How many pavers do I need?

The patio area plus an allowance for cuts. The allowance depends on the pattern and the edge shape, so use the figure your installer or supplier gives you.

How deep should the base be under pavers?

ICPI Tech Spec 2 gives 4 inches of compacted base under patios and walkways and 6 inches under residential driveways on well-drained soil, and more on wet or weak soil in cold climates.

What sand goes under pavers?

ICPI calls for ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 FA1 concrete sand, screeded to about 1 inch and not compacted before the pavers go on. It names stone dust and screenings as what not to use.

Why do I need more base stone than the hole holds?

Loose stone shrinks when compacted. How much depends on the product, so ask the supplier and type their figure into the compaction field.

How much slope should a patio have?

ICPI says slopes should be at least 1.5%, running away from the house. That is 0.18 inches of fall per foot.

Do I need to call 811 before building a patio?

Yes. Call 811 before any digging. It is free, and utilities mark their buried lines before you excavate.

HyreYard tools

Paver calculator: pavers and base

Type the patio area, the cut allowance from your bid and the base depth. You get paver square feet and base cubic yards, with the arithmetic printed underneath.

4 in minimum compacted base under a patio ICPI Tech Spec 2, Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements, over well-drained soil. The same document gives 6 in for residential driveways and a minimum 1.5% slope.

Pavers to order = patio area plus the cut allowance on your bid. Base = area × (depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27. A 200 sq ft patio on ICPI’s 4-inch minimum base needs 200 sq ft of pavers before cuts and 2.5 cubic yards of base in place.

Work out your pavers and base

Geometry only. Nothing is stored or emailed.

— Pavers to order

— Base stone

— Not included

What this assumed —

Quarries sell base stone by the ton. Ask for tons per cubic yard of that product.

Start here

A patio is only as good as what is under it

A sunken or rocking patio points to the layers underneath or the edge around it. All of them are buried before you see the finished surface.

A paver patio is four layers and an edge. Compacted soil, a compacted stone base, a thin bed of sand, the pavers, and an edge restraint that stops the whole thing spreading.

Each one has a published figure in ICPI Tech Spec 2, Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (© 1995 ICPI, revised February 2020): base thickness, a compaction target, a bedding sand and its depth, and a minimum edge contact.

Ask for those figures in the quote. Two quotes that both say “prepare base and lay pavers” can differ by inches of stone. The only way to tell is to ask each bidder for the number.

Four figures to put in a paving quote

All from ICPI Tech Spec 2, Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements. Put them in one scope and give the same scope to every bidder, so the prices describe the same job.

Element	What ICPI publishes	If the quote leaves it out
Base thickness	4 in compacted under patios and walkways on well-drained soil; 6 in under residential driveways; 2 to 4 in more on wet or weak soil in cold climates.	You cannot compare it with a quote that names a depth.
Compaction	At least 98% of standard Proctor density, ASTM D698, in 4 to 6 in lifts.	Stone spread and leveled but not compacted in lifts can settle unevenly.
Bedding sand	ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 FA1 concrete sand, screeded to an uncompacted nominal 1 in.	ICPI names masonry sand, limestone screenings and stone dust as what not to use.
Edge restraint	“A minimum of 1 in. (25 mm) vertical restraining surface should be in contact with the side of the paver to adequately restrain it.”	Without an edge, pavers at the perimeter can creep outward and the joints open.

ICPI also asks for a slope of at least 1.5%. The table is a floor. Your soil and frost depth can raise it.

Cut waste depends on the pattern and the edge

Waste comes from cutting, and the amount follows the pattern and the shape. That is why the field starts at 0: use the figure on your bid.

Where it comes from. Every paver that meets an edge is cut. A running bond in a rectangle leaves offcuts you can use at the other side. A herringbone against a curve leaves triangles that fit nowhere.

Ask the installer to state it. A quote should give the measured area and the cut allowance as two numbers, so you can see which one differs between bids.

Order enough in one run. Concrete pavers are made in batches, and shade can vary between batches. A second order may not match the first.

Keep a few spares. A stack from the original batch makes a later repair match.

Why the base pile is bigger than the hole

The calculator gives the base volume in place. Loose stone shrinks when it is compacted, so you order more than the hole holds.

How much more depends on the stone. Shrinkage changes with the stone’s size mix, its moisture and the compactor. No published national figure covers “crushed stone”, so type the supplier’s figure in the compaction field.

Quarries sell by the ton. Ask for tons per cubic yard of the exact product. The gravel calculator does the same volume sum for stone alone.

What neither number covers

Slope, and which way

ICPI: “Slopes should be a minimum of 1.5%.” The fall runs away from the house. A patio that sheds toward a wall sends water to the foundation.

Where the water goes

EPA notes that in developed areas “much of the land surface is covered by buildings, pavement and compacted landscapes. These surfaces do not allow rain and snow melt to soak into the ground which greatly increases the volume and velocity of stormwater runoff”.

