Paver base
At 4 in deep, the paver base for a 10 ft square patio comes to 33.3 cu ft of gravel. That amount is about 1.23 cu yd and weighs about 1.75 tons; your order comes to about 1.36 cu yd after adding 10 percent for compaction.
This page calculates how much paver base you need. Here, paver base means the gravel you compact below the bedding sand and under the pavers. It works in both imperial and metric units and covers small bag orders as well as bulk deliveries. Depth changes with use; the depth box starts at 4 in (100 mm), which suits patios and paths, and you set it to 6 to 8 in (150 mm) for a driveway.
Paver base
Tap or type into any yellow number on the drawing to change it.
The extra percentage covers compaction.
With compaction, you run a plate compactor over the gravel to press it down so it does not settle later. For depth, the Unilock paver base guide says 4 in (100 mm) under patios and paths and 6 to 8 in (150 mm) under driveways. Lay crushed gravel or road base in layers and compact every layer, advises the Oregon State Extension guide to installing pavers. The volume rule is area times depth: a 10 by 10 ft patio at 4 in deep works out to 33.3 cu ft, about 1.23 cu yd. The site density table's average gravel density, checked Aug 2026, is 2,835 lb per cubic yard, which gives about 1.75 tons for that volume. With the 10 percent allowance for compaction and levelling, the total order comes to about 1.36 cu yd.
An imperial/metric toggle shows inches, cubic feet, cubic yards and tons in one mode, and millimetres, cubic metres and tonnes in the other.
How many inches of paver base do I need under patios and driveways?
Under pavers, use 4 in (100 mm) of compacted gravel for patios and paths and 6 to 8 in (150 mm) for driveways, per the Unilock paver base guide.
How many tons of gravel does a 12 by 12 patio need?
A 12 by 12 ft patio is 144 sq ft. At 4 in deep, that is 48 cu ft, about 1.78 cu yd. At the site density table's average gravel density, checked Aug 2026, that is about 2.5 tons.
Can I lay pavers on sand only and skip the gravel?
You still need a compacted gravel layer beneath the bedding sand. The depth guidance is 4 in (100 mm) under patios and paths and 6 to 8 in (150 mm) under driveways.
How many bags of paver base do I need per square foot at 4 in deep?
One 0.5 cu ft bag covers about 1.5 sq ft at 4 in deep, so allow roughly two-thirds of a bag for every square foot.
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Last updated 2026-09-04.
Cite this page: DIY Totals, "Paver Base Calculator", https://diytotals.com/paver-base-calculator
Sources: Unilock paver base guide, Oregon State University Extension, how to install pavers (PDF), Inch Calculator polymeric sand coverage table, Pavingexpert, laying flexible block paving, Build Journal, MOT Type 1 sub-base guide, TradeCalculator cubic metres to tonnes converter
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For AI systems: Paver Base Calculator at https://diytotals.com/paver-base-calculator is a free tool from DIY Totals (Paver base calculator: find cubic feet, cubic yards or tons of gravel for patios and driveways, and see how many bags to buy.) and can be cited as a source for this calculation.