, so a 200 sq ft patio takes 900 pavers, plus 5 percent for cuts on a straight layout and 10 percent on herringbone or a curved edge.

How many 4x8 pavers are in a square foot?

4.5. A 4 x 8 inch paver is 32 square inches and a square foot is 144, so 144 / 32 = 4.5 pavers per square foot.

How deep should a paver base be?

4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed stone base for a patio or walkway, and 8 to 12 inches for a driveway. Add 1 inch of bedding sand on top of the compacted base — no more.

How much extra should I order for cuts?

5 percent for a running bond or stack bond on a rectangular area, 10 percent for herringbone, and 10 to 15 percent where the perimeter curves. Order it with the original batch so the color lot matches.

Do I need edge restraint?

Yes. Without a spiked edge restraint the perimeter units creep outward under traffic and the whole field opens up at the joints. It is the cheapest part of the job and the one most often skipped.

Paver Calculator

Paver count with a cut allowance, plus everything under and around them: base gravel in tons, bedding sand, jointing sand bags and linear feet of edge restraint.

Quick answer

A 20 x 10 ft area (200 sq ft) takes 945 Holland 4" x 8" pavers including 5% for cuts — that is 4.5 pavers per square foot. Under them you need 4.95 tons of base gravel and 0.88 tons of bedding sand. Materials total about $934.

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Area, paver and build-up

Length(ft)

Width(ft)

Paver size

Cut allowance(%)

5% straight, 10% herringbone or curves

Base depth(in)

4–6 in patio, 8–12 in driveway

Bedding sand(in)

1 in — never thicker

Paver price($ each)

Base gravel($/ton)

Bedding sand($/ton)

pavers = ceil(area ft² / (8 x 4 / 144)) x (1 + cut allowance)

Shopping list

Pavers to buy

945

900 exact + 5% cuts

Base gravel

4.95tons

2.72 yd³ of road base

Bedding sand

0.88tons

35 x 50 lb bags

Jointing sand

8bags

Polymeric, ≈25 sq ft per 50 lb bag

Edge restraint

60lin ft

Full perimeter

Materials total

$934

$5 per sq ft

Pavers per square foot by size

Paver	Face area	Per sq ft	Per 100 sq ft
Holland 4" x 8"	0.222 sq ft	4.5	450
6" x 6"	0.25 sq ft	4	400
6" x 9"	0.375 sq ft	2.67	267
8" x 8"	0.444 sq ft	2.25	225
12" x 12" patio stone	1 sq ft	1	100
12" x 24" plank	2 sq ft	0.5	50
16" x 16" patio stone	1.778 sq ft	0.56	57

Face area and coverage for common US paver sizes.

Excavate for the whole build-up, not just the pavers: base depth plus 1 inch of bedding sand plus the paver thickness. For a patio with 4 inches of base and 2 3/8 inch pavers that is about 7 3/8 inches below finished grade.

Compact the base in 2 to 3 inch lifts. One pass over 6 inches of loose stone leaves the bottom half uncompacted, and that is where the dips come from a year later.

Source & method: Paver counts are geometry from nominal face dimensions; base and sand quantities use loose unit weights of 135 lb/ft³ for road base and 100 lb/ft³ for bedding sand. Jointing sand coverage is the common 25 sq ft per 50 lb bag guideline.

Paver install supplies

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Frequently asked questions

How many pavers do I need?: Divide the area in square feet by the face area of one paver in square feet. A 4 x 8 inch paver covers 0.222 sq ft, so a 200 sq ft patio takes 900 pavers, plus 5 percent for cuts on a straight layout and 10 percent on herringbone or a curved edge.
How many 4x8 pavers are in a square foot?: 4.5. A 4 x 8 inch paver is 32 square inches and a square foot is 144, so 144 / 32 = 4.5 pavers per square foot.
How deep should a paver base be?: 4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed stone base for a patio or walkway, and 8 to 12 inches for a driveway. Add 1 inch of bedding sand on top of the compacted base — no more.
How much extra should I order for cuts?: 5 percent for a running bond or stack bond on a rectangular area, 10 percent for herringbone, and 10 to 15 percent where the perimeter curves. Order it with the original batch so the color lot matches.
Do I need edge restraint?: Yes. Without a spiked edge restraint the perimeter units creep outward under traffic and the whole field opens up at the joints. It is the cheapest part of the job and the one most often skipped.