Paver Calculator

Divide the patio area by the area of one paver, then add waste. A classic 8 × 4 in brick paver is 32 square inches — 0.222 sq ft — so it takes 4.5 of them per square foot. Working from the paver's actual dimensions matters, because nominal sizes ignore the small spacer lugs moulded onto many concrete pavers.

With 8 × 4 in pavers and a 10% allowance you need 991 pavers. Beneath them the base is the bigger order: 4 inches of compacted gravel over 200 sq ft is 2.47 cubic yards, plus roughly 0.62 cubic yards of bedding sand at 1 inch. The base almost always costs and weighs more than the pavers themselves.

A paver patio fails from below, not above. Excavate deep enough for 4–6 inches of compacted crushed base (more under a driveway or in clay and frost-prone soil), plus an inch of bedding sand and the paver thickness. Compact the base in 2-inch lifts rather than all at once, and slope the finished surface about a quarter inch per foot away from the house so water sheds.

A running bond or stack bond in a rectangular space wastes little — 5% can be enough. Herringbone at 45 degrees needs 10–15% because every edge is a diagonal cut, and circular or fan patterns need more again. Curves and odd angles push waste higher still, so pick the pattern before ordering rather than after.

Without an edge restraint spiked along the perimeter, pavers creep outward and the joints open — it is not optional. Finish by sweeping polymeric sand into the joints and misting it to set, which locks the field together and slows weeds and ants. Expect minor settling in the first season; individual pavers can be lifted, re-bedded, and re-sanded, which is the real advantage over a poured slab.