Paver Calculator
Paver count with cut waste set by your laying pattern, plus bedding sand and polymeric bags.
Herringbone (45°) — 10% cut waste included
Herringbone (45°) carries 10% cut waste. Switch pattern and this number moves — it is not a flat 10%.
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How to work it out yourself
- 1
Work out the coverage of one paver
Multiply the paver's width by its length in inches and divide by 144 for square feet. A 4 × 8 paver covers 0.222 sq ft, so a hundred square feet takes 450 of them before any waste.
- 2
Add cut waste for the pattern, not a flat 10%
Running bond needs about 5%. Herringbone at 45 degrees needs 10%, because every edge is a diagonal cut. Circular and radius work runs 15% or more. Using one number for all of them is why paver orders come up short on herringbone jobs and long on straight ones.
- 3
Bedding sand at one inch
A one-inch screed bed is standard — thicker beds rut under load. That is area × 1/12 ÷ 27 cubic yards, or roughly 1.35 tons per yard of concrete sand.
- 4
Polymeric sand by joint, not by area alone
Coverage depends on paver size and joint width, because it is the joints you are filling. Small 4 × 8 pavers with 1/8 inch joints run about 90 sq ft per bag; large-format slabs go 140 sq ft or more.
Worked example: A 400 sq ft patio in 4 × 8 herringbone
| Coverage per paver | (4 × 8) ÷ 144 = 0.222 sq ft |
| Pavers before waste | 400 ÷ 0.222 = 1,800 |
| Herringbone waste (10%) | 1,800 × 1.10 = 1,980 |
| Bedding sand | 400 × (1 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 1.24 yd³ ≈ 1.7 tons |
| Polymeric sand | 400 ÷ 90 ≈ 5 bags |
Order 1,980 pavers. The same patio in running bond needs 1,890 — the pattern is worth 90 pavers.
Pattern decides the waste
Every free paver calculator applies a flat 10%. That is wrong in both directions: you overpay on running bond and come up short on herringbone and circular work, which is the one that hurts, because pavers from a second batch rarely match the first. Colour runs vary between production dates and a patched section is visible for the life of the patio. Decide the pattern before you order, not after.
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Common questions
How many pavers do I need for a 400 square foot patio?
With standard 4 × 8 pavers, about 1,800 before waste. In running bond order roughly 1,890; in herringbone, 1,980. Always order the whole quantity in one batch so the colour run matches.
How much waste should I allow when ordering pavers?
Five per cent for running bond, 10% for 45 degree herringbone, about 6% for basketweave, and 15% or more for circular and radius work. The waste comes from cuts, so the more diagonal edges the pattern creates, the more you need.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
A one-inch screed bed of concrete sand — roughly 1.24 cubic yards, or about 1.7 tons, per 400 sq ft. Do not use a thicker bed to level a poor base; it will rut under load and the pavers will settle unevenly.
How many square feet does a bag of polymeric sand cover?
It depends on joint width and paver size rather than area alone. Small 4 × 8 pavers with 1/8 inch joints run about 90 sq ft per 50 lb bag; large-format slabs with tight joints can reach 140 sq ft or more.
What goes under pavers, sand or gravel?
Both, in order. A compacted crushed-stone base carries the load — 4 to 6 inches for a patio, more for a driveway — with a one-inch screeded sand bed on top for levelling. Sand alone on soil will not hold a patio flat through one winter.
Put this calculator on your own site
Free to use anywhere — a supplier’s resources page, a builder’s blog, a trade forum answer. It works on a phone, needs no account from your visitors, and we will not change it out from under you. All we ask is that you keep the credit line underneath, which is the second half of the snippet.
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