How deep should paver base be?

4 inches base + 1 inch sand for walkways/patios; 6–8 inches base for driveways.

Can I use polymeric sand as bedding?

No. Polymeric sand goes in the joints, not the bedding layer.

Do I compact the bedding sand?

No. Screed it, then compact after the pavers are set.

Construction

Imperial units

Paver Base Calculator

Calculate the compacted road-base and coarse concrete-sand bedding under pavers. Each layer is reported separately in cubic yards, tons, and cost.

Inputs

What do you know?

Lengthft

Widthft

Base rock depthin

4 in for patios / walkways; 6–8 in for driveways.

Bedding sand depthin

Typically 1 in of coarse concrete sand (ASTM C-33).

Waste %

Base compaction %

Loose is 15–25% greater than compacted.

Price per cu yd (base)$

Leave 0 to skip cost estimate.

Price per cu yd (sand)$

Leave 0 to skip cost estimate.

Truck capacitycu yd

Live estimate

Base rock (cu yd)

1.56 cu yd

Base rock — tons: 2.33 tons
Base rock — truckloads: 0.13
Bedding sand (cu yd): 0.32 cu yd
Bedding sand — tons: 0.44 tons
Bedding sand — truckloads: 0.03
Paver area: 100 sq ft

Delivery guidance

Base rock: 1.56 cu yd → Ask your supplier about a small-load minimum, or combine with another material to justify a truck.

Bedding sand: 0.32 cu yd → Bagged product or a pickup run is usually more practical at this quantity.

Delivery efficiency depends on your supplier's minimum load size and their willingness to combine materials on one truck.

How it's calculated

Base rock cu yd = area × base depth ÷ 27 × (1 + waste %) × (1 + compaction %).

Bedding sand cu yd = area × sand depth ÷ 27 × (1 + waste %). Sand is not compacted before pavers, so no compaction factor is applied.

Tons per layer = layer cu yd × its density (base 1.5, sand 1.35 t/cu yd).

Truckloads per layer = layer cu yd ÷ truck capacity, rounded up in the actionable output.

Material assumptions

Standard walkway/patio build-up: 4 in compacted road base + 1 in coarse concrete sand.
Vehicular driveways: increase base to 6–8 inches.
Use ASTM C-33 coarse sand for bedding — never play sand.
Base rock and bedding sand are ordered as separate deliveries. This calculator reports each layer independently.

Frequently asked questions

Road BaseConstruction SandLandscaping Aggregate BaseConstruction GravelLandscaping

These results are estimates only. Confirm quantities, compaction, waste, and delivery requirements with your supplier or project professional before ordering materials.