DIY paver guide
Road Base Calculator for Pavers and Patios
Road base, base rock, crushed aggregate, and paver base are often used to describe the compacted stone layer under pavers. The calculator estimates cubic yards, tons, and bags from area and depth.
Quick answer
- Use 4 inches as a common patio and walkway planning depth on stable soil.
- Use 6 inches or more for freeze-thaw exposure, poor soil, or heavier use.
- Road base is usually ordered by tons, but the calculation starts with cubic yards.
Road base depth examples
| Project type | Planning depth | 10x10 estimate | 12x16 estimate | When to confirm locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patio / walkway | 4 in | 2.17 tons | 4.17 tons | Soft soil or drainage issues |
| Freeze-thaw patio | 6 in | 3.26 tons | 6.26 tons | Frost, clay, or poor drainage |
| Light-duty paver driveway | 8 in | 4.35 tons | 8.34 tons | Any vehicle traffic |
| Repair or landing | 2-3 in | 1.09-1.63 tons | 2.09-3.13 tons | Only if base already exists |
Uses 1.6 tons per cubic yard and a 10% allowance. Vehicle areas can need engineered specifications.
Interactive estimator
Paver Base calculator
Example 10x10 patio: base is about 1.36 cu yd, 2.17 tons, or 74 half-cubic-foot bags.
Enter your own length, width, depth, density, and bag size to create a supplier order.
Road base vs paver base
For DIY patio planning, road base usually means a compactable crushed aggregate layer under the bedding sand. Some suppliers call it base rock, crusher run, class II base, or paver base.
The name matters less than the product specification. Use a compactable aggregate recommended for pavers, then enter the supplier density if it differs from the default.
How the road base calculation works
Area is length times width. Volume is area times depth. The calculator converts that volume into cubic yards, adds the waste and compaction allowance, then multiplies by density to estimate tons.
Use the bag count for small store pickup projects and the tons result for bulk landscape supplier orders.
Helpful next step
Use the complete paver material calculator when you want one combined order list for pavers, base, bedding sand, polymeric sand, edging, and cost. Use the focused calculators when you need to tune one material at a time.