How Much Paver Base for a 12x20 Patio?
How much paver base for a 12x20 patio: about 4.1 tons at 4 inches compacted, or 6.2 tons at 6 inches. The patio is 240 square feet.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 2.96 | 4.1 | 160 |
| 5 in | 3.70 | 5.2 | 200 |
| 6 in | 4.44 | 6.2 | 240 |
| 8 in | 5.93 | 8.3 | 320 |
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 12x20 Patio?
4 or 6 inches?
Four inches of compacted base is standard for a walk-on patio on well-drained soil. Use 6 inches or more on clay, in freeze-thaw climates or where a car or heavy grill cart might roll. See how deep paver base should be.
Buying base
Bagged base adds up fast: around 160 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 12x20 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
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.
Slope and drainage
Patios should slope away from the house about 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot so water does not pool against the foundation. Build the slope into the compacted base so the sand bed and pavers stay a consistent thickness.
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 12x20 patio?
About 4.1 tons at 4 inches or 6.2 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 12x20 patio?
About 160 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 12x16 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for a 12x18 Patio?
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