How Many Pavers for a 20x20 Patio?
Pavers to buy
1,935 pavers
400 sq ft of patio, 4 by 8 in pavers, 6 in compacted base, 1 in bedding sand, ten percent waste.
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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 length20 ft
- Patio width20 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 buy1,935 pavers
| Patio area | 400 sq ft |
|---|---|
| One paver covers | 0.227 sq ftface plus one joint |
| Pavers per sq ft | 4.4 |
| Pavers before waste | 1,759 |
| Base gravel, compacted | 7.41 cu yd |
| Base gravel to order | 8.89 cu yd20% added for compaction |
| Base gravel weight | 12.44 tons |
| Bedding sand | 1.23 cu yd3,334 lb |
| Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags | 4100 sq ft per bag |
| Edge restraint | 80 ft |
The material list this produces
| Pavers | 1,935 |
|---|---|
| Base gravel, cu yd | 9 |
| Bedding sand, cu yd | 1 |
| Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags | 4 |
| Edge restraint, ft | 80 |
| Edging spikes | 80 |
| Geotextile fabric, sq ft | 440 |
Patio size compared
Twenty feet across, the large end. Read the two right hand columns together: the area doubles between the top and the bottom of this table while the edge restraint does not come close to doubling, which is the one economy of scale a patio has.
| Patio size | Pavers to buy | Patio area | Edge restraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 by 15 ft | 1,451 pavers | 300 sq ft | 70 ft |
| 20 by 20 ft | 1,935 pavers | 400 sq ft | 80 ft |
| 20 by 25 ft | 2,419 pavers | 500 sq ft | 90 ft |
| 20 by 30 ft | 2,902 pavers | 600 sq ft | 100 ft |
| 20 by 40 ft | 3,869 pavers | 800 sq ft | 120 ft |
What else matters here
A 20 by 20 patio is 400 sq ft, and this is also the page for how many pavers cover 400 square feet, with one thing to watch: the area answers most of the question and it does not answer all of it.
Everything on this list comes off the area except the last line. The same 400 sq ft is 1,935 pavers, 8.89 cu yd of gravel, 12.44 tons and 4 bags of polymeric sand whatever shape it is. The edge restraint is not. It is 80 ft as this 20 by 20, 82 ft as a 25 by 16, 100 ft as a 40 by 10 and 116 ft as a 50 by 8 strip. Same patio area, forty five percent more edging at the far end of that range.
The reason is that a square encloses more area per foot of perimeter than any other rectangle, so a square patio is the cheapest shape to edge and every step away from square costs edging. It is a small line on a small patio and a real one here, and it is worth knowing in the other direction too: if the shape is fixed by the house and the patio has to be long and narrow, take the edging figure off the perimeter rather than off a rule of thumb about area, or the last few feet arrive a week late.
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 20x20 patio?
1,935 pavers at 4 by 8 in over 400 sq ft, including a ten percent waste allowance.
How many pavers cover 400 square feet?
The same 1,935, along with 8.89 cu yd of gravel and 4 bags of polymeric sand. Only the edge restraint depends on the shape.
Does the patio shape change the materials?
Only the edging. 400 square feet needs 80 ft of edge restraint as a 20 by 20, 100 ft as a 40 by 10 and 116 ft as a 50 by 8. A square is the cheapest shape to edge.
The paver calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.