How we work it out
Length × width gives the bare area to pave. Real paving always eats a bit more than that once you're cutting pavers to fit an edge, so we add an allowance: 5% for a simple layout in straight rows or stretcher bond, or 10% for herringbone, basket-weave or an area with a lot of curves and edges to cut around. That total is what you order pavers for, and it's also the footprint the base goes under: a 30mm compacted bedding sand layer (about 0.05 tonnes per square metre) on top of a compacted road base layer. A path or patio only needs to carry foot traffic, so 100mm of road base (about 0.17 tonnes per square metre) is enough; a driveway carries vehicle weight, so it wants roughly 150mm instead, about half as much road base again. Pick your application in the calculator above and the road base figure adjusts for you.
Worked example: a 5 m × 4 m patio (20 m² bare) in a simple layout needs 21 m² of pavers once the 5% allowance's added, 263 pavers at the common 400 × 200mm brick-paver size. Underneath that: about 1.1 tonnes of bedding sand and 3.6 tonnes of compacted road base for a 100mm patio base. In budget concrete pavers that's roughly $945 to $1,470 in materials, or $1,890 to $2,730 fully installed once a paver's labour is added.
Concrete or natural stone?
Budget concrete pavers run $45 to $70 a square metre in materials and are the cheapest to lay too, at $45 to $60/m² labour, which makes them the default for a patio, path or shed surround. Natural stone, travertine, sandstone or bluestone, costs more on both counts: $60 to $110/m² in materials and $75 to $100/m² to lay, since irregular stone takes longer to set out and cut. The trade-off is longevity and resale appeal: stone doesn't fade or chip the way a cheap concrete paver eventually can, which is why it's the common upgrade for a front entry or pool surround rather than a back path nobody sees. Pick your application in the calculator above and this turns that into a straight steer instead of leaving you to weigh it up yourself.
Common questions
How many pavers do I need?
Divide your area (with a 5–10% cutting allowance added) by the area of one paver. A 400 × 200mm paver covers 0.08 m², so a 21 m² patio needs 263 of them.
How much bedding sand and road base do I need for paving?
About 0.05 tonnes of bedding sand per square metre at the standard 30mm compacted depth. Road base is about 0.17 tonnes per square metre for a 100mm path or patio base, or roughly half as much again, about 0.26 tonnes per square metre, for a 150mm driveway base. Pick your application in the calculator above and it's worked out for you.
How much does paving cost per square metre in Australia?
Budget concrete pavers run $45 to $70/m² in materials, with labour adding a further $45 to $60/m². Natural stone like travertine or sandstone runs $60 to $110/m² in materials, with labour at $75 to $100/m² on top.
Sources
Electricity rates: AER Default Market Offer (NSW, SA, south-east QLD), Victorian Default Offer, and each remaining state's regulated tariff, current for 2026–27. Appliance figures: the energyrating.gov.au registration database (July 2026 snapshot). Methods and assumptions are described on each page.