Pavers per square metre
Each paver takes up its own size plus one joint on each side. Divide a square metre by that footprint and you have the count per square metre. For a 400 × 400 mm paver with 3 mm joints the footprint is 403 × 403 mm, so 6.2 per square metre. Multiply by the area, add waste, and round up to whole pavers.
pavers per m² = 1 ÷ ((length + joint) × (width + joint)), in metres
| Paver | Per m², 3 mm joints | 24 m² with 10% waste |
|---|---|---|
| 600 × 600 | 2.8 | 73 |
| 500 × 500 | 4.0 | 105 |
| 600 × 400 | 4.1 | 109 |
| 400 × 400 | 6.2 | 163 |
| 300 × 300 | 10.9 | 288 |
| 230 × 115 brick paver | 37.8 | 998 |
| 200 × 100 | 47.4 | 1,252 |
What goes under the pavers
Paving fails from underneath. The pavers themselves rarely break; they sink, rock and open up because the base under them moved. A proper job is three layers. At the bottom, firm subgrade, with the topsoil and anything soft dug out. On that, compacted road base, 75 to 100 mm for a path or patio and 150 mm or more for a driveway, compacted in layers with a plate compactor. On top of that, 30 mm of coarse washed bedding sand screeded dead level, which the pavers are laid on and tapped down into.
Road base compacts. A cubic metre tipped off the truck ends up around 0.8 cubic metres once it has been rolled, so order about 1.25 loose cubic metres for every compacted cubic metre you need. The calculator does that. Bedding sand compacts less and is ordered close to the screeded volume with 10 percent over.
Joints and edges
Joints of 2 to 3 mm are swept full of fine dry sand, or a polymeric jointing sand that sets when wetted and keeps the weeds and ants out. The calculator estimates jointing sand from the joint width and the paver thickness. Edges need a restraint, a concrete haunch, a mortar bed or a proprietary edge strip, or the outside row creeps outward and the joints open. Those are not in the calculator because they depend on the site.
Worked example
A 6 × 4 m patio in 400 × 400 pavers, 40 mm thick, 3 mm joints, straight bond. Area 24 m², 6.2 pavers per square metre, so 148 before waste and 163 with 10 percent. Bedding sand 24 × 0.03 × 1.1 = 0.79 m³, about 1.2 tonnes. Road base at 100 mm compacted: 24 × 0.1 × 1.25 = 3.0 m³ loose, about 4.7 tonnes. Jointing sand around 30 kg, so two 20 kg bags.
Common questions
How many pavers per m²?
400 × 400 are 6.2 per m² with 3 mm joints, 500 × 500 are 4.0, 230 × 115 brick pavers are 37.8. Add 10 percent for cuts.
How much bedding sand?
30 mm screeded, about 0.03 m³ or 45 kg per m². Never use it to make up levels.
How deep should road base be?
75 to 100 mm compacted for paths, 150 mm or more for driveways. Order 1.25 loose m³ per compacted m³.
How much waste on pavers?
10 percent straight, 15 percent diagonal or curved. Keep the spares.
Quantities only. Base depths are typical for firm ground; soft or reactive soils and vehicle loads need more. Check the paver manufacturer's laying guide.