Paver base calculator
Work out how much base material and bedding sand a paver patio or walkway needs, layer by layer.
Paver base calculator
Use your supplier's density
You need
- Volume
- Weight
- Area
| Order by | Exact | Order, rounded up for anything sold in whole bags |
|---|
Enter your measurements to see what to order.
One cubic yard of road base weighs about 1.3 US tons and covers about 130 square feet at 2.5 in.
How to work out how much road base you need
- Measure the area in feet and multiply length by width.
- Pick a depth in inches and multiply it by the area to get a volume.
- Multiply the volume by the bulk density, 1542 kg per cubic metre for road base, to get a weight.
- Divide the weight by your supplier's ton or cubic yard to get what to order, and round up. Suppliers do not sell part bags.
- Add 20 percent. Road base is delivered loose and laid compacted, and it loses volume under a plate compactor. The default is higher than for loose decorative stone for that reason.
How many tons in a cubic yard of road base?
About 1.3 US tons, at 1542 kg per cubic metre. Because published densities run from 1424 to 1661, the honest answer is a range: between 1.2 and 1.4 tons per cubic yard depending on grading and how wet the load is.
How many cubic yards in a ton of road base?
About 0.77 cubic yards. One tonne is about 0.65 cubic metres.
How deep should a paver base be?
| Use | Depth | What the supplier says |
|---|---|---|
| Path | 2 in to 3 in | Earth Stone Rock: 2 to 3 inches for paths and patios. |
| Patio surface | 1 in to 1.5 in | Earth Stone Rock: 1 to 1.5 inches as a surface layer over a base. |
| Base layer | 4 in to 6 in | Earth Stone Rock: 4 to 6 inches of base. |
What goes under pavers, layer by layer
A paver patio is three layers and each is ordered separately. Compacted base carries the load, bedding sand levels the pavers on top of it, and jointing sand fills the gaps afterwards. Running short on the base is the failure that shows up two winters later.
- Base. Crushed stone or road base, compacted. Calculate it on this page.
- Bedding sand. Quikrete specifies 1 to 2 inches of paver sand over the compacted base. Calculate it with the paver sand calculator.
- Jointing sand. Swept into the gaps once the pavers are down. Sold by coverage per bag rather than by volume, so it is not a depth calculation.
Base material is delivered loose and laid compacted, which is why the waste default on this page is 20 percent rather than the 10 percent used for loose decorative stone.
How much does road base weigh?
Between 1424 and 1661 kg per cubic metre, a spread of 17 percent. Loose, as delivered, which is what you order. Ohio and Wisconsin DOT quote the same material at 2,076 to 2,375 kg per cubic metre compacted in place, which is why the waste default on this page is higher. The calculator above uses 1542, and you can replace it with your own supplier's figure.
4 published figures from 4 suppliers, read 2026-09-20.
| Supplier | Published figure | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Ottr Supply (Ottr Landscape Supply)international | ~2,700-2,800 lbs/yd3 (~1.35-1.4 tons) | LOOSE, as delivered |
| Yard Works Landscape Supply of Fort Millinternational | Approximately 2,450 lbs per cubic yard | LOOSE, as delivered |
| The Garden Factoryinternational | 1/2 yard weighs approximately 1,200 lbs | LOOSE, as delivered |
| Vulcan Materials Companyinternational | Product Type = "Crushed Stone Base / Crusher Run": 130.0 LBS/Cubic Feet (Sand & Gravel), 138.0 (Limestone), 145.0 (Granite), 160.0 (Traprock) | NOT STATED by Vulcan |
What you can order road base in
| Pack | Where | Size |
|---|---|---|
| cubic yard | US, CA | 0.765 m3 |
| US ton | US, CA | 907 kg |
| 0.5 cu ft bag | US, CA | 0.014 m3 |