Paver Base Calculator

The base does the real work under pavers. Guidance from the hardscape industry is about 4 to 6 inches of compacted base for walkways and patios, and 8 to 12 inches for driveways. Where the ground freezes deep or the soil is soft clay, go to the high end.

The calculator adds about 20 percent for compaction. For the whole patio (excavation, base, sand, pavers, joint sand, and edging), use the paver patio planner.

Measure the length and width in feet, multiply for square feet, then decide the depth in inches. For odd shapes, split the area into rectangles, circles, and triangles and add them up; the calculator lets you add as many areas as you need and subtract cut-outs like a tree ring or an air-conditioner pad.

No tape measure? Open the Draw on satellite map tab, find your address, and trace the outline. Or use Pace it off: count steps along each side. Measure depth in a few spots, because ground is rarely flat.

Want the area on its own first? The lawn size calculator measures any part of your yard and carries it into the other calculators.

One cubic yard covers about 54 sq ft at 6 in compacted, before the compaction allowance.

Base is compacted in lifts with a plate compactor, so about 20 percent extra gives you the finished depth. The calculator adds this for you; the table does not.

A cubic yard of paver base weighs 2,800 to 3,200 lb (about 1.5 tons typical). Moisture is the big swing: the same pile weighs more after rain.

See every material side by side on the material weights chart.

It takes 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft to make one cubic yard, and each bag weighs about 60 lb. Bags cost more per yard but skip the delivery fee and the minimum order. Bulk is cheaper per yard once the delivery fee is spread over enough material.

With example prices of $6 a bag, $45 a yard in bulk, and $100 delivery, bulk starts winning at about 0.4 cubic yards. These are examples, not your local prices: type your own into the Order Ticket above and it recalculates the break-even.

Do not forget the labor. One cubic yard in bags means lifting 54 bags, about 3,000 lb in total, twice: into the cart and out of the car.

One cubic yard of paver base weighs about 3,000 lb. A full-size half-ton pickup typically carries 1,500 to 2,300 lb, and a midsize pickup 1,100 to 1,700 lb. Your exact number is on the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the driver's door jamb.

That means weight runs out first. At the low end of a half-ton's payload, you can carry only about 0.5 cubic yards per trip, even though a 6.5 ft bed holds about 2.1 level full. A bed that looks half empty can already be over the limit.

The Haul Check in the calculator does this math for your truck and your load, and tells you how many trips it takes.

• A patio usually needs 4 to 6 inches of compacted base; driveways need 8 to 12. Where the ground freezes deep, go to the high end. (Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (formerly ICPI))
• A 6 in patio base over 200 sq ft is roughly 4.5 yards ordered, or about 250 bags. Bulk wins here almost every time. (Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (formerly ICPI))

• Skimping on base depth to save money. It is the reason patios heave and sink.
• Compacting 6 inches in one pass.
• Buying hundreds of bags when a bulk delivery costs less.