Paver sand calculator for Maine
Purchase bedding sand by the ton and joint sand by the bag. They do different work, even though they are often lumped together.
Enter your project dimensions
For a 300-square-foot patio, plan roughly 1.25 tons of bedding sand, while the joints need just 4-8 bags. These uses share a name but differ by a twenty-fold amount. Below, the calculator estimates a 1 inch layer of coarse bedding sand using 1.35 tons per cubic yard. The chart beneath it calculates joint fill, including coverage for each 50 lb bag of polymeric sand.
Two separate calculations
- Bedding: calculate the paved surface, including the base's 6-inch overhang, at exactly 1 inch deep. Do not add depth, since a thick bed can leave pavers unsteady later.
- For joints, calculate bags rather than tons. Typical 1/8 to 1/4 inch joints use 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 |
Joint width and paver thickness affect coverage. Read the bag chart, then round upward. Save extra sand for the first wash-in, since joints can settle a quarter inch.
Bedding rules for the wheelbarrow
- Set pipes or rails to one inch, screed the layer, and fill each track as you place pavers.
- Use angular, coarse mason or concrete-grade sand. Rounded play sand moves under load, in the bedding layer and in the joints.
- Do not compact bedding before setting pavers. Compact the completed paver surface instead, allowing the pavers to seat into the sand.
- Stay off the screeded layer. Work forward from pavers already in place.
- Screenings make a firmer bed, but leveling them is less forgiving than leveling sand. Use one material throughout the surface.
Plain or polymeric joint sand
After wetting, polymeric sand sets up and helps joints resist weeds, ants, and rain. It costs several times more per bag, requires completely dry conditions, and a stray sprinkle can ruin an entire application. Fine plain mason sand is inexpensive, installs quickly, and needs more added every season or two. Use polymeric for sloped, heavily used, and driveway pavers. Mason sand works for a level garden path. In either case, use plain coarse sand below the pavers because polymeric belongs only in the joints.
The joint re-sanding schedule
Rain, ants, and leaf blowers carry joint sand away. Plain mason sand usually needs another sweep every year or two, while polymeric can last 5-10 years before joint edges open. Work on a dry day: sweep it in, compact it, then mist. Use a low leaf-blower setting near filled joints.
Example: a 20 x 15 patio
Bedding: allow about 320 square feet including overhang. At 1 inch, that is 27 cubic feet, or 1 cubic yard and 1.35 tons. Order 1.5 tons of mason sand. Joints: for 300 square feet of standard joints, plan on 4-8 bags of polymeric or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Under both layers, use a 4-plus ton crusher run base sized with the Paver Base Calculator. Cover the site sand pile with a tarp. Damp-to-dry sand screeds well; soaked sand does not.
Bedding and joint sand guide
How do I figure paver sand quantity?
What coverage comes from a 50 lb polymeric sand bag?
Are 2 inches of sand too deep for pavers?
What is the weight of 1 yard of paver sand?
What should I do if ordinary joint sand washes away?
Does paver sand equal play sand?
More calculators
One ton of bedding replaces 25 bags.
Mason and washed sand are delivered free. Use bags for the polymeric sweep.