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Landscaping & YardPaver Base Calculator — How Much Base Gravel Do I Need?
Enter your patio or walkway size and base depth to estimate crushed paver base in cubic yards and tons. A solid compacted base is what keeps pavers from heaving.
How this calculator works
Volume = area × depth, converted to cubic yards and to tons at ~1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone base. Base is sold by the yard or the ton.
What changes how much you need
- Patios and walkways: 4–6 inches of compacted base. Driveways: 8–12 inches.
- Base loses roughly 20% volume when compacted — order extra to hit your finished depth.
- Use angular crushed stone (e.g., 3/4" minus), not rounded gravel, so it locks together.
- Top it with a 1-inch sand setting bed (see the sand calculator).
- Compact in lifts of no more than 3–4 inches — one deep pour never densifies all the way to the bottom.
Excavation depth by project
Total excavation is paver thickness + 1 inch of bedding sand + compacted base. Go to the deeper base figure over clay, over soft or disturbed soil, and anywhere with hard freeze-thaw cycles.
| Project | Paver thickness | Bedding sand | Compacted base | Total dig depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walkway or patio (foot traffic) | 1⅜–2⅜ in | 1 in | 4 in | 6½–7½ in |
| Patio over clay or in freeze-thaw | 2⅜ in | 1 in | 6 in | 9½ in |
| Fire-pit or seat-wall footing area | 2⅜ in | 1 in | 6–8 in | 9½–11½ in |
| Residential driveway | 2⅜–3⅛ in | 1 in | 8–10 in | 11½–14 in |
| Driveway over soft or clay soil | 3⅛ in | 1 in | 10–12 in | 14–16 in |
Crushed base to order by patio size
These are order quantities, not finished depths — they already include about 20% extra for compaction. Tons assume roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone base.
| Patio or walkway | Area | 4 in base (yd³ / tons) | 6 in base (yd³ / tons) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft pad | 100 sq ft | 1.5 / 2.1 | 2.2 / 3.1 |
| 3 × 40 ft walkway | 120 sq ft | 1.8 / 2.5 | 2.7 / 3.7 |
| 12 × 12 ft patio | 144 sq ft | 2.1 / 3.0 | 3.2 / 4.5 |
| 12 × 16 ft patio | 192 sq ft | 2.8 / 4.0 | 4.3 / 6.0 |
| 10 × 20 ft driveway apron | 200 sq ft | 3.0 / 4.1 | 4.4 / 6.2 |
| 16 × 20 ft patio | 320 sq ft | 4.7 / 6.6 | 7.1 / 10.0 |
Which material to buy — and what not to
Anything sold as "paver base," "road base," "crusher run," or "3⁄4-inch minus" is the same idea: angular stone plus fines that lock together under a compactor. The two classic mistakes are rounded gravel as a base and fine mason sand as a bedding layer.
| Product | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 3⁄4-inch minus / crusher run / road base | Angular crushed stone with fines, 3⁄4 in down to dust | The standard compactable base under pavers and slabs |
| #57 stone (clean 3⁄4 in, no fines) | Open-graded washed stone | Free-draining base in wet soil — needs geotextile and does not lock tight on its own |
| Coarse bedding sand (ASTM C33 concrete sand) | Sharp, washed, gritty sand | The 1-inch setting bed directly under the pavers |
| Polymeric sand | Fine sand with a binder | Sweeping into the joints after laying — not a base or bedding material |
| Rounded pea gravel | Smooth, uniform stone | Not a base. It rolls instead of locking, and the pavers will settle |
| Mason sand | Very fine, soft sand | Not a bedding layer. It holds water and washes out from under pavers |
Frequently asked questions
How deep should paver base be?
4–6 inches of compacted crushed stone for patios and walkways; 8–12 inches for driveways and anything bearing vehicles.
How much base do I lose to compaction?
Roughly 20%. Order about 20% more loose material than your finished compacted depth.
What kind of gravel is paver base?
Angular crushed stone with fines — often sold as "3/4-inch minus," "road base," or "paver base." The fines help it compact and lock.
How much paver base do I need for a 12 × 12 patio?
144 sq ft at a 4-inch compacted base is about 1.8 cubic yards in place, so order roughly 2.1 cubic yards — about 3 tons — to still hit 4 inches after compaction. Over clay or in a freeze-thaw climate, go to 6 inches: about 3.2 cubic yards, 4.5 tons.
How deep do I dig for pavers?
Add up the three layers: paver thickness, 1 inch of bedding sand, and the compacted base. A foot-traffic patio with 2⅜-inch pavers over a 4-inch base needs about 7½ inches of excavation. A residential driveway with an 8–10 inch base needs 11–14 inches.
Can I use sand instead of gravel as a paver base?
No. Sand alone will not carry a load — it shifts, and the pavers dip and rock within a season. Sand belongs in exactly one place: a 1-inch coarse bedding layer directly under the pavers, sitting on a compacted crushed-stone base.
How many tons of paver base are in a cubic yard?
About 1.4 tons for crushed stone base at typical moisture, so 3 cubic yards is roughly 4.2 tons. Suppliers quote base either way — use tons to check the delivery weight against what your driveway can take.
Do I have to compact the base in layers?
Yes. Run the plate compactor over lifts of no more than 3–4 inches at a time. A single deep pour never densifies all the way down, and that soft bottom layer is what shows up a year later as a sunken paver.