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Paver patio calculator: pavers, road base and sand
Estimate Australian paver counts, road base, bedding sand, edging and joint sand for a patio using your product dimensions and chosen layer depths.
Your result
Your plan starts
with a few details.
Enter your project measurements and product details, then calculate to see an estimated take-off.
How it works
The editable road-base and bedding defaults are 50 mm and 25 mm, from Bunnings Australia’s cited 50 mm road base and 20 to 30 mm bedding guidance with 25 mm screed rails. Confirm the site-specific depths before calculating.
Enter the patio and paver dimensions, cutting allowance, appropriate supplier densities, edging length and joint-sand pack coverage. The result shows both layer volumes and mass estimates.
Formula
Paver quantity
Pavers = ceil(area × (1 + cutting allowance %) ÷ paver face area)This is a face-area estimate and does not plan cuts or pattern bonds.
Base, bedding and joint sand
Layer volume = patio area × entered depth ÷ 1,000 Layer tonnes = layer volume × entered density Joint-sand bags = ceil(order area ÷ entered bag coverage)Depths, densities and pack coverage come from your project specification and chosen supplier.
Worked example
For a 12 m² patio using 400 × 400 mm pavers, the area calculation is 12 ÷ 0.16 = 75 pavers before allowance. An entered 50 mm road-base depth gives 12 × 0.05 = 0.6 m³ before compaction effects. These example dimensions and depth are for arithmetic only, not a universal installation specification.
Assumptions and limits
Bunnings Australia’s paver-base guide gives 50 mm road base and 20–30 mm bedding sand in its example and says the base depth is a guide. It also instructs users to compact the base and account for the paver thickness. The calculator asks for your chosen depths rather than treating example guidance as a site-specific design.
This take-off does not design drainage falls, assess soil bearing, calculate cuts, or account for supplier packs beyond the joint-sand coverage you enter. Check requirements for areas near buildings and services.
Frequently asked questions
Are the road-base and bedding depths prefilled?
Yes. The editable guidance defaults are 50 mm road base and 25 mm bedding. The source gives 20 to 30 mm bedding and 25 mm screed rails. Check ground and loading requirements before using these example depths.
How are joint-sand bags estimated?
The area including your cutting allowance is divided by the coverage you enter from the selected product instructions, then rounded up to whole bags.
Does cutting allowance increase the entire base layer?
No. It increases the paver purchase area. Road-base and bedding volumes use the measured patio area and the selected layer depths.
Can the estimate design the drainage fall?
No. Establish finished levels, falls, drainage and suitable ground preparation before calculating quantities from the plan.
Sources
Specs as of: