How many paving bricks in a pallet in South Africa? Usually 500 to 600 bricks, covering 10 to 12 square metres. The exact count depends on the brick size and thickness, because pallets are packed to a weight limit rather than a fixed number.
Getting this maths right before you order saves two expensive mistakes: running short halfway and being stuck with two spare pallets you cannot return.
Bricks per square metre by size
Start here. Everything else follows from the coverage rate.
- Bevel paver, 200 x 100 x 50mm: 50 bricks per m2
- Twin cobble, 200 x 100mm: 50 bricks per m2
- Interlocking paver: about 48 bricks per m2
- Cottage paver, 200 x 150 x 50mm: about 33.3 bricks per m2
- Ubuntu or square cobble, 150 x 150 x 60mm: about 44 bricks per m2
- 600 x 600 slab: 2.78 slabs per m2
The rule of thumb of 50 bricks per square metre holds for the standard 200 x 100 format that most Cape Town driveways use. It does not hold for larger formats, and using it on cottage pavers will make you order 50 percent too many.
The formula
Bricks per square metre is simply 1 divided by the area of one brick in square metres.
- Convert the brick face to metres: 200mm x 100mm becomes 0.2m x 0.1m.
- Multiply for the area: 0.2 x 0.1 = 0.02 m2.
- Divide 1 by that: 1 / 0.02 = 50 bricks per m2.
For a 600 x 600 slab: 0.6 x 0.6 = 0.36 m2, and 1 / 0.36 = 2.78 slabs per m2. The same three steps work for any format.
How many paving bricks in a pallet by type
Published South African pallet quantities from suppliers:
- 50mm bevel paver: 600 bricks, 12 m2 per pallet
- 50mm rectangular paver: 594 bricks, 12.37 m2 per pallet
- 60mm interlocking paver: 500 bricks, 10 m2 per pallet
- 80mm interlocking paver: 486 bricks, 10.23 m2 per pallet
- 50mm Tuscan cobble: 312 bricks, 13 m2 per pallet
Notice that the brick count drops as thickness rises but coverage stays near 10 to 12 m2. That is the weight limit at work — a loaded pallet is roughly a tonne regardless of what is on it.
Do not assume, confirm
Pallet quantities are not standardised across South African manufacturers. One yard’s 50mm bevel pallet is 600 bricks and another’s is 594. Always take the coverage figure off the supplier’s own product listing for the exact brick you are buying.
Working out your order
Four steps, in this order.
- Measure the area in square metres. Split odd shapes into rectangles and add them up.
- Add a waste allowance. 5 percent is the standard suppliers recommend; use 10 percent for diagonal or herringbone patterns and awkward shapes.
- Multiply by the bricks per m2 for your chosen paver.
- Divide by the pallet coverage and round up to a whole pallet.
A worked example on a 40 m2 single driveway in 60mm interlock: 40 m2 plus 5 percent is 42 m2. At 48 bricks per m2 that is 2,016 bricks. At 10 m2 per pallet you need 4.2 pallets, so you order 5.
Why waste allowance is not optional
- Cuts. Every edge, kerb and manhole needs bricks cut, and the offcut is usually unusable.
- Breakage. Some bricks arrive chipped and some break on the cutter.
- Pattern loss. Herringbone at 45 degrees generates far more cutting than a straight stretcher bond.
- Future repairs. Keeping a few spares from the same batch matters, because concrete colour differs between production runs.
Running short is the expensive failure. A second delivery for half a pallet can cost more than the bricks, and the replacement batch may not match. Delivery within 125km runs R1,200 to R5,700 in total. Paver strength classes and laying guidance come from the Concrete Manufacturers Association.
Pallet prices and what they mean per m2
- 60mm interlock, 10 m2, around R1,245: about R125 per m2
- 50mm bevel SANS 1058, 12 m2, R1,400 to R1,870: about R117 to R156 per m2
- 80mm interlock, 10.23 m2, around R2,730: about R267 per m2
Pallet buying beats loose retail on a per-brick basis, which is why the full paving bricks prices comparison is worth reading before you commit. Remember these are supply figures only.
Where the site has to help
You need a firm, level and reachable spot for the pallets. A tonne of bricks will sink into soft lawn and a truck cannot always get down a narrow Cape Town driveway. Ask about offloading before delivery day, because a crane offload is an extra cost.
Once you know the quantities, the installed rate is the other half of the budget: paving runs R390 to R680 per m2 fitted, as set out in our paving prices guide. If you are choosing between formats, the concrete pavers buying guide compares shapes and thicknesses.
We will measure the area and confirm quantities as part of a free assessment, with no call-out fee. See the paving services page or send us your dimensions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how many bricks I need for paving?
Measure the area in square metres, add 5 percent for cuts and breakage, then multiply by the bricks per square metre for your paver — 50 for a standard 200 x 100 x 50mm bevel, about 48 for interlock, and 33.3 for a larger cottage paver. Divide the total by the pallet coverage and round up to a whole pallet.
How many square meters does 1000 paving bricks cover?
About 20 square metres for standard 200 x 100 x 50mm bevel pavers at 50 bricks per square metre, or roughly 21 square metres for interlocking pavers at 48 per square metre. Larger cottage pavers at 200 x 150 x 50mm cover about 30 square metres for the same 1,000 bricks because fewer are needed per metre.
How much does a pallet of paving bricks cost?
Roughly R1,245 to R2,200 including VAT for common concrete pavers in 2026. A 60mm interlock pallet covering 10 square metres is around R1,245, a 50mm bevel pallet covering 12 square metres runs R1,400 to R1,870, and thicker 80mm interlock reaches about R2,730. Delivery is charged separately.
How many paving bricks per m2 in South Africa?
Fifty bricks per square metre is the standard figure for the common 200 x 100 x 50mm bevel and twin cobble formats. Interlocking pavers need about 48 per square metre, square 150 x 150mm cobbles about 44, and larger 200 x 150mm cottage pavers only about 33.3. Always check the supplier’s own coverage figure.
How much is a pallet of paving?
Most concrete paving pallets in South Africa run between R1,245 and R2,730 including VAT, depending on thickness and finish. What you are really buying is 10 to 12 square metres of coverage, so compare pallets on the rate per square metre rather than the headline pallet price — that ranges from about R117 to R267 per square metre.