How Much Paver Base for a 10x10 Patio?
For a 10 by 10 foot patio (100 square feet), 4 inches of compacted paver base is 1.23 cubic yards, about 1.7 tons. That covers how much paver base for a 10x10 patio in most mild climates.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 1.23 | 1.7 | 67 |
| 5 in | 1.54 | 2.2 | 84 |
| 6 in | 1.85 | 2.6 | 100 |
| 8 in | 2.47 | 3.5 | 134 |
Tons use about 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Bag counts assume 0.5 cubic foot bags, a common size for bagged paver base; check yours.
Related: How Much Gravel for a 10x10 Patio?
4 or 6 inches?
Patios that only see foot traffic usually get 4 inches. Clay soil, poor drainage and cold winters call for 6 inches. Driveways need much more. See how deep paver base should be.
Buying base
Bagged base adds up fast: around 67 bags here. A bulk load of 3/4 minus or crusher run does the same job for much less.
Related: How Many Pavers for a 10x10 Patio?
Compaction
Compact in thin lifts with a plate compactor, keeping a slight slope for drainage. The finished base should be firm and flat before the 1-inch sand bed goes down.
Ordering materials
Buy pavers from one production run where possible so the color matches. Ask how many square feet a pallet covers and whether partial pallets are sold. Bulk base and sand delivered together usually beat bagged products on cost.
Slope and drainage
Set string lines with a slight fall away from the building before compacting the base. A consistent slope is much easier to build into the base than to fix in the sand layer.
Measuring the patio
Lay out the patio with stakes and string, square it with the 3-4-5 method and measure. Measure out to the edge restraint, since base should extend a few inches beyond the pavers on each side.
Questions people ask
How many tons of paver base for a 10x10 patio?
About 1.7 tons at 4 inches or 2.6 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 10x10 patio?
About 67 half-cubic-foot bags at 4 inches.
How thick should paver base be?
About 4 inches for patios, 6 or more for clay or cold climates.
What can I use as paver base?
Crushed stone with fines, such as 3/4 minus, crusher run or road base.
How much sand goes under pavers?
About 1 inch of bedding sand over the compacted base.
Related guides
- How Many Pavers per Square Foot? Size Chart
- How Much Paver Base Do I Need? Depth and Tons
- How Deep Should Paver Base Be? Patio vs Driveway
- How Much Sand for Pavers? Bedding and Joint Sand
- Paver Edge Restraint: Types and How to Install It
- How Much Does a Pallet of Pavers Weigh?
- How Much Paver Base for an 8x8 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for an 8x10 Patio?
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