Paver Sand Calculator
Paver bedding sand is length × width × a 1 in screeded depth, plus about 15% for sand lost to joints and screed rails. A 20 × 15 ft patio needs 25 ft³ (0.93 yd³), or 1.07 yd³ ordered — roughly 1.44 tons. The compacted base below is sized with the Road Base Calculator.
How it's calculated: Volume = length × width × 1 in bedding depth; order = volume × 1.15 (default waste); weight ≈ 1.35 t/yd³.
Result appears here
Fill in the fields and press Calculate.
Formula, calculation, assumptions and sources
Volume = Length × Width × Depth
Weight = Volume × bulk density
Run the calculation to see each step with your own numbers.
A 20 ft × 15 ft patio, 1 in bedding sand, 15% waste.
Volume = 25 ft³ = 0.93 yd³ exact → order 1.07 yd³
Weight ≈ 0.93 × 1.35 ≈ 1.25 US tons exact → 1.44 tons with 15%
- This is the BEDDING layer only — the compacted aggregate base below it is a separate calculation (Road Base Calculator).
- Joint sand (the sand swept into the gaps after laying) is extra — roughly 1–2 bags of polymeric sand per 100 ft² depending on joint width.
- 1 in screeded depth over a rectangular area.
- Concrete sand or mason sand?
- ICPI specifies washed concrete sand (ASTM C33) for the bedding layer — it drains and doesn't rut. Mason sand is too fine. This calculator's density fits either.
- Is bedding sand the same as joint sand?
- No. Bedding sand is the coarse, screeded 1-inch layer the pavers sit on — what this calculator sizes. Joint sand, often polymeric, is the finer sand swept into the gaps after laying, a separate purchase of roughly one or two bags per 100 square feet.
- How much sand do I need under pavers?
- A 1 in screeded layer: length × width × 1/12 ft, plus about 15% for joints and screed rails. A 20 × 15 ft patio needs 0.93 yd³, or about 1.07 yd³ ordered.
- How thick should paver bedding sand be?
- About 1 in, screeded over the compacted base, and no more than 1½ in. Use washed concrete sand (ASTM C33); mason sand is too fine.
Volume
Standard geometry: Volume = L × W × D. Unit conversions per NIST SP 811.
Bulk density
Typical dry masonry/concrete sand ≈ 1,600 kg/m³ (≈1.35 t/yd³). Engineering ToolBox 'Densities of common materials'.
Bedding layer
Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PAV-TEC-002, formerly ICPI Tech Spec 2) — Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association: a nominal 1 in screeded bedding layer of washed concrete sand conforming to ASTM C33.
Bedding layer — reference
About the Paver Sand Calculator
The Paver Sand Calculator sizes the bedding sand — the roughly one-inch screeded setting layer directly under the pavers, not the compacted base below it. Enter the patio area; the calculator uses the standard 1-inch depth and a generous allowance for the sand lost to the joints and the screed rails. Joint sand swept in after laying is separate, as is the aggregate base (Road Base Calculator).
What you enter
- Length
- Width
- Depth — 1 in is the standard screeded bedding depth for concrete pavers over a compacted base. Do not exceed 1½ in.
- Waste allowance — Default 15%. Adjust to your own allowance — the exact figure is always shown too.
What you get back
- Volume — shown as the exact figure and, separately, a recommended figure with your waste allowance added.
- Delivered weight — Suppliers usually sell by weight. Weight uses a typical density for dry concrete sand (≈ 1,600 kg/m³) — damp sand from an outdoor pile weighs more.
The formula, a worked example, the assumptions behind it and the sources are shown in full below the calculator.
Related calculators
- Sand Calculator — Sand by volume and weight for bedding, fill or mixing.
- Road Base Calculator — Road base / crusher-run quantity for a sub-base layer.
- Paver Calculator — Number of pavers for a patio or path from the area and paver size.
Related articles
- Sand Types Used in Construction — Construction sand comes in several types — concrete/mixing sand, bedding sand, and fill sand among them — and using the wrong type can affect performance.
Part of the Landscaping & Driveway calculators.