How Much Paver Base for a 12x24 Patio?
How much paver base for a 12x24 patio: about 5.0 tons at 4 inches compacted, or 7.5 tons at 6 inches. The patio is 288 square feet.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 3.56 | 5.0 | 192 |
| 5 in | 4.44 | 6.2 | 240 |
| 6 in | 5.33 | 7.5 | 288 |
| 8 in | 7.11 | 10.0 | 384 |
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 12x24 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.
Bags or bulk
Bagged base adds up fast: around 192 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 12x24 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.
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.
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.
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.
Questions people ask
How many tons of paver base for a 12x24 patio?
About 5.0 tons at 4 inches or 7.5 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 12x24 patio?
About 192 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 12x18 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for a 12x20 Patio?
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