Paver sand calculator for Washington
Order the bedding layer by the ton and joint fill by the bag. They are two distinct uses for sand, though they are often bought together.
Enter your project dimensions
For a 300-square-foot patio, plan on about 1.25 tons for the bedding course, but just 4-8 bags for the joints. Both materials are called sand, yet the amount needed differs about twenty-fold. Use the calculator below for an exactly 1 inch coarse-sand layer, figured at 1.35 tons per cubic yard. The chart below that estimates joint material, including coverage for each 50 lb polymeric bag.
Two separate calculations
- For bedding, calculate the paved area plus the base's 6-inch overhang at exactly 1 inch deep. A thicker bed can later allow the pavers to wobble.
- For joints, calculate bags rather than tons. A 50 lb bag covers 40-75 square feet when joints are 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide.
Joint bags (50 lb) ≈ Area ÷ 40-75 for standard joints
Bagged joint sand
| Patio size | Standard joints (1/8-1/4") | Wide joints (3/8"+) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 2-3 bags | 4-5 bags |
| 200 sq ft | 3-5 bags | 7-10 bags |
| 300 sq ft | 4-8 bags | 10-15 bags |
| 500 sq ft | 7-13 bags | 17-25 bags |
Paver thickness and joint width change the coverage, so follow the bag label and round upward. Save the remainder for the quarter inch of settling that can occur after the first wash-in.
Bedding rules for paver work
- Keep the bed at one inch and screed it using pipes or rails. As pavers are placed, fill the rail channels.
- Use only coarse, angular mason or concrete-grade sand. In bedding or joints, rounded play sand can move when loaded.
- Leave the bedding uncompacted before laying pavers. Compact the completed surface instead, which seats the pavers into the sand.
- Stay off the screeded bedding. Set pavers while standing on pavers already placed.
- Compared with sand, screenings make a firmer bedding layer but give less room for leveling adjustments. Use one material throughout the surface.
Plain or polymeric sand for joints
Once wetted, polymeric sand sets up and helps keep weeds, ants, and rain from affecting the joints. It costs several times more per bag, requires a bone-dry surface, and a mist at the wrong time can ruin the entire sweep. Fine mason sand is inexpensive and quick to install, but typically needs more added every season or two. Use polymeric for sloping areas, driveways, and heavily used pavers. A level garden path can use mason sand. Under either choice, the bedding is plain coarse sand because polymeric material belongs only in joints.
The joint re-sanding interval
Joint material gradually disappears from rain, ants, and leaf blowers. Refresh plain mason sand every year or two, while polymeric can last 5-10 years before the joint edges open. Work on a dry day: sweep in the sand, compact it, then mist. Keep the leaf blower on a low setting around filled joints.
Example: a 20 x 15 patio
Bedding covers about 320 square feet after allowing for the overhang. At 1 inch deep, that is 27 cubic feet, or 1 cubic yard and 1.35 tons. Order 1.5 tons of mason sand. For 300 square feet of standard joints, use 4-8 bags of polymeric or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Below both layers, allow 4-plus tons of crusher run, sized with the base calculator. Keep the site pile under a tarp; damp-to-dry sand screeds cleanly, but soaked sand does not.
Paver bedding and joint sand
How much paver sand do I need to calculate?
What coverage does a 50 lb bag of polymeric sand provide?
Are 2 inches of sand excessive under pavers?
What is the weight of 1 yard of paver sand?
What can I do if ordinary joint sand keeps washing out?
Does paver sand match play sand?
More calculators
Bulk bedding sand instead of 25 bags
Mason and washed sand are delivered free; use bags for the polymeric joint sweep.