Paver Calculator.ORGHow many brick pavers you need
Brick pavers are almost always 4 × 8 in on the face, which makes the arithmetic easy: 4.5 bricks per square foot.
Example: a 10 × 14 ft brick patio in 90° herringbone.
| Line | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 10 × 14 | 140 sq ft |
| Bricks | 140 × 1.10 = 154 sq ft × 4.5 | 693 bricks |
| Base, 4 in | (14 + 1) × (10 + 1) × 4 ÷ 12 × 1.2 ÷ 27 | 2.44 cu yd, about 3.7 tons |
| Bedding sand, 1 in | 140 ÷ 12 × 1.1 ÷ 27 | 0.48 cu yd, about 0.64 tons |
| Edge restraint | 2 × (14 + 10) | 48 ft |
Change the pattern and the count moves: the same patio needs 662 bricks in running bond (5% extra) and up to 725 in 45° herringbone (15% extra).
Brick paver sizes
| Brick | Face size | Thickness | Per sq ft | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete brick paver (Holland) | 4 × 8 in nominal | 2⅜ in | 4.5 | Patios, walks |
| Concrete brick paver, vehicular | 4 × 8 in nominal | 3⅛ in | 4.5 | Driveways |
| Clay brick paver, sand set | about 4 × 8 in | about 2¼ in | 4.5 | Patios, walks, driveways (check rating) |
| Clay brick sized for mortar | about 3⅝ × 7⅝ in | about 2¼ in | 4.5 with a ⅜ in joint | Mortared patios and steps |
| Thin clay paver | about 4 × 8 in | about 1¼–1⅝ in | 4.5 | Over an existing concrete slab |
If your bricks are sized for mortar and you’re laying them on sand with tight joints, choose Custom size in the calculator and enter the real size and joint. For example, 3⅝ × 7⅝ in bricks with a 1/16 in joint come to about 5 per square foot rather than 4.5.
Patterns for brick patios
Brick looks best in the patterns brick has always been laid in:
- Basketweave: pairs of bricks alternating direction. Traditional and easy to plan. About 5–10% extra.
- Herringbone 90°: the strongest of the classic patterns, good for patios and paths that see a lot of use. About 10% extra.
- Herringbone 45°: the same zigzag set at an angle. Lots of edge cuts, so about 10–15% extra.
- Running bond: the simplest, with cuts only at the ends of rows. About 5% extra.
A soldier course border (bricks set end-on along the edge, 3 per foot) frames any of them. The paver patterns guide shows each pattern and its cuts.
Brick walkways
A brick walk is counted the same way: length × width × 4.5 plus extra. A 3 × 30 ft walk in running bond is 90 sq ft, so 90 × 1.05 × 4.5 = 426 bricks. Add both long sides to the edge restraint, but not the ends that meet a step or sidewalk. The paver walkway calculator handles curves and side borders.
What a brick patio costs
There is no single price for a brick patio, because the biggest costs are local: the brick you choose, how far it travels, how much digging your site needs, and local labor rates. What you can do is price each line from your own quotes:
| Line | Quantity from the slip | Your price |
|---|---|---|
| Brick pavers | number of bricks, or sq ft | per brick or per sq ft |
| Paver base | tons or cubic yards | per ton or per yard, plus delivery |
| Bedding sand | tons, cubic yards or bags | per ton, yard or bag |
| Joint sand or polymeric sand | 50 lb bags | per bag |
| Edge restraint | linear feet | per foot or per piece |
| Labor | sq ft | per sq ft from the installer |
| Digging, haul-away, equipment | lump sum | from the quote |
Enter those prices in the calculator and the slip adds them up and divides by the area to give your cost per square foot. Things that push a brick patio’s cost up: clay instead of concrete brick, herringbone or basketweave instead of running bond, curves and borders, poor soil that needs a deeper base, and difficult access for deliveries. The paver patio cost calculator explains each one.
Clay or concrete brick pavers?
- Clay brick keeps its color for life because the color is fired through the brick. It is usually dearer and some types are harder to cut.
- Concrete brick pavers cost less in most areas, come in many colors and have spacer nibs that make even joints easy. Their color can fade a little over the years as the surface wears.
Either can be laid on the same compacted base and 1 in of sand. Use a brick rated for paving and for your climate.
Counts assume bricks laid with tight sand-swept joints. A mortared brick patio is built on a concrete slab, not a gravel base, and needs mortar instead of bedding sand; the brick count is the same but the base and sand lines on the slip don't apply.
Questions people ask
- How many bricks do I need for a patio?
- Multiply the patio's square feet by 4.5 for standard 4 x 8 in brick pavers, then add 5 to 15 percent for cuts depending on the pattern. A 10 x 14 ft brick patio in 90 degree herringbone needs 140 x 1.1 x 4.5 = 693 bricks.
- How many brick pavers per square foot?
- 4.5 brick pavers per square foot for 4 x 8 in pavers. Bricks made for mortar joints, often 3 5/8 x 7 5/8 in, work out the same once you add a 3/8 in joint.
- How much does a brick paver weigh?
- A 4 x 8 in clay brick paver about 2 1/4 in thick weighs roughly 4.5 to 5.5 lb, and a 2 3/8 in concrete paver of the same size about 6 lb. Check the maker's spec sheet for the exact figure.
- What does a brick patio cost?
- Add up the bricks, base, sand, edging and labor from your own quotes. Clay brick usually costs more per square foot than concrete pavers, and herringbone or basketweave patterns take longer to lay than running bond. Put your prices into the calculator to get a total and a cost per square foot.
- Can I use regular wall bricks as pavers?
- Not outdoors on the ground. Paving bricks are made to resist freeze-thaw and abrasion; many wall bricks are not, and they can flake and crack. Use bricks sold as pavers.