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MATERIAL CALCULATOR

Paver base calculator.

Calculate the base aggregate volume beneath your measured paving area.

KEEP YOUR PLAN

Give your project a name.

Save your measurements and quotes on this device. No account needed.

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YOUR MEASUREMENTS

Enter the compacted base depth from your project specification. Ask your supplier for the additional loose material required; enter that percentage as the allowance.

Bag sizes, weight & pricing +

Bag counts and prices apply to the main material only. Enter your supplier’s density to calculate weight.

Compare bags with bulk delivery +

Use the bag size and units above. Compare the same product at your supplier’s quoted prices. Enter small-bag contents above and its price below. Include each delivery charge; enter zero for pickup.

Bulk-bag quote · optional third option

Compare small bags, bulk bags and a loose load side by side. Each price is optional; include delivery once for each option.

Minimum and increment use the bulk quote unit. For half-yard orders, enter 0.5 as the increment. Zero uses the exact estimate. Check taxes, unloading charges and access separately. Weight quotes need your supplier’s bulk density.

Gouache illustration of a small rectangular-paver patio with a garden chair and planted borders.
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a completed project.
BEFORE YOU ORDER

Getting a useful estimate

Enter the base thickness from your project specification. Ground conditions and load determine the construction design.

Measure the space you need to fill. Rectangles use length and width; circles use diameter. For several sections, choose combined areas and add rectangles, then subtract exclusions. The final area must be greater than zero.

Separate the compacted base from the loose order

Use the compacted base depth from your paving system’s specification. Belgard describes aggregate base, bedding sand and jointing material as separate parts of the construction. This calculator estimates the base only; it does not select a depth or a suitable aggregate.

Loose delivered aggregate and compacted base do not occupy the same volume. Ask your supplier or installer how much additional loose material your selected product needs, then enter that percentage as the allowance. Do not add the same allowance twice.

Belgard: Paver and wall installation guidelines

Allow for the full base footprint

Measure the area covered by the base, including any extension specified beyond the pavers. Do not automatically use only the visible patio dimensions. Base design depends on the paving system, ground conditions and expected loads.

Belgard: Paver and wall installation guidelines

A compacted-volume example

A 20-by-12-foot footprint at an example base depth of 4 inches contains 80 cubic feet, or about 2.963 cubic yards. A hypothetical supplier allowance of 25% produces a 100-cubic-foot order estimate, or about 3.704 cubic yards. Neither the depth nor the allowance is a recommendation.

If the supplier quotes by weight, ask for the loose bulk density for that aggregate. Confirm the ton convention, minimum load, order increment and delivery charge. Use the patio planner when you also need bedding and paver quantities.

National Institute of Standards and Technology: NIST SI conversion factorsBelgard: Paver and wall installation guidelines

Volume formula

Volume = area × depth × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)

Allowance applies once to each volume layer. No density or compaction factor is assumed. If buying by weight, enter the density for your supplier’s product in the units shown.

Sources & what they cover

  • NIST SI conversion factorsNational Institute of Standards and Technology

    Exact US customary and SI conversion factors; no material or installation recommendations.

    Source checked
  • Paver and wall installation guidelinesBelgard

    Separate base, bedding and jointing materials. Product-specific instructions; no generic construction depth imported.

    Source checked

We check what each reference covers. A source check does not mean a specialist has reviewed this tool. You supply the depths, densities, prices and blend proportions.

Operated by Pete CallaghanUpdated Not yet independently reviewedHow we check our toolsReport a correction