Find bedding sand cubic yards and whole bags for a rectangular patio.
This tool measures a sand bedding layer beneath pavers. First read the installation detail for the selected paving system. Sand-set and permeable pavement assemblies do not have interchangeable material lists.
For a permeable system requiring open-graded stone bedding, do not purchase sand from this page's sample order. Use the specified aggregate, layer dimensions and supplier yield instead. The paving-system decision guide links the CMHA source and explains how the purchase lines change.
If sand is specified, record its required grade, the bedding footprint and the depth basis before using the calculator. Keep joint filler separate: a bedding volume does not determine a joint-sand bag count. Continue with the complete patio order to reconcile the other materials.
Material-choice review: November 2, 2026. These are planning choices, not a site inspection or a drainage specification.
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.
A planter sitting on paving is different from a designed opening through the paving and bedding. Use the footprint receiving this sand layer.
Sketch the finished bedding area separately from the wider base. For a designed 6 × 4 ft opening inside a 12 × 10 ft patio, subtract 24 sq ft only when the sand layer stops at that opening. Do not subtract furniture or a planter that sits on the finished paving.
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; extra 5%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment none cu yd; individual bags.
Factor 1; extra 5%; bag yield 0.5 cu ft; bulk increment none 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 first case has 120 sq ft of bedding and the second 96. At the illustrative 1 in loose depth, 5% extra and 0.5 cu ft bags, the orders are 21 and 17 bags. These are two different physical scopes, not interchangeable ways to reduce a quote. Jointing sand between stones must be estimated from its product coverage instead.
State bedding sand grade, layer basis and bag yield. Confirm whether the opening truly removes this layer and whether the installation specification supplies loose or installed thickness.
Estimate the separate joint-sand purchase from the exact product coverage chart.
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
This is the bedding layer under paving stones, not the sand between joints. Enter the depth required by your chosen installation system.
Length (ft): 16 · Width (ft): 12 · Material depth (in): 1 · Bag yield (cu ft): 0.5 · Extra material (%): 10.
These inputs produce 0.65 cubic yards to order. Change the measurements above to match your project.
Measure the area receiving the bedding course beneath the pavers. Enter the depth specified for that layer in your chosen system. Keep this footprint separate from an extended aggregate base. Split varying-depth sections into separate rows in the material planner.
A 15 × 10 ft bedding layer at 1 in uses 150 ÷ 324 = 0.4630 cu yd. With 5% extra and no separate loose-volume conversion, the order is 0.4861 cu yd, or 13.125 cu ft. A 0.5 cu ft bag yield gives 26.25 bags, rounded up to 27. The 1 in example demonstrates the math; it does not override your installation instructions.
Bedding sand is below the pavers; joint sand fills spaces between them. They have different specifications and consumption models. A thick bedding course should not be used as a quantity-based shortcut for correcting an uneven aggregate base.
Specify bedding material by the paving manufacturer’s requirements. Ask whether the supplier sells by cubic yard or weight and obtain that product’s conversion if needed. Set the loose-volume factor to 1 unless the depth and the supplier’s delivery basis genuinely require a conversion.
No. Jointing consumption depends on joint geometry and the selected product. Use the polymeric sand tool with a matching label coverage.
Volume is proportional to depth. Increasing 1 in to 1.5 in increases calculated material by 50%, even though the area is unchanged.
CMHA: interlocking concrete pavement construction — Use the installation system specification to distinguish base, bedding and jointing materials.
YardTakeoff · Revised October 21, 2026 · Formula checks and scope · Report a calculation error
Calculate paver base cubic yards and bags from depth and bag yield; compare bulk delivery, pack sizes and separate base footprints.
Patios & pavingCalculate polymeric sand bags from your product coverage range. Compare low and high coverage and load a 400 sq ft worked example.