ContractorHandbook

How Many Pavers for a 15x15 Patio?

Pavers to buy

1,089 pavers

225 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 length15 ft
  • Patio width15 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 buy1,089 pavers

Patio area225 sq ft
One paver covers0.227 sq ftface plus one joint
Pavers per sq ft4.4
Pavers before waste990
Base gravel, compacted4.17 cu yd
Base gravel to order5 cu yd20% added for compaction
Base gravel weight7 tons
Bedding sand0.69 cu yd1,875 lb
Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags375 sq ft per bag
Edge restraint60 ft

The material list this produces

Pavers1,089
Base gravel, cu yd5
Bedding sand, cu yd1
Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags3
Edge restraint, ft60
Edging spikes60
Geotextile fabric, sq ft248

Patio size compared

Fifteen feet across. The first column is the area, and it rises in step with the pavers because every row on this calculator comes off the area except the last one, which comes off the perimeter.

Patio sizePavers to buyPatio areaEdge restraint
15 by 12 ft871 pavers180 sq ft54 ft
15 by 15 ft1,089 pavers225 sq ft60 ft
15 by 20 ft1,451 pavers300 sq ft70 ft
15 by 25 ft1,814 pavers375 sq ft80 ft
15 by 30 ft2,177 pavers450 sq ft90 ft

What else matters here

One thousand and eighty nine pavers over 225 sq ft. A square patio has one advantage and one trap, and both come from the same place: it only looks square if it is square.

Every course of pavers runs parallel to a string line, so an out of square layout does not hide. It shows up as a cut that tapers along one edge, getting wider course after course, and by the far side it is obvious from the kitchen window. On a rectangle with a long axis it is easy to miss until late; on a square it is visible almost immediately, which is the advantage, provided the layout was checked before the base went in.

The check is the diagonals. On a true square the two diagonals are equal, and on this one each is a shade over 21 ft 2 in. Measure both corner to corner and adjust until they match, then check the sides again, because equal diagonals on unequal sides gives a rectangle rather than a square. Do it at the string line stage, before any gravel is delivered, because it is a two minute job then and a two day job afterwards.

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 15x15 patio?

1,089 pavers at 4 by 8 in over 225 sq ft, including a ten percent waste allowance.

How much gravel for a 15x15 patio?

5 cu yd ordered, which weighs about 7 tons. That is a 6 in compacted base with twenty percent added for compaction loss.

How do I check a patio is square?

Measure both diagonals corner to corner and adjust until they are equal. On a 15 by 15 each diagonal is a shade over 21 ft 2 in. Check the sides too, since equal diagonals on unequal sides is a rectangle.

Different numbers?

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

Other common sizes