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Hardscape Area & Base Calculator

Work out surface area, sub-base and bedding sand for a patio, path or driveway in one pass.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax
19.69 ft13.12 ft0.1 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.
Who is doing the work?

The standard allowance most suppliers and estimating guides assume for ordinary work.

Paving area

284.17 ft²

Check your inputs

Sub-base includes a 25% compaction allowance. Depths follow common guidance and should give way to a specific specification where one exists.

Net paved area
258.33 ft²
Sub-base depth
3.94 in
Sub-base to order (loose)
3.92 yd³
Sub-base weight
10582.19 lb
Bedding sand
0.94 yd³
Area in ft²
284.17 ft²

For the dimensions entered, expect a paving area of 26.4 m². Of the working steps, net paved area dominates at 24 m². Note that length and width sit at the edge of the range this calculator was checked against, so treat the output as indicative rather than settled. Moderate confidence — sound arithmetic, but allow for the variation any real site introduces. Set for United States against IRC 2024. The market selector changes both the units and the code cited.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Sub-base depth: 100 mm compacted for pedestrian paving, 150-200 mm for vehicular — BS 7533 and ICPI guidance
  • Bedding layer 25-40 mm of sharp sand, screeded and not compacted before laying — ICPI Tech Spec 2

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

How deep should the sub-base be?
100 mm compacted for foot traffic, 150 mm for a car driveway, 200 mm where vehicles are heavy or frequent. On soft or clay ground go deeper and add a geotextile separator — without one the stone migrates into the subgrade and the surface settles from below, which no amount of surface repair fixes.
Should the bedding sand be compacted before laying?
No. Screed it level and lay onto it uncompacted; the units are vibrated in afterwards, which consolidates the bedding evenly under load. Compacting first produces hard and soft patches and the paving follows them.
Why does the sub-base quantity exceed the excavation volume?
Because it is delivered loose and used compacted — about 25% is lost to consolidation. The figure here is what to order; the depth quoted is what you finish with after rolling.