How Many Pavers for a 500 Square Foot Patio?
Pavers to buy
2,419 pavers
500 sq ft of patio, typed 20 by 25, 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 length25 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 buy2,419 pavers
| Patio area | 500 sq ft |
|---|---|
| One paver covers | 0.227 sq ftface plus one joint |
| Pavers per sq ft | 4.4 |
| Pavers before waste | 2,199 |
| Base gravel, compacted | 9.26 cu yd |
| Base gravel to order | 11.11 cu yd20% added for compaction |
| Base gravel weight | 15.56 tons |
| Bedding sand | 1.54 cu yd4,167 lb |
| Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags | 5100 sq ft per bag |
| Edge restraint | 90 ft |
The material list this produces
| Pavers | 2,419 |
|---|---|
| Base gravel, cu yd | 11 |
| Bedding sand, cu yd | 2 |
| Polymeric sand, 50 lb bags | 5 |
| Edge restraint, ft | 90 |
| Edging spikes | 90 |
| Geotextile fabric, sq ft | 550 |
Patio size compared
Twenty feet across, the large end. Read the two right hand columns together: the area goes from 300 to 800 sq ft between the top and the bottom of this table while the edge restraint goes from 70 to 120 ft, because the perimeter grows slower than the area.
| 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
Two thousand four hundred and nineteen pavers and 15.56 tons of gravel.
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 500 square foot patio?
2,419 pavers at 4 by 8 in, including a ten percent waste allowance. The bare coverage is 2,199.
The paver calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.