What the paver calculator does
Enter the length and width of the area to pave and the length and width of one paver, and the calculator tells you how many pavers you need — with a waste allowance for cuts and breakage. It works for patios, paths, driveways, and any block, brick, slab or tile laid on a flat area, in whatever unit you measure in as long as both sets of dimensions use the same one. Runs in your browser.
The calculation
Area to pave = length × width
Area per paver = paver length × paver width
Pavers needed = area to pave ÷ area per paver
With waste = pavers × 1.10 (10% is the usual allowance; use 15% for diagonal or herringbone)
Patio 20 ft × 10 ft, pavers 8 in × 4 in:
area = 200 ft² = 28,800 in²; paver = 32 in²
28,800 ÷ 32 = 900 pavers → 990 with 10% wasteMeasure paver dimensions in the same unit as the area, or convert first: 8 in × 4 in pavers cover 0.222 ft² each, so 200 ft² ÷ 0.222 = 900. The calculator handles the conversion when you enter both in the same unit.
Pavers per square metre / square foot
| Paver size | Per m² | Per ft² |
|---|---|---|
| 200 × 100 mm (standard block) | 50 | 4.6 |
| 8 × 4 in | 48 | 4.5 |
| 12 × 12 in (300 × 300 mm) | 11 | 1 |
| 16 × 16 in (400 × 400 mm) | 6.25 | 0.56 |
| 450 × 450 mm | 4.9 | 0.46 |
| 600 × 600 mm | 2.8 | 0.26 |
| 600 × 900 mm | 1.85 | 0.17 |
Figures assume tight joints. Wide jointed slabs (10 mm+) reduce the count slightly; add the joint width to each paver dimension to account for it precisely.
Waste, patterns and edges
- Running bond / stretcher: 5–10% waste — every other row needs a half cut at each end.
- Herringbone at 45°: 15% — diagonal cuts along every edge.
- Basketweave / stack bond: 5% on a rectangular area.
- Curved edges and circles: 15–20%.
- Breakage and future repairs: keep an extra 2–3% — matching a colour batch years later is rarely possible.
- Pavers are sold per pack (often covering 8–12 m²); round up to whole packs.
What else the job needs
| Layer | Depth | Calculate with |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | Sub-base + bedding + paver thickness | — |
| Sub-base (crushed stone), compacted | 100 mm patio / 150 mm driveway | Gravel calculator (area × depth × 1.5 t/m³) |
| Bedding sand (sharp sand) | 30–50 mm | Gravel calculator, sand option |
| Jointing sand (kiln-dried or polymeric) | Fills joints | ≈ 1 × 25 kg bag per 15–20 m² of block paving |
| Edge restraints | Perimeter length | Perimeter = 2 × (length + width) |