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Bedding sand and base gravel for a paver patio or walkway, in tons, yards, and bags.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Bedding sand | 0.91 tons |
| Sand in 50 lb bags | 37 bags |
| Base gravel | 4.27 tons |
| Materials cost | $117 – $214 |
| Patio area | 192 sq ft |
| Bedding sand | 0.65 yd³ · 0.91 tons (incl. 10%) |
| Base gravel (crusher run) | 2.84 yd³ · 4.27 tons (incl. 20% compaction) |
| Geotextile under the base | 211 sq ft |
| Edge restraint | 56 linear ft |
Compact the base in 2 to 3 inch lifts with a plate compactor before screeding the sand. Sand is a levelling layer, not a structural one — never use extra sand to make up for a thin base.
A paver patio sits on two layers: a compacted crushed-stone base and a one-inch screeded bed of coarse sand. This paver sand calculator sizes both for your patio, adds a compaction allowance to the base, and prices the sand in bulk or in 50 lb bags.
One inch of coarse concrete sand, screeded flat over a compacted gravel base. For a 12 by 16 foot patio that is about 0.6 cubic yards, or 0.8 tons including a 10% allowance — roughly 33 bags of 50 lb sand.
No. Play sand and mason sand are fine and rounded, so they hold water and migrate, and the pavers settle unevenly. Use coarse, sharp concrete sand for the bedding course and a polymeric or fine joint sand only between the pavers.
Four inches of compacted crusher run for patios and walkways over firm soil, six inches over clay, and eight to twelve inches for driveways. The base carries the load; the one inch of sand only lets you set the pavers level.
Both. Gravel forms the compacted structural base and sand forms a thin setting bed on top. Pavers laid on sand alone sink and shift, and pavers laid on gravel alone are hard to set level and rock underfoot.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.