How Much Paver Base for a 16x24 Patio?
How much paver base for a 16x24 patio: about 6.6 tons at 4 inches compacted, or 10.0 tons at 6 inches. The patio is 384 square feet.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Paver base by depth
| Base depth | Cubic yards | Tons | 0.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 4.74 | 6.6 | 256 |
| 5 in | 5.93 | 8.3 | 320 |
| 6 in | 7.11 | 10.0 | 384 |
| 8 in | 9.48 | 13.3 | 512 |
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 16x24 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 256 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 16x24 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.
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.
Questions people ask
How many tons of paver base for a 16x24 patio?
About 6.6 tons at 4 inches or 10.0 at 6 inches.
How many bags of paver base for a 16x24 patio?
About 256 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 16x16 Patio?
- How Much Paver Base for a 16x20 Patio?
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