Planning a new patio, walkway, or driveway often involves calculating the number of materials needed. For brick pavers, this means determining the total area to be covered, the size of individual pavers, and accounting for potential waste during installation. This calculator simplifies that process, providing an estimate of the number of pavers required and the total cost.
How the Calculation Works
The brick paver calculator uses a straightforward, multi-step process:
Area Calculation: First, the total area of your project is calculated in square feet. This is done by multiplying the length of the area by its width.
Formula: Area (sq ft) = Area Length (ft) × Area Width (ft)
Paver Area Calculation: Next, the area of a single paver is determined. Since paver dimensions are typically given in inches, they are converted to feet before calculating the area.
Formula: Paver Area (sq ft) = (Paver Length (in) / 12) × (Paver Width (in) / 12)
Number of Pavers Needed (Base): The total area is then divided by the area of a single paver to find out how many pavers are needed to cover the surface without any waste.
Formula: Base Pavers = Total Area (sq ft) / Paver Area (sq ft)
Accounting for Waste: It's crucial to order extra pavers to account for cuts, breakage, and mistakes during installation. The waste factor (expressed as a percentage) is applied to the base number of pavers.
Formula: Total Pavers = Base Pavers × (1 + (Waste Factor (%) / 100))
Total Cost Calculation: Finally, the total number of pavers required is multiplied by the cost per paver to estimate the total material cost.
Formula: Total Cost = Total Pavers × Cost per Paver ($)
When to Use This Calculator
This calculator is ideal for:
Homeowners planning DIY patio or walkway projects.
Landscaping professionals estimating material needs for clients.
Anyone looking to budget for a brick paver installation.
By inputting your project dimensions and paver details, you can quickly get an estimate to help with purchasing and planning. Remember that actual paver counts may vary slightly based on the specific laying pattern and site conditions.
function calculatePavers() {
var areaLength = parseFloat(document.getElementById("areaLength").value);
var areaWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("areaWidth").value);
var paverLength = parseFloat(document.getElementById("paverLength").value);
var paverWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("paverWidth").value);
var paverCost = parseFloat(document.getElementById("paverCost").value);
var wasteFactor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("wasteFactor").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
// Input validation
if (isNaN(areaLength) || areaLength <= 0 ||
isNaN(areaWidth) || areaWidth <= 0 ||
isNaN(paverLength) || paverLength <= 0 ||
isNaN(paverWidth) || paverWidth <= 0 ||
isNaN(paverCost) || paverCost < 0 || // Cost can be 0, but not negative
isNaN(wasteFactor) || wasteFactor < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields (except cost which can be 0).";
return;
}
// Calculations
var totalAreaSqFt = areaLength * areaWidth;
var paverAreaSqFt = (paverLength / 12) * (paverWidth / 12);
var basePaversNeeded = totalAreaSqFt / paverAreaSqFt;
var totalPaversWithWaste = basePaversNeeded * (1 + (wasteFactor / 100));
var totalCost = totalPaversWithWaste * paverCost;
// Display results
resultDiv.innerHTML =
"Total Pavers Needed: " + Math.ceil(totalPaversWithWaste).toLocaleString() +
"Estimated Total Cost: $" + totalCost.toFixed(2).toLocaleString() + "";
}