A patio is a new hard surface. Name where its runoff goes: a lawn, a bed or a drain, not a neighbor’s lot.

The soil under it

ICPI’s base minimums assume well-drained soil. USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey shows your mapped soil and its drainage class for free.

Joints and edges

Joint sand, edge restraint and spikes, and hauling away the dug soil are separate lines. Ask whether each is in the price.

The order of work

1
Call 811 before you dig
The call is free, and utilities mark buried lines before you excavate.
2
Set the finished level and the fall
Match the door threshold, the lawn and any paving, with at least 1.5% fall away from the house. Work down from there.
3
Dig to full depth, a little wider
Base, bedding and paver thickness. Dig past the finished edge so the edge restraint sits on compacted base, not soil.
4
Compact the soil; consider fabric
A geotextile between soil and base keeps fines from working up into the stone.
5
Build the base in lifts
4 to 6 in at a time, compacted each time. Check depth with a tape at the edges too.
6
Set the edge, then screed the sand
At least 1 in of vertical contact with the paver. Screed the sand to a nominal inch. ICPI: “If there is an uneven base, the bedding sand should not be used to compensate for it. Over time, unevenness in the bedding sand will reflect through to the surface.”
7
Lay, cut, compact and fill joints
Lay from a straight line, cut against a marked line, compact the pavers into the sand and sweep in joint sand. Top up the joints after the first heavy rain.

What a good paving quote says

Base depth in inches, and how many lifts
Not “prepare base”. 4 in is ICPI’s patio minimum on well-drained soil.
The compaction target
ICPI: 98% of standard Proctor density, ASTM D698.
The bedding sand, by name
ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 FA1 concrete sand, about 1 in thick.
The edge restraint and how it is fixed
Which product, fixed into what, sitting on base rather than soil.
The fall and where the water goes
A direction, a percentage and a place for the runoff.
A price per square foot and nothing else
That prices the visible half of the job. Ask for the base spec behind it.
No mention of digging or hauling soil
Base, sand and paver depth over a patio is a lot of soil to remove. Ask whether disposal is included.

Paving terms on a quote

Subgrade: The native soil under the patio.
Base: The compacted stone layer that carries the load.
Bedding sand: The thin sand layer the pavers sit in: ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 FA1 concrete sand, about 1 in.
Edge restraint: The border, set on the base, that stops pavers creeping outward.
Lift: One layer of base spread and compacted before the next.
Running bond, herringbone: Laying patterns. Herringbone locks well; both waste more against curves.
Joint sand: Sand swept into the gaps between pavers after they are compacted.

What this calculator cannot see

Your pattern. Cut waste is the figure you type.

Your soil and frost line. The ICPI minimums assume well-drained soil; your building department sets the frost depth.

Structure and price. A driveway for heavy vehicles or anything retaining soil is engineering. HyreYard does not sell or lay pavers. Figures checked 5 September 2026.

Questions this calculator answers

How many pavers do I need?: The patio area plus an allowance for cuts. The allowance depends on the pattern and the edge shape, so use the figure your installer or supplier gives you.
How deep should the base be under pavers?: ICPI Tech Spec 2 gives 4 inches of compacted base under patios and walkways and 6 inches under residential driveways on well-drained soil, and more on wet or weak soil in cold climates.
What sand goes under pavers?: ICPI calls for ASTM C33 or CSA A23.1 FA1 concrete sand, screeded to about 1 inch and not compacted before the pavers go on. It names stone dust and screenings as what not to use.
Why do I need more base stone than the hole holds?: Loose stone shrinks when compacted. How much depends on the product, so ask the supplier and type their figure into the compaction field.
How much slope should a patio have?: ICPI says slopes should be at least 1.5%, running away from the house. That is 0.18 inches of fall per foot.
Do I need to call 811 before building a patio?: Yes. Call 811 before any digging. It is free, and utilities mark their buried lines before you excavate.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated September 5, 2026. Last reviewed September 18, 2026.

ICPI Tech Spec 2, Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (© 1995 ICPI, revised February 2020), retrieved September 5, 2026). Base thickness, compaction, bedding sand, edge restraint and slope. Read as a member distributor’s PDF; icpi.org now redirects to the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association.
Web Soil Survey (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, retrieved September 5, 2026). Free lookup of the mapped soil and its drainage class. The ICPI minimums assume well-drained soil.
Nonpoint Source: Urban Areas (US Environmental Protection Agency, retrieved September 5, 2026). Hard surfaces increase the volume and speed of runoff. EPA gives no percentage.

Patios and walkways What a patio job includes and how to read the quote.
The base specification What a written base spec should state, line by line.
Patio size planner How big the patio needs to be, before you order.
Gravel calculator The base volume for stone alone.
Expansive soils and hardscape Where shrink-swell soil changes what goes under a patio.

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