Paver Base Calculator
Crushed-stone base and bedding sand for a paver patio, path or driveway — in tons, cubic yards or 50-lb bags, with compaction and edge overhang built in.
What’s under a paver patio, to scale
Pick what the surface will carry and what soil you’re digging into. The layers redraw at true proportion, inch for inch.
Patios carry furniture, grills and gatherings; 6 inches of compacted base is the usual spec. Compact the base in lifts of 2–3 inches with a plate compactor — a single thick lift stays soft in the middle.
A side-on slice explains depth better than any spec sheet; stepping outside the usual viewpoint is also how ahaboo makes sense of why the Moon has phases.
The math behind the base
tons = (area + edge) × depth ÷ 12 ÷ 27 × (1 + compaction) × 1.4 t/yd³
Depth in inches is divided by 12 to get feet, and cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards. Suppliers sell by the ton or by the yard; crushed base weighs about 1.4 tons per loose cubic yard (it varies by stone and moisture — ask your yard for their figure and enter it on the gravel calculator if it differs).
Bedding sand is screeded to a uniform 1 inch and never compacted before the pavers go down, so it only gets a 10% allowance for spillage and screed rails. Use washed concrete sand (ASTM C33); masonry sand and stone dust hold water and can let pavers settle unevenly.
Base depth guide
| Use | Base (good soil) | Base (clay / wet) | Paver | Dig depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden path, walkway | 4 in | 6 in | 60 mm | 7–9 in |
| Patio, pool deck | 6 in | 8 in | 60 mm | 9–11 in |
| Residential driveway | 8–10 in | 12 in | 80 mm | 12–16 in |
Questions people ask
How deep should a paver base be?
For walkways and patios on stable soil, 4–6 inches of compacted crushed base; for driveways, 8–12 inches. Add 2 inches or more on clay or poorly drained soil, and in cold climates follow your local frost guidance. On top of the base goes 1 inch of bedding sand, then the paver.
How much gravel do I need for a paver base?
Multiply the area (plus 6 inches beyond the edges) by the base depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, and multiply by about 1.4 tons per yard. Then add around 20% for compaction. A 12×16 patio with 6 inches of base needs about 4.7 tons of crushed base.
What gravel is best for a paver base?
A dense-graded crushed stone with fines — sold as ¾-inch minus, road base, ABC, crusher run or CA6 depending on region. The angular pieces and dust lock together when compacted. Rounded pea gravel or river rock does not compact and should not be used as paver base.
Why extend the base past the edge of the patio?
The edge restraint needs something solid to sit on, and load spreads outward at an angle through the base. ICPI guidance is to extend the base at least 6 inches past the paver edge — or as far as the base is deep.
How much does compaction shrink the gravel?
Loose crushed base compacts roughly 15–25% under a plate compactor. This calculator adds a compaction factor so the delivered loose tonnage ends up at the finished compacted depth.