Sandstone Paver Sizes and Thickness: Which Size for Which Job

Sandstone pavers are usually 50mm thick for paths, patios and pool surrounds, and 75–100mm for driveways. Popular sawn sizes are 400x400mm, 600x400mm and 600x600mm, and outdoor tiles also come in 300x300mm and 600x300mm at 30mm thick. Any sawn size can be cut to order. Weight follows thickness: about 115kg per m² at 50mm and 230kg per m² at 100mm.

• Foot traffic: 50mm pavers or flagging.
• Driveways: 75mm minimum for cars, 100mm for heavier vehicles or steep drives.
• Over a slab: 30mm outdoor tiles; 20mm honed tiles indoors.
• Popular sizes: 400x400, 600x400 and 600x600mm; custom sizes cut to order.
• Weight: 2,300kg per m³, so thickness in metres x 2,300 gives kg per m².

What sizes do sandstone pavers come in?

Product	Thickness	Sizes	Typical use	Guide price
Sawn all round pavers	50mm	Cut to size; 400x400, 600x400, 600x600mm popular	Formal patios, entries, pool areas, interiors	From $120/m²
Sawn modular paving	50, 75 or 100mm	Modular mixed sizes	Large patios, commercial areas, driveways	From $65/m² (50mm)
Outdoor tiles	30mm	300x300, 400x400, 600x300, 600x400, 600x600mm, custom	Patios, pool surrounds, balconies over a slab	From $110/m²
Indoor tiles	20mm honed	300x300 to 600x600mm	Living areas, kitchens, bathrooms	By quote
Hydrasplit paving	50mm	Split to any width; 150mm strips common	Linear paving, edging, capping	From $95/m²
Sawn flagging	50, 75 or 100mm	Irregular pieces	Crazy paving, paths, courtyards	From $85/m² (50mm)
Handsplit flagging	Thin 30–50, regular 50–75, track 75–100mm	Irregular, 10m² pallets	Heritage paving, cladding, driveways	By quote

Guide prices are for stone only, ex-quarry at Glenorie. Thicker stone costs more per square metre because there is more stone in it: a 100mm paver contains twice the stone of a 50mm one.

How thick should sandstone pavers be?

50mm: paths, patios and pool surrounds

The standard thickness for anything walked on. 50mm pavers can be laid on a compacted crushed-rock base with a 20–30mm sand bed, or bedded in mortar on a slab. They suit patios, paths, courtyards, stepping stones and pool surrounds.

75–100mm: driveways and vehicle areas

Use 75mm minimum where cars drive and 100mm for heavier vehicles, steep driveways or where the base is less certain, always on a vehicle-rated base. Our sandstone driveway guide covers the build-up underneath.

20–30mm: tiles over a slab

Tiles are thinner because a concrete slab or screed carries the load. Outdoor tiles at 30mm suit balconies, alfresco areas and pool surrounds built on a slab; honed indoor tiles at 20mm suit floors. They are bedded in adhesive or mortar on the slab, not on sand. Our guide to sandstone tiles indoors and outdoors covers tile finishes and installation.

How much do sandstone pavers weigh?

Sandstone weighs about 2,300kg per cubic metre, so the weight per square metre is the thickness in metres times 2,300:

Thickness	Weight per m²	One 600x600mm piece	One 400x400mm piece
20mm	About 46kg	About 17kg	About 7kg
30mm	About 69kg	About 25kg	About 11kg
50mm	About 115kg	About 41kg	About 18kg
75mm	About 173kg	About 62kg	About 28kg
100mm	About 230kg	About 83kg	About 37kg

Weights are calculated and rounded; real stone varies by a few per cent. A 30m² patio in 50mm pavers is about 3.5 tonnes of stone, so plan where the truck will unload. Our sandstone delivery guide lists pallet weights.

Which paver size suits my space?

• Small courtyards: large pavers in a simple stack bond, or a 45° diagonal, tend to make a small space feel larger because there are fewer joints.
• Narrow paths: rectangles such as 600x400mm laid with the long side across the path make it feel wider.
• Large patios: 600x600mm or modular mixed sizes in French pattern or random ashlar avoid a grid look over a big area.
• Curved or irregular areas: smaller formats or flagging reduce the number of awkward cuts.
• Stepping stones: 400x400mm up to 600x600mm at 50mm thick. See our stepping stones guide.

Our guide to sandstone paving patterns shows how each size and layout looks.

Are large-format pavers harder to lay?

Large pavers have advantages: fewer joints, fewer cuts in a simple layout and a calm, open look. They also need more care. A 600x600mm paver bridges more of the base, so the base must be flat and well compacted or the paver rocks. At 50mm thick it weighs about 41kg, so a two-person lift is sensible, and Safe Work Australia advises team lifts or mechanical aids for heavy loads. Our step-by-step guide to how to lay sandstone pavers covers base depths and bedding.

How many pavers do I need?

Work in square metres rather than pieces. Measure the area, then add an allowance for cuts: about 5% for stack bond, 5–7% for stretcher bond, 5–10% for French pattern and random ashlar, and 10–15% for herringbone, diagonal and crazy paving. If you want a piece count, divide the area by the area of one paver: a 600x600mm paver covers 0.36m², so 20m² is about 56 pavers before the allowance. The paver calculator does the sums and adds the base material.

How do I keep one look across paving, steps and coping?

Most outdoor areas use more than one thickness: 50mm paving on the patio, 30–40mm coping around the pool, 30–50mm treads on the steps and 75–100mm stone on the driveway. To keep them looking like one design:

• Order from one colour batch. Pavers, coping, treads and capping cut from the same quarry run match in colour.
• Use the same finish on walking surfaces. A sawn or sandblasted face on the patio, coping and steps reads as one surface; keep honed finishes for covered or indoor areas.
• Plan the levels. Where a 30mm tile meets a 50mm paver, the bedding must make up the 20mm difference so the surfaces finish flush.
• Repeat a module. Coping cut at 400mm wide sits neatly beside 400x400mm or 600x400mm pavers, so joints line up around the pool.

Our pool coping guide covers coping profiles and widths, and how to build sandstone steps covers tread sizes.

Can I get a custom size?

Yes. Sawn all round pavers and outdoor tiles are cut to size at the Glenorie quarry, so a size that suits your layout, a step landing or a long linear plank can be cut to order. Send the sizes and the quantity of each. Our guide to sandstone cut to size explains how to write a cutting list.

Get your quote from Stone Front

Stone Front saws its own pavers and tiles at Glenorie, in standard sizes or cut to your dimensions, and delivers across greater Sydney. Get an exact quote from Stone Front: tell us the product, quantity and your suburb at stonefront.com.au/get-a-quote and we usually reply the same business day. Tell us the size, thickness and finish you want, or describe the area and we will suggest them. See the paving range on our sandstone pavers Sydney page.