How Much Paver Base for a 12x16 Patio?
How much paver base for a 12x16 patio: about 3.3 tons at 4 inches compacted, or 5.0 tons at 6 inches. The patio is 192 square feet.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 2.37 | 3.3 | 128 |
| 5 in | 2.96 | 4.1 | 160 |
| 6 in | 3.56 | 5.0 | 192 |
| 8 in | 4.74 | 6.6 | 256 |
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 12x16 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.
Bags or bulk
At 4 inches this is about 128 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 12x16 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.
Measuring the patio
Measure the patio in feet and multiply for square feet. For L-shapes or curves, split the area into rectangles and circles and add them. Mark the outline with paint or string first so your numbers match the real layout.
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
Many DIY patios settle because the base was not compacted in lifts. Others use more than an inch of sand or skip the slope away from the house. Keep the sand bed thin and even.
Questions people ask
How many tons of paver base for a 12x16 patio?
About 3.3 tons at 4 inches or 5.0 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 12x16 patio?
About 128 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 12x12 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for a 12x14 Patio?
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