ContractorHandbook

How Many Pavers for a 10x12 Patio?

Pavers to buy

581 pavers

120 sq ft of patio, 4 by 8 in pavers, 6 in compacted base, 1 in bedding sand, ten percent waste.

It does not stop at a number.

When the figures look right, the paver material list downloads as a real PDF with your business details on it, built inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.

waste10%patio area, sq ftpaver size plus the joint sets pavers per sq ftarea x pavers per sq ft, plus base stone and bedding sand
The pavers are the visible half of the job and the cheap half of the excavation. Under them sits six inches of compacted base and an inch of bedding sand, and both come off the same area, which is why they are on the material list.

How that number is worked out

These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.

  • Patio length12 ft
  • Patio width10 ft
  • Paver length8 in
  • Paver width4 in
  • Paver thickness2.375 in
  • Joint width0.0625 in
  • Compacted gravel base6 in
  • Bedding sand1 in
  • Waste allowance10 %

Pavers to buy581 pavers

Patio area120 sq ft
One paver covers0.227 sq ftface plus one joint
Pavers per sq ft4.4
Pavers before waste528
Base gravel, compacted2.22 cu yd
Base gravel to order2.67 cu yd20% added for compaction
Base gravel weight3.73 tons
Bedding sand0.37 cu yd1,000 lb
Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags260 sq ft per bag
Edge restraint44 ft

The material list this produces

Pavers581
Base gravel, cu yd3
Bedding sand, cu yd0
Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags2
Edge restraint, ft44
Edging spikes44
Geotextile fabric, sq ft132

Patio size compared

Ten feet across, which covers most of the sizes people ask about. Going one step down this table is the cheapest change on the whole project, because the digging, the delivery and the tool rental do not move with it.

Patio sizePavers to buyPatio areaEdge restraint
10 by 8 ft387 pavers80 sq ft36 ft
10 by 10 ft484 pavers100 sq ft40 ft
10 by 12 ft581 pavers120 sq ft44 ft
10 by 16 ft774 pavers160 sq ft52 ft
10 by 20 ft968 pavers200 sq ft60 ft
10 by 24 ft1,161 pavers240 sq ft68 ft

What else matters here

Five hundred and eighty one pavers, which is 528 to cover the patio and the rest for waste. The waste allowance is the input worth thinking about here, because unlike every other number on the page it is not decided by the patio at all. It is decided by the pattern.

A running bond or a stack bond laid square to the edges cuts only at the perimeter, and on a rectangle that is a single straight line of cuts down two sides. Five percent covers it. A forty five degree herringbone cuts a triangle off every paver along all four edges, and the offcuts are triangles, which are not reusable anywhere except the opposite corner. Ten percent is the usual allowance for it and fifteen is not unreasonable on a patio with an irregular edge.

The step is worth seeing. On a 10 by 10 the allowance alone moves the order from 440 pavers at nothing, to 462 at five percent, 484 at ten and 506 at fifteen. That is 66 pavers between the tightest and loosest allowance, which is most of a layer on a pallet, and it is the difference between finishing on a Sunday and waiting until the yard opens.

What this calculator assumes

  • The joint default is 1/16 of an inch because concrete pavers are cast with spacer nubs on the sides and that is the joint you get when they are set tight. A hand set joint at 1/8 or wider takes noticeably more polymeric sand, so type the joint you are actually laying.
  • Waste is 5 percent for a running bond laid square to the edges, 10 for most patios, and 15 or more for herringbone or a circle kit, because every angled cut throws away most of a paver.
  • Base gravel is quoted compacted. Crushed stone loses about a fifth of its loose volume under a plate compactor, so the order line adds 20 percent back.
  • Four inches of compacted base suits a foot traffic patio on good soil. Six is the common default, and eight to twelve is driveway and heavy clay territory.
  • Polymeric sand is the volume of the joints at the full thickness of the paver, at about 100 pounds per cubic foot.
  • Weights use 2,800 lb per cubic yard for crushed stone and 2,700 for bedding sand.

Questions people ask

How many pavers for a 10x12 patio?

581 at 4 by 8 in over 120 sq ft. The bare coverage is 528 pavers and the rest is the ten percent waste allowance.

How much waste should I allow for pavers?

It depends on the pattern, not the patio. Five percent covers a running bond laid square, ten percent is usual for a forty five degree herringbone, and fifteen is reasonable with an irregular edge.

Why does a herringbone pattern waste more?

Because it cuts a triangle off every paver along all four edges, and triangular offcuts only fit the opposite corner. A square pattern cuts a single straight line down two sides.

Different numbers?

The paver calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes