MaterialCalc — 16x20 Paver Patio Material & Cost Calculator

Estimate prepared 10/31/2026. Estimates only; verify against your plans before ordering.

16x20 Paver Patio Material & Cost Calculator

Enter your measurements and get both numbers: how much material the job takes, and what it costs in your state.

60Calculators

09/01/2026Prices checked

5assumptions shown

Live estimate—

01 / 03Measurements

How big is it?

Measure to the outside. Round to the nearest half foot — nothing on a job site is exact.

Patio length

Patio width

16x20 is 320 square feet — a patio that seats a table of eight with room to walk behind the chairs, and the size where paver work stops being a weekend and becomes a project. About 10 tons of aggregate goes under it, which is the number that decides whether you hire this out.

Assumptions used

These are the numbers behind the result. Where one of them is soft, the cost range widens rather than pretending to a precision the data does not have.

Compacted base under pavers: 6 in
Bedding sand depth: 1 in
Crushed gravel density: 105 lb/ft³
Bedding sand density: 100 lb/ft³
Compaction allowance: 0.2

Prices verified 09/01/2026 (US national average, big-box retail shelf price and regional ready-mix quotes). Regional adjustment: Blended from RSMeans city cost index bands and BLS construction wage differentials.

The formula

320 ft² of pavers plus 15% for cuts. Base = 320 ft² × 6 in deep, converted to tons at 105 lb per cubic foot with a compaction allowance. Bedding sand = 320 ft² × 1 in. Edge restraint runs the 72 ft perimeter; polymeric sand covers about 80 ft² per bag.

Worked examples

16x20 patio on a 6 in base

Patio length 20
Patio width 16
What it carries patio
Waste 15

368 ft² of pavers to order, about 10 tons of base and 1.3 tons of sand. Plus 72 ft of edge restraint and 4 bags of joint sand.

Same patio built to driveway spec

Patio length 20
Patio width 16
What it carries driveway
Waste 15

A 9 in base pushes the stone to about 15 tons. If you might ever park on it, build it now — you cannot deepen the base later.

12x16 patio for comparison

Patio length 16
Patio width 12
What it carries patio
Waste 15

192 ft² — 40% less of everything. Still seats six, and it is genuinely a two-weekend job rather than a four.

Choosing materials

Ten tons of stone and a ton of sand, against about 2,700 lb of pavers. The aggregate outweighs the visible part four to one, and it has to be moved by wheelbarrow from wherever the truck can dump.
Excavate about 9-1/2 in: 6 in of base, 1 in of sand, and the paver thickness. That is roughly 11 cubic yards of soil out before anything goes in.
At 320 ft² a plate compactor is not optional, and neither is compacting in lifts. One pass over 6 in of loose stone compacts the top two inches and leaves the rest to settle under your patio.
Screed the sand to exactly 1 in and never compact it before laying. Using bedding sand to correct a poor base is what makes a patio wave, and at this size the waves are very visible.
Sixteen feet in one direction means a long screed run. Set your screed rails carefully — error at this length shows up as a dip you cannot fix afterwards.

Common questions

How many pavers for a 16x20 patio?

Pavers are sold by the square foot: 320 ft² plus 15% for cuts is 368 ft² to order. If your paver is 4x8 in, that is roughly 1,660 pieces, but buy by area rather than counting.

How much base for a 16x20 paver patio?

Six inches of compacted crushed stone — about 10 tons. Four inches is the minimum for foot traffic in good soil; go to eight or more if vehicles will ever be on it.

What does a 16x20 paver patio cost?

Materials including base, sand and edging typically run $2,400 to $4,000. Installed by a contractor, roughly $5,800 to $11,000 depending on paver choice and site access.

How deep do I dig for a paver patio?

Base depth plus 1 in of bedding sand plus the paver thickness — about 9-1/2 in for a patio on a 6 in base. That is roughly 11 cubic yards of soil to remove from a 16x20.

Can I build a 16x20 paver patio myself?

Yes, but budget several weekends and rent a plate compactor. The digging and the 11 tons of aggregate are the hard part; laying the pavers is the pleasant part and comes last.

How long does a paver patio last?

Thirty years or more if the base is right, and individual pavers can be lifted and reset if the ground moves. The base determines the answer almost entirely — a patio on 2 in of stone will be uneven within five years.

In this topic

Paver Patio Calculators — 2 calculators

Paver Patio CalculatorPavers, base stone, bedding sand and cost for a patio.

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