Paver Sand Calculator
Two sands, one page: the 1-inch bedding layer under the field and the polymeric sand swept into its joints.
Paver Sand Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Rectangular beds; irregular fields compute in pieces.
- No bulk-sand delivery fee modeled in the bedding lane.
- One polymeric product class; brand rates vary.
In short: An 18 × 10 ft bed: bedding is 15 ft³ = 0.555556 yd³ by the 324 law — 30 fifty-pound sacks. Polymeric joints: 3 bags at 70 ft² each. Both lanes: $255.00 at reference prices.
Formula
bedding yd³ = ft² × in ÷ 324
bedding bags = ⌈ft³ ÷ bag size⌉
polymeric bags = ⌈ft² ÷ coverage⌉
coverage by joints: 60-75 tight, 30-40 wide
[('1 in', 'the bedding standard — 1.5 is the hard cap'), ('324', 'one yard × one inch, exact'), ('coverage', 'polymeric’s set by joint width and module'), ('coarse washed', 'concrete sand — never play sand')]
Worked Example
- Volume the bedding by the 324 law at your depth.
- Count sacks at your bag size.
- Count polymeric by coverage at your joint width.
- Price both lanes once, together.
- Check the screed rule — depth is capped, base is stone.
The 18 × 10 bed: 15 ft³ of bedding = 0.555556 yd³ = 30 fifty-pound sacks at $6 = $180.00; polymeric 3 bags at 70 ft² = $75.00. Both lanes $255.00 — and the same field feeds the Paver page’s 4.5/ft² count.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Both sand lanes priced once, together
- The 1.5-in screed cap enforced as a guard
- Coverage chips by joint width, not a single lie
Where it stops
- No bulk delivery fee in the comparison
- Rectangle take-off only
Practical Use Cases
New patios
Both sand lanes priced in one pass.
Re-jointing
Polymeric top-ups by square footage.
Bulk decisions
Sack counts vs one delivered yard.
Material runs
Exactly how many 50-lb bags to load.
Spec checks
Depth capped, sand type named.
Methodology & Editorial Standards
Bedding volume follows the exact 324 law and is REFUSED above 1.5 in — the screed rule enforced, not just noted. Bedding sacks ceiling cubic feet over bag size; polymeric bags ceiling area over entered coverage. Both lanes price separately and together. The base layer is deliberately out of scope — that is the gravel page’s compaction problem.
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Paver Sand Calculator — 10 Expert FAQs
10 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
One inch of bedding sand under the field — 100 ft² takes 8.33 ft³, about seventeen 50-lb sacks. The compacted crushed base beneath runs 4-6 inches and is a gravel-page number, not a sand one.
How many square feet does a 50-lb bag of polymeric sand cover?
It depends on joints and module: 60-75 ft² on tight 4×8 joints, 30-40 on wide joints or flagstone, up to 100 on large slabs with hairline joints. This page’s chips carry the range.
Can regular sand be used instead of polymeric?
It can be swept in, and it washes out within seasons — ants, rain and sweeps carry it off. Polymeric has binders that harden when misted, locking joints for years. For a driveway field it is not a close call.
How deep should bedding sand be?
One inch, screeded — and never more than 1.5. Deeper sand ruts and lets pavers creep; flatness comes from the compacted stone below, not a thick cushion above.
What kind of sand goes under pavers?
Coarse washed concrete sand (sometimes called paver or bedding sand) — angular grains that lock under the field. Never play sand or mason fines: rounded or dusty grains pump and shift under load.
How do you apply polymeric sand?
Dry joints, dry product: sweep it in, vibrate or tamp to settle, sweep clean of every stray grain, then mist exactly per the bag — a long light wetting that activates the binder without washing it out. One pass, then 24 hours before traffic.
How much does paver sand cost?
Fifty-pound bedding sacks run a few dollars each — enter your local quote; polymeric runs an order higher per bag for the binders. Bulk bedding sand delivered beats sacks past roughly a pallet of bags — one yard covers 324 ft² at an inch.
Does joint width really change the bag count?
More than module does — the sand fills the JOINT volume, and width drives it. A flagstone field with half-inch gaps can eat double the bags of a tight 4×8 bed of the same square footage. Pick the honest coverage chip.
Can I polymeric-sand a wet field?
No — wet sand activates in the bag and the bucket, not the joint. Bone-dry field, dry sweep, then the bag’s misting schedule. Rain inside the cure window restarts the job.
Why did my polymeric joints crack?
Usually one of three: joints swept too shallow, misting starved, or traffic inside the cure window. The sand sets as a flexible lock, not mortar — full depth, full activation, full patience.