This paver calculator works out how many pavers to buy for a path, courtyard, patio or pool surround, with an allowance for cuts. It is also a paving calculator for everything underneath: the road base and bedding sand in cubic metres and tonnes, and the bags of jointing sand. Then it prices the job from what landscapers charge to lay paving in your city.
Enter the area and the paver size, or tap a common job to start.
Your measurements
Estimated cost, Australia
$1,200 to $3,200 typical $2,000
Your numbers
- Area to pave
- 20 m²
- Pavers to order (with 5% extra)
- 21 m²
- Number of 400 x 400 mm pavers
- 132
- Road base, 100 mm compacted
- 2 m³, about 3.5 tonnes
- Bedding sand, 30 mm
- 0.6 m³, about 0.9 tonnes
- Bags of paver jointing sand
- 3
| Price row | Quantity | Rate | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paving / pavers | 20 m² | $60 to $160 per m² | $1,200 to $3,200 |
Rates are the low, typical and high figures in our landscaping price guide, prices verified October 2026. An estimate only: get quotes to price your job.
Type the total on your quote to see how it compares with this estimate.
This job in 15 cities: typical $1,800 in Hobart to $2,300 in Sydney
| City | Low to high | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Hobart | $1,080 to $2,900 | $1,800 |
| Adelaide | $1,100 to $2,900 | $1,840 |
| Geelong | $1,120 to $3,000 | $1,860 |
| Newcastle | $1,140 to $3,000 | $1,900 |
| Sunshine Coast | $1,160 to $3,100 | $1,940 |
| Gold Coast | $1,180 to $3,100 | $1,960 |
| Brisbane | $1,200 to $3,200 | $2,000 |
| Darwin | $1,200 to $3,200 | $2,000 |
| Byron Bay | $1,260 to $3,400 | $2,100 |
| Melbourne | $1,260 to $3,400 | $2,100 |
| Perth | $1,260 to $3,400 | $2,100 |
| Canberra | $1,320 to $3,500 | $2,200 |
| Townsville | $1,300 to $3,500 | $2,200 |
| Wollongong | $1,300 to $3,500 | $2,200 |
| Sydney | $1,380 to $3,700 | $2,300 |
Each city is priced from the rows in its own guide, cheapest typical figure first.
Paving calculator: what goes under the pavers
Pavers sit on a compacted road base with a layer of bedding sand on top. Austral Masonry's guide works on 100 mm of road base and 30 mm of washed river sand; Bunnings' DIY guide uses 50 mm of road base and 20 to 30 mm of sand. These are the calculator's figures at 100 mm of road base and 30 mm of sand.
| Job | Pavers | Road base | Paving cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden path, 10 m × 1 m | 397 | 1 m³ | $600 to $1,600 |
| Courtyard, 5 m × 4 m | 132 | 2 m³ | $1,200 to $3,200 |
| Patio, 6 m × 4 m | 70 | 2.4 m³ | $1,440 to $3,840 |
| Pool surround, 10 m × 6 m | 394 | 6 m³ | $3,600 to $9,600 |
How the calculation works
Pavers. The area is length × width plus any other area you add. The calculator adds your allowance for cuts and breakages, divides by the area of one paver and rounds up. Adbri Masonry's guide says to allow an extra 2% just in case; layouts with many cuts use more, so the calculator opens at 5%. The example it opens with is 5 m × 4 m (20 m²) in 400 × 400 mm pavers: 132 pavers.
Road base and sand. Austral Masonry's How to Pave guide says 1 m³ of gravel road base covers 10 m² at a compacted depth of 100 mm, 1 m³ of washed river sand covers 30 m² at 30 mm, and one bag of paver jointing sand covers 8 m². Bunnings' DIY guide uses 50 mm of road base and 20 to 30 mm of bedding sand. The calculator opens at 100 mm of road base and 30 mm of sand: 2 m³, about 3.5 tonnes and 0.6 m³, about 0.9 tonnes for the example. Tonnes use Australian Native Landscapes' figures of 1.75 tonnes per cubic metre for road base and 1.5 for river sand. A driveway needs a deeper base and thicker pavers, so ask your paver for that.
Cost is the area multiplied by the paving row in our landscaping guide for your city, which prices the paving laid.
Source for the figures that are not prices: Austral Masonry (How to Pave guide) (road base and bedding sand depths, and jointing sand per bag); Bunnings (a DIY paving base); Adbri Masonry (How to Lay Pavers guide) (extra pavers to order); Australian Native Landscapes (tonnes per loose cubic metre), checked October 2026.
Pavers for common areas
With 5% extra for cuts.
| Area | 400 × 400 mm | 600 × 600 mm | 230 × 115 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m² | 66 pavers | 30 pavers | 397 pavers |
| 20 m² | 132 pavers | 59 pavers | 794 pavers |
| 30 m² | 197 pavers | 88 pavers | 1,191 pavers |
| 50 m² | 329 pavers | 146 pavers | 1,985 pavers |
Landscaping rates the calculator uses
These are the national figures from our landscaping price guide. Pick a city in the calculator and it switches to the same rows from that city's guide.
| Price row | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paving / pavers | $60 | $100 | $160 per m² |
Landscaping prices by city
SydneyMelbourneBrisbanePerthAdelaideGold CoastCanberraHobartDarwinNewcastleGeelongSunshine CoastTownsvilleWollongongByron Bay
Frequently asked questions
How many pavers do I need per square metre?
Divide one square metre by the area of a paver: 6.25 pavers of 400 × 400 mm, 2.8 of 600 × 600 mm or about 38 brick pavers of 230 × 115 mm, before the allowance for cuts.
How much road base do I need under pavers?
Austral Masonry says 1 m³ of gravel road base covers 10 m² at a compacted depth of 100 mm, and Bunnings' DIY guide uses 50 mm. Multiply the area by the depth in metres: the example 20 m² needs 2 m³, about 3.5 tonnes.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
Bedding sand is spread 20 to 30 mm deep under the pavers (Bunnings), and Austral Masonry says 1 m³ of washed river sand covers 30 m² at 30 mm. Jointing sand is swept into the gaps afterwards: Austral says one bag covers 8 m².
How much does paving cost per square metre?
Our national landscaping guide puts paving at $60 to $160 per square metre laid, with $100 typical. Choose your city in the calculator to use that city's figures.
What does a paving calculator work out?
The pavers to buy for the area, plus the materials underneath: road base (100 mm compacted by default), bedding sand (30 mm) and jointing sand, in cubic metres, tonnes and bags. This one also prices the paving laid from our landscaping guide.
An estimate is a starting point. Get quotes from local landscaping businesses to price your job.
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