# How should paver base orders separate bedding from support layers?

- Link: https://www.qtywise.com/blog/paver-base-bedding-support-layer-orders/
- Published: 2026-11-06T11:00:00-05:00
- Author: Jamie C.

## Start the order from the approved pavement section

Paver base orders should separate the supporting aggregate, bedding course and joint
material. Each item has a different location and specification in the pavement assembly.
Obtain the approved section, final levels and drainage arrangement before choosing
quantities. A calculator can measure a specified layer, but it cannot decide the
base thickness needed for the ground, climate and intended traffic.

Use the [Paver Base Calculator](https://www.qtywise.com/fencing-pavers-retaining-walls/paver-base-calculator/)
for the compacted support layer. It takes paved length and width, base extension
beyond each edge and finished compacted depth. Its optional supplier factor estimates
loose delivery volume. The tool excludes bedding sand and pavers, so the base result
must remain a separate order line.

CMHA’s PAV-TEC-009-13 is a [guide specification](https://rochestercp.com/resources/cmha-tech-notes/PAV-TEC-009-13.pdf)
for conventional interlocking concrete pavers, with editable project requirements.
It distinguishes base acceptance from bedding and joint materials. Treat its details
as guidance for that scope and verify the selected design; permeable paving, rigid
beds and other systems can use different assemblies.

## Measure the support-base boundary separately

The support base may extend beyond the paved rectangle to serve the specified edge
detail. Measure the pavers’ length and width first, then record the designed extension
on each relevant side. If the footprint is irregular, divide it into defined zones
without counting overlaps twice. A single width extension cannot describe every 
corner or restraint arrangement.

For a rectangular example with equal extension e on all four sides, base area equals(
length + 2e) × (width + 2e). Keep every length in one unit. Do not add that extension
again when the survey dimensions already reach the outside base boundary. Note which
boundary the surveyor measured on the order sheet.

In a hypothetical 20 ft by 15 ft paved area with a specified 6-inch extension on
each edge, e is 0.5 ft. The base footprint is therefore 21 × 16 = 336 sq ft. The
paved surface remains 300 sq ft. Those figures can both be correct because they 
describe different layer boundaries.

## Keep bedding and joint material specifications distinct

Bedding is the setting course immediately beneath the pavers. Joint material fills
the spaces between installed units. A supplier’s informal word “sand” does not establish
that one stockpile is suitable for both uses. Put the approved material designation
and any grading or product reference beside each quantity, including manufactured
jointing products where specified.

CMHA’s guide calls for a nominal 1-inch screeded bedding course in its stated assembly
and says additional bedding should not fill depressions in the base. Its material
requirements distinguish bedding grading from joint sand. The practical ordering
consequence is to fix an unacceptable base rather than concealing the level error
inside an increased sand quantity.

Best Way Stone’s [Canadian guide](https://bestwaystone.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pavers-on-aggregate-base.pdf)
also treats the base surface and its acceptance as prerequisites for the setting
course. Check the project’s current product instructions and local design. Do not
carry a conventional sand-bed detail into a permeable or specially engineered assembly
simply because both surfaces use concrete pavers.

## Show separate volumes in the layer order sheet

Finished layer volume equals its measured area multiplied by its specified thickness.
In the hypothetical example, a 6-inch compacted base beneath 336 sq ft gives 336
× 6 ÷ 12 = 168 cubic feet, or 168 ÷ 27 = about 6.222 compacted cubic yards. These
dimensions are assumptions for arithmetic, not a recommended pavement design.

If the example’s approved bedding course is 1 inch over the 300 sq ft paved surface,
the placed volume is 300 × 1 ÷ 12 = 25 cubic feet, or about 0.926 cubic yards. Keep
the bedding thickness basis explicit and obtain its own delivery guidance. Do not
apply the aggregate-base conversion factor to this different material without supporting
data.

| Hypothetical layer | Footprint and thickness basis | Geometric volume | 
| Support aggregate | 336 sq ft × 6 in compacted | 168 ft³ = 6.222 compacted yd³ | 
| Bedding course | 300 sq ft × 1 in specified placed depth | 25 ft³ = 0.926 placed yd³ | 
| Joint material | Actual paver joints and product coverage | Separate calculation required | 
| Pavers | 300 sq ft surface plus justified cuts | Separate piece or area order |

Confirm whether a depth on the drawing is before or after compaction. Keep measurement
state with the number in the worksheet. The word “finished” should refer to the 
completed layer identified in the section, rather than to whatever loose material
happens to be on the truck.

## Convert finished base volume to the supplied delivery state

Loose aggregate on delivery occupies a different volume from the finished compacted
layer. Obtain a material-specific supplier ratio and define its direction. If F 
is loose volume divided by compacted volume, loose volume equals compacted volume
× F. A density for another moisture or compaction condition cannot safely replace
that ratio.

Using an explicitly hypothetical supplier factor F = 1.20, the example requires 
6.222222 × 1.20 = about 7.467 loose cubic yards before a separately justified loss
allowance. The factor is an example input, not a universal 20% adjustment. A compaction
density percentage in a test specification is not a volume-loss percentage.

Enter the factor once in the [Paver Base Calculator](https://www.qtywise.com/fencing-pavers-retaining-walls/paver-base-calculator/)
and retain the supplier’s basis with the result. If the supplier quotes by mass,
use a density for the same loose material and condition. Keep moisture, rounding
and minimum delivery increments visible. Do not add another “compaction allowance”
to a figure that already represents loose order volume.

## Reconcile delivery units, storage and acceptance

Issue separate lines for aggregate, bedding and joint material, with product designation,
quantity basis, purchase unit and delivery location. Confirm which quoted prices
include haulage, part-load charges and tax. A cheaper price per tonne for an unsuitable
material is not a comparable substitute for the specified order.

Plan storage so materials can be identified and kept from contamination. CMHA’s 
guide includes protection from mud, dirt and foreign material. Ask who checks the
delivered material, base levels and required test records before bedding starts.
Identify the party authorized to accept a substitute rather than leaving that decision
to the delivery driver.

 * Attach the approved section and label every depth by state.
 * Measure base extensions separately from the paved area.
 * Name the bedding and joint products on different lines.
 * Record supplier volume factors and matching density data.
 * Reconcile receipts against each layer, not a combined truck total.

Retain the [Paver Base Calculator](https://www.qtywise.com/fencing-pavers-retaining-walls/paver-base-calculator/)
worksheet with the layer schedule and supplier confirmations. Revise the affected
layer when boundaries or design depths change. Keep bedding, joint material, pavers,
excavation and labor visible as separate parts of the paving scope.