Paver sand calculator for Arkansas
Measure bedding by tons and joint material by bags. They serve separate purposes, even though they are often purchased together.
Enter your project dimensions
On a 300-square-foot patio, bedding takes about 1.25 tons, while joint fill needs just 4-8 bags. Both are sand, but the required amounts differ by about twenty times. The calculator below measures bedding at exactly 1 inch of coarse sand, using 1.35 tons per cubic yard. Use the chart below that for joints and polymeric coverage by 50 lb bag.
Two separate calculations
- Start bedding calculations with the paved area plus the base's 6-inch overhang, using exactly 1 inch of sand. A deeper bed can lead to loose, rocking pavers.
- For joints, calculate bags, not tons. With standard 1/8 to 1/4 inch joints, plan one 50 lb bag for 40-75 square feet.
Joint bags (50 lb) ≈ Area ÷ 40-75 for standard joints
Bagged joint sand
| Patio size | Standard joints (1/8-1/4") | Wide joints (3/8"+) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 2-3 bags | 4-5 bags |
| 200 sq ft | 3-5 bags | 7-10 bags |
| 300 sq ft | 4-8 bags | 10-15 bags |
| 500 sq ft | 7-13 bags | 17-25 bags |
Paver depth and the width of each joint alter coverage. Follow the bag label, then round up. Save remaining joint sand for the first wash-in, since joints may drop a quarter inch as they settle.
Bedding rules for the wheelbarrow
- Set rails or pipes, screed to one inch, and fill the resulting grooves as each paver is installed.
- Use only coarse, angular mason or concrete-grade sand. Fine, rounded play sand can move under load in the bedding layer and the joints.
- Keep bedding uncompacted before installation. Compact after the pavers are set, so they seat into the sand bed.
- Keep off the screeded bedding. Work forward from the pavers already in place.
- Compared with sand, screenings create a firmer bed but give less room for leveling adjustments. Use the same bedding material over the entire area.
Plain or polymeric joint sand
Water activates polymeric sand, which firms the joints against weeds, ants, and rain. It costs several times more per bag, requires bone-dry installation, and a badly timed sprinkle can spoil the full sweep. Fine mason sand is low cost, quick to sweep into joints, and needs more added every season or two. Use polymeric on slopes, driveways, and high-traffic pavers. Mason sand suits a flat garden path. The bedding layer remains plain coarse sand under either choice; polymeric belongs only in the joints.
The joint-sand maintenance schedule
Joint fill can disappear through rain, ants, or leaf blowers. Add plain mason sand with a sweep every year or two. Polymeric commonly holds 5-10 years before joint edges begin opening. Work on a dry day, compact, and mist. Use a lower leaf-blower setting around filled joints. A nozzle can remove joint sand from a patio over time.
Example: a 20 x 15 patio
For bedding, include roughly 320 square feet after adding the overhang. At 1 inch, the volume is 27 cubic feet, equal to 1 cubic yard or 1.35 tons. Purchase 1.5 tons of mason sand. For joints, 300 square feet of standard joints requires 4-8 bags of polymeric or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Beneath both layers, use a 4-plus ton crusher run base sized with the Paver Base Calculator. Cover the on-site sand pile with a tarp. Sand that is damp-to-dry screeds cleanly, while soaked material does not.
Paver bedding and joint sand guide
How much sand do I need for pavers?
How much area will a 50 lb bag of polymeric sand cover?
Are 2 inches of sand excessive under pavers?
What does 1 yard of paver sand weigh?
What can I do when regular sand washes from joints?
Does paver sand match play sand?
More calculators
One ton of bedding is preferable to 25 bags.
Use mason or washed sand for bedding, and reserve bags for polymeric joint sand.