How Much Paver Base for a 12x12 Patio?
How much paver base for a 12x12 patio: about 2.5 tons at 4 inches compacted, or 3.7 tons at 6 inches. The patio is 144 square feet.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 1.78 | 2.5 | 96 |
| 5 in | 2.22 | 3.1 | 120 |
| 6 in | 2.67 | 3.7 | 144 |
| 8 in | 3.56 | 5.0 | 192 |
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 12x12 Patio?
Choosing base depth
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.
Bags or bulk
At 4 inches this is about 96 small bags, which is a lot of lifting. Bulk paver base or crushed stone with fines (often sold as crusher run, road base or 3/4 minus) costs far less per ton.
Related: How Many Pavers for a 12x12 Patio?
Compaction
Spread the base in 2 to 3 inch lifts, dampen it and run a plate compactor over each lift. Slope the base about 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot away from the house. Then screed 1 inch of bedding sand on top.
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.
Common mistakes
Skimping on base depth, skipping compaction and using too much bedding sand are the most common errors. Thick sand shifts and causes dips. Another is forgetting edge restraint, which lets pavers creep outward over time.
Ordering materials
Pavers often come by the pallet, and a pallet’s coverage is printed on the product sheet. Order base and sand at the same time to save delivery fees. Keep a few extra pavers from the same batch for future repairs, since color can vary between batches.
Questions people ask
How many tons of paver base for a 12x12 patio?
About 2.5 tons at 4 inches or 3.7 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 12x12 patio?
About 96 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 a 10x16 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for a 10x20 Patio?
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