Calculate paver base cubic yards and bags from depth and bag yield; compare bulk delivery, pack sizes and separate base footprints.
These are independent worksheets. Inputs do not transfer between them. Use the download button beside the result you want to keep.
Whole packages round up. Prices include only the items you enter. Delivery, tax and installation may be extra.
Which rectangle belongs in the aggregate order? Start with the prepared base footprint required by your project, not automatically the area of the paving stones.
Draw the finished paving first. Add a specified outside extension to both ends of the length and both sides of the width. A 1 ft extension around a 12 × 10 ft patio creates a 14 × 12 ft base, not 13 × 11. Keep bedding and paver quantities on their own specified footprints.
Original hypothetical scenarios for checking the arithmetic. Depths, conversion factors and buying increments are editable assumptions, not construction or product recommendations. The two cases are alternatives, not quantities to add.
Factor 1.2; extra 5%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment 0.25 cu yd; individual bags.
Factor 1.2; extra 5%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment 0.25 cu yd; individual bags.
Loading a case replaces the multi-area worksheet’s measurements and resets its prices to unknown. Save your own worksheet first. These buttons require JavaScript; all example quantities remain readable above.
The finished patio remains 120 sq ft, while the extended base is 168 sq ft. The example factor 1.2 converts the stated measured layer to a loose order; it is not a universal compaction factor. Both cases use 5% extra and quarter-yard purchasing. Do not apply this factor again if the supplier has already converted the quote.
Ask the supplier to identify aggregate grade, loose or compacted basis, minimum load and buying increment. Keep excavation, bedding sand, joint sand and pavers out of the base line unless expressly included.
Carry the correct base footprint into the five-material patio order.
Combine non-overlapping rectangles at different depths, subtract exclusions and round bags once for the total. All rows must use the same material. This worksheet is independent of the quick calculator above.
How to split an irregular area · How to compare a bulk quote with bags
Use the volume printed on the bag, not its weight. For a 12 × 10 ft prepared footprint at an illustrative 4 in loose depth, the measured volume is 40 cu ft. With 5% extra, buy enough for 42 cu ft: 84 bags at 0.5 cu ft each, or 56 bags at 0.75 cu ft each. Both options supply the same volume; neither bag weight nor bag count alone tells you which costs less.
This is not a base-depth recommendation. If 4 in is a compacted design depth, obtain the supplier’s loose-volume conversion and use the combined purchase worksheet. Do not reuse 84 bags without that conversion. For several areas of the same material, combine volume before rounding bags; required whole packs can increase the purchase further.
Prepared footprint and exclusions; depth and whether it is loose or compacted; exact aggregate; cu ft per bag; required pack size; bag price and separate delivery. Use the combined worksheet to compare those bags with bulk minimums and delivery. Bedding sand and polymeric joint sand remain separate order lines.
Loading replaces all quick-estimate inputs with this hypothetical example. It does not change the independent project worksheet. Edit the assumptions for your project, then use Download estimate to keep the inputs and result.
Enter the full base footprint, including any extension beyond the pavers. Depth means the loose material layer for this estimate. If your plan specifies compacted depth, use the supplier’s loose-volume conversion before ordering. This tool does not choose a structural base depth.
Length (ft): 16 · Width (ft): 12 · Material depth (in): 4 · Bag yield (cu ft): 0.5 · Extra material (%): 10.
These inputs produce 2.61 cubic yards to order. Change the measurements above to match your project.
Measure the prepared base footprint, which can be wider than the visible pavers. Break an L shape into non-overlapping rectangles and enter each one in the multi-area planner. Exclude a planter only if no base will be installed underneath it. Measure changes in depth as separate areas rather than assuming the deepest point applies everywhere.
A 12 × 10 ft base at 4 in depth is 120 × 4 ÷ 324 = 1.4815 cu yd before adjustments. For an illustrative supplier loose-volume factor of 1.20 and 5% handling allowance, the order becomes 1.8667 cu yd. At 0.5 cu ft per bag, the alternative is 101 bags. The factor 1.20 is a hypothetical quote input, not a recommended compaction factor.
Loose delivery volume and compacted installed volume describe different states. If a supplier has already quoted enough loose material for your compacted requirement, multiplying again over-orders. Conversely, adding 10% waste does not establish that the base will reach its specified thickness after compaction.
Confirm aggregate designation, fines content, loose versus compacted basis, available truck increments and minimum delivery. Depth and installation requirements must come from the selected paving system and site design. Keep base aggregate separate from bedding sand and joint sand on the order.
Only if they also describe the complete base footprint. Enter any designed extension explicitly; this tool does not add a hidden border.
No. Soil, loading, drainage and installation system determine that choice. This tool calculates the quantity for a supplied design.
CMHA: interlocking concrete pavement construction — Use the installation system specification to distinguish base, bedding and jointing materials.
YardTakeoff · Revised October 22, 2026 · Formula checks and scope · Report a calculation error