Paver Base Calculator

What the Paver Base calculator computes

The Paver Base calculator computes the compacted-aggregate base course volume under a paver patio, walkway, or driveway. Inputs are project area in square feet and base depth in inches; outputs are cubic yards and tons of Paver Base material. The calculator uses 2,800 lb per cubic yard as the density (typical for a fine-graded 0 to 1/4 inch crushed stone base).

Paver base depth depends on the load the paver surface will carry. Walkways and small patios need 4 to 6 inches. Driveway pavers handling passenger cars need 6 to 8 inches. Commercial-grade installs with delivery trucks driving across them go 10 to 12 inches in two or three lifts. The calculator output multiplied by 1.15 covers compaction losses; the compactor reduces dumped depth by roughly 15 percent across two compaction passes.

Base course composition and why it matters

Paver Base is a graded blend of stone dust through 1/4 inch crushed fragments. The grading is what makes it compactable: larger fragments form the load-bearing skeleton, smaller particles fill the voids, and stone dust binds the whole mass at the finest scale. The result, properly compacted, behaves like a paved slab under the pavers above.

The base sits between native soil below and a 1 inch bedding layer of Stone Dust (Screenings) above. The screenings layer is what the pavers actually sit on, screeded smooth before laying. Setting pavers directly on the coarser Paver Base produces uneven joints because the fragments are too large to screed perfectly flat. The screenings layer is non-negotiable; skipping it is the #1 cause of paver settling within 12 months.

Depth specs for different paver loads

The base depth required depends on what drives or walks across the finished paver surface. For a foot-traffic-only patio (less than 200 square feet, no furniture wheels or grills with rollers), 4 inches of compacted Paver Base is enough. For a larger patio or walkway with regular foot traffic, go 6 inches. The two extra inches of base distribute load wider and prevent the spot-settling under heavy chairs and tables that develops over years.

Driveway pavers need 8 inches minimum for passenger cars, run in two compacted lifts of 4 inches each. For trucks and SUVs in regions with hard winters, 10 to 12 inches in three lifts is the durable spec. Commercial paver installs follow engineering tables specific to the project, but residential homeowners almost never need more than the 12 inch maximum.

For wet-soil sites (poorly drained clay, high water table, slope drainage issues), add 2 inches to the depth and lay 4 to 6 ounce filter fabric between the native soil and the base course. The fabric keeps the soil from migrating up into the base over years of freeze-thaw cycling, preserving the base course strength indefinitely.

Installation sequence and compaction

The install sequence is excavate, lay fabric, place base in lifts, compact between lifts, place bedding screenings, screed flat, lay pavers, sweep polymeric sand into joints, soak. Each step has a specific rhythm. Compaction between base lifts means running the plate compactor in overlapping passes until the surface stops settling under additional passes. Most homeowners under-compact because the compactor seems to "be doing something" after only one pass. Two passes minimum, three for the load-bearing applications.

The base material itself ships from the quarry at moisture content around 4 to 6 percent, which is the right range for compaction. If you take delivery on a hot dry day and the pile sits a week, mist it lightly before compacting to restore moisture. Bone-dry base does not compact tight; the dust separates from the fragments and the mass fluffs back up after the compactor moves on.

The bedding screenings layer on top of the base is 1 inch finished depth. Order 1 ton of Stone Dust (Screenings) per 100 square feet of paver area, plus 15 percent overage to handle screeding losses.

Pricing and ordering for a paver project

Paver Base runs $38 to $58 per ton delivered. Stone Dust (Screenings) for the bedding layer is the same general price band. For a 250 square foot paver patio at 6 inch base depth plus 1 inch bedding, expect 4.5 tons of Paver Base and 1 ton of screenings, totaling about $230 to $350 in aggregate.

Same-day delivery is usually open before 11 AM with 1 to 2 day lead times. Both materials ride well on the same truck so the yard ships them together for one delivery fee. Stage them in separate piles on the existing driveway so you know which is which during install. Crusher Run looks similar to Paver Base at a glance but does not screed as flat; using the wrong material at the bedding layer is a common DIY error.

Total project cost including pavers, polymeric sand, edging restraint, and fabric runs $12 to $25 per square foot installed. The aggregate is the cheapest component but the most important for longevity.

Polymeric versus traditional joint sand

Once the paver base is set and the pavers are laid, the final step is joint sand. Two product families compete: traditional Mason Sand swept into joints (which washes out gradually under rain and needs annual top-up), and polymeric jointing sand (which locks into a flexible binder when wet and stays in place for 10 to 15 years). The cost difference is significant: traditional Mason Sand is $0.05 to $0.10 per square foot, polymeric is $0.40 to $0.65 per square foot.

Polymeric is the right call on driveways, patios with significant foot traffic, and anywhere maintenance access is awkward. Traditional Mason Sand works on rustic patios, garden paths, and casual installs where the annual sweep-back is part of seasonal maintenance anyway. Mixing approaches across a single installation is fine; a high-traffic main path can use polymeric while adjacent decorative beds use traditional.

Activation timing matters for polymeric. Install on a clear day, sweep fully into joints, compact with a rubber-padded plate compactor, sweep again. Then water with a fine mist (not a flood) to activate the polymer. Heavy water flow during activation washes the polymer out of joints before it cures. The cure takes 24 hours; protect from rain and foot traffic for the full window.

For mixed-style installs that combine pavers and Pea Gravel zones, use polymeric sand only between the pavers; the Pea Gravel zones do not need joint sand at all. A clean line between zones (poured concrete edging, metal landscape edging, or a row of brick) keeps the polymeric sand from invading the gravel zone and the gravel from invading the paver joints. Plan the edging detail before installation rather than retrofitting it.