How Much Paver Base Do I Need?
Most paver patios and walkways need a 4 to 6 inch layer of compacted gravel topped with a 1 inch bedding sand layer, while driveways need 8 to 12 inches of gravel. To find the amount, multiply the area by each layer depth, convert to cubic yards, and add about 20% for compaction. Here is the formula, the depths by project type, and worked examples.
Key takeaways
- Patios and walkways need 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel; driveways need 8 to 12 inches.
- Bedding sand is a 1 inch layer for every project, set over the gravel, never deeper than 1.5 inches.
- Add 20% to your gravel order, because crushed stone loses roughly a fifth of its volume when compacted.
- Gravel cubic yards = (length x width x depth in feet) divided by 27, then multiply by 1.2 for compaction.
- A 10x10 ft patio at 4 inch base takes about 1.5 cubic yards of gravel and 0.3 cubic yards of sand.
How deep should a paver base be?
The base depth depends on what the pavers carry. Foot traffic needs less than vehicle weight, so a patio and a driveway are not built the same.
For patios and walkways, the standard is 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel with a 1 inch sand bed on top. For driveways and parking areas, go to 8 to 12 inches of gravel so the base can spread the load of a car or truck without rutting.
| Application | Gravel base (firm soil) | Gravel base (clay soil) | Sand bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkway / patio | 4 to 6 in | 8 in or more | 1 in |
| Driveway | 8 to 12 in | 12 in or more | 1 in |
| Heavy load / parking | up to 12 in | 12 in or more | 1 in |
Clay soil drains poorly and shifts with frost, so add a few inches when your subgrade is heavy clay. Sandy soil drains well and needs the lower end of each range.
The formula for paver base material
Paver base is two materials in two layers, so you calculate each one separately, then add the sand. Both are sold by the cubic yard.
Take the area in square feet, multiply by the layer depth in feet (divide inches by 12), and divide by 27 to get cubic yards. The one extra step people forget is the compaction allowance: crushed stone loses about 20% of its loose volume once you run a plate compactor over it.
Gravel (yd3) = Area(ft2) × (Depth(in) ÷ 12) ÷ 27Order amount = Gravel(yd3) × 1.20The sand bed is simpler because it is always about 1 inch. A quick rule is one cubic yard of bedding sand covers roughly 270 square feet at 1 inch. To skip the math, enter your patio size in the paver calculator and it returns the gravel, sand, and paver counts at once.
How much paver base for a 10x10 patio
A 10 by 10 foot patio is 100 square feet, the size most DIY jobs land near. At a 4 inch gravel base that is 100 times 0.333, about 33.3 cubic feet, or 1.23 cubic yards before compaction and roughly 1.5 cubic yards once you add the 20%.
The sand bed for the same patio is 100 square feet at 1 inch, about 0.31 cubic yards, so call it 0.35 cubic yards with a little extra for leveling. The table below scales that across common patio sizes at a 4 inch base.
| Patio size | Gravel (4 in, +20%) | Sand (1 in) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 ft | 1.18 yd3 | 0.30 yd3 |
| 10 × 10 ft | 1.48 yd3 | 0.37 yd3 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 2.13 yd3 | 0.53 yd3 |
| 16 × 20 ft | 4.74 yd3 | 1.19 yd3 |
Suppliers sell most base gravel by the ton, so remember crushed stone runs about 1.4 tons per cubic yard when you place the order.
What gravel and sand to use
The base layer should be angular crushed stone, not rounded pea gravel, because the fractured edges lock together when compacted. For patios, 3/4 inch minus crushed stone or a dense-graded crusher run compacts into a hard, stable layer.
The bedding layer must be washed concrete sand that meets ASTM C33, the gradation the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute specifies. Never substitute play sand, masonry sand, or stone dust, since their fines hold water and the bed will rut over time.
Compaction and excavation depth
Compact the gravel in lifts no thicker than 3 to 4 inches at a time. Dumping the full depth and compacting once leaves voids that settle later and can void a paver warranty.
Dig deep enough for every layer. With a 4 inch base, a 1 inch sand bed, and pavers that are 2 to 3 inches thick, your total excavation is closer to 7 to 8 inches. The ICPI and CMHA recommend a minimum 7 to 8 inch excavation for pedestrian walkways.
Two more habits keep a base honest: extend the excavation 6 to 12 inches past the finished paver edge so the perimeter does not crumble, and slope the base about 1/4 inch per foot for drainage. If you are also pricing a poured option, the concrete slab calculator helps you compare a paver base against a slab.
What paver base costs in 2026
Base material is cheap compared to the pavers. In 2026, crushed stone and road base run about $20 to $40 per ton, or roughly $30 to $55 per cubic yard, before delivery. Washed concrete sand runs about $25 to $45 per ton.
For a 12 by 12 foot patio with 4 inches of gravel and 1 inch of sand, expect roughly 2 cubic yards of base rock and half a cubic yard of sand, which is about $100 to $210 in material before delivery. Delivery adds $50 to $200 per load, with most yards requiring a 5 to 10 ton minimum.
Once you know your gravel and sand totals, the paver calculator turns them into a clean shopping list so you order the right tonnage in one trip.
Frequently asked questions
How much paver base do I need for a 10x10 patio?
How deep should the gravel base be under pavers?
Why add 20% to the paver base amount?
How much sand goes under pavers?
Can I use 2 inches of paver base instead?
References
- ICPI Tech Spec 17: Bedding Sand Selection
- ASTM C33: Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates
- CMHA (Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association)
- Paver base (Wikipedia)