Estimate how many pavers you need for a patio, walkway, or driveway from the area and your paver size.
pavers = area_ft² ÷ (paver_l × paver_w ÷ 144) × (1 + waste)
Divide the area by the area of one paver. Add 10% for cuts on edges and curves.
Pavers sit on a compacted gravel and sand base — estimate those with the gravel calculator.
A 12 x 16 ft patio is 192 square feet. With 6 x 6 inch pavers (0.25 sq ft each) you need 768 pavers before waste. Patios have cut edges, so add 10% — about 845 pavers. For a running-bond or herringbone pattern, bump to 15% because the diagonal cuts waste more.
Below the pavers you need a base: typically 4-6 inches of compacted crushed stone plus an inch of bedding sand. For 192 square feet at 5 inches of base, that's about 3 cubic yards of crushed stone — use the crushed stone calculator.
Paver counts are exact geometry. Add extra for herringbone or circular patterns, which cut more.
Paver count is the area divided by one paver's face area, but the laying pattern sets the waste. A simple running or stack bond wastes little; herringbone and basket-weave patterns, and any curved or angled border, need more cuts. Add about 5% for straight patterns and 10% or more for herringbone, circular, or heavily bordered layouts.
Pavers are only as stable as their base: plan a compacted gravel sub-base (commonly 4–6 in for walkways, more for driveways) plus about 1 in of bedding sand, both estimated as volumes. Edge restraint around the perimeter keeps pavers from spreading, and polymeric joint sand fills the gaps — both are easy to forget but essential to the order.
Four — each 6×6″ paver covers a quarter of a square foot.
Divide the area by the face area of one paver and round up, then add about 5% waste for a straight pattern or 10% or more for herringbone, circular, or bordered layouts.
Plan a compacted gravel base of about 4–6 inches for walkways (more for driveways) plus roughly 1 inch of bedding sand, each estimated as a volume in cubic yards.
Polymeric joint sand fills the gaps between pavers and hardens to lock them together and resist weeds and washout. It is estimated by coverage, which depends on joint width and paver thickness.