Types
Types of block paving: 40 to 100mm
Block paving differs mainly in thickness, size and shape. You pick the thickness by load: 40–50mm for a footpath or patio, 60–80mm for a yard or driveway, 80mm and up for parking and trafficked areas. Size and shape are about looks — and about how many cuts the laying pattern will ask for.
Block paving thickness by use
| Thickness | Where to use it |
|---|---|
| 40mm | Paths, patios, foot traffic |
| 60mm | Yard, path, light use |
| 80mm | Driveway, car parking |
| 100mm | Trafficked and industrial areas |
Sizes and blocks per square metre
The usual formats are 200 × 100mm (around 50 blocks per m²) and 100 × 100mm (around 100 per m²). Modular packs combine several sizes — a three-size pack, for instance, is laid as one repeating unit. A larger block means fewer pieces and quicker laying; a small one gives a finer pattern.
The rule that decides what still counts as a block
Behind the range in the merchant's yard sits a proportion rule: a block's length should not run beyond about 4.5 times its thickness, and should not go past 280mm whatever the thickness. It sounds like a detail, but it explains the whole product range.
By that rule a 40mm block should be no more than 180mm long, a 60mm one copes with 270mm, and from about 63mm up it is the 280mm ceiling that governs. That is why large-format flags come in thick sections and why thin paving arrives in small formats. The aspect ratio is what stops a unit snapping when a wheel loads one corner. Anything longer and flatter than this is a flag, made and tested to EN 1339, not a paving block — and flags are not laid on driveways.
The practical upshot: if someone offers you a large format in a thin section for a driveway, check the proportions. The surface looks fine until the first winter, then units start cracking across the diagonal. UK design guidance for modular pavements sits in the BS 7533 series, which caps unit proportions for trafficked areas for the same reason.
The figures on the technical data sheet
Concrete block paving is made to EN 1338 and comes with a manufacturer's data sheet. Three numbers on it are worth reading before you look at the colour:
| Property | What it means on site |
|---|---|
| Tensile splitting strength | characteristic value of at least 3.6 MPa — this is what holds the block under a wheel |
| Freeze-thaw with de-icing salt | 28 freeze-thaw cycles, mass loss below 1.0 kg/m² |
| Abrasion resistance | wide-wheel or Böhme test; the one that matters on trafficked areas |
The freeze-thaw test in that standard runs 28 freeze-thaw cycles with de-icing salt present. Paving that passes it will take a British winter, including a drive that gets gritted. That is not a marketing figure — it is a condition of putting the product on the market.
Shapes and laying patterns
By shape you get plain rectangular blocks (laid as stretcher bond or basketweave), modular three-size packs, and interlocking profiles — the I- and S-shaped blocks that key into each other and resist creep under vehicles. The same block can be laid to different patterns, and the pattern drives both the number of cuts and the waste.
Pick the block and the pattern and let the app work out the materials and the price — then send the finished quote.
Try it freeHow much material you will need
You can work out the blocks, sub-base and kerbs for a specific area in our block paving calculator.
See also lifespan and maintenance and our comparison with concrete, tarmac and gravel.
Frequently asked questions
What thickness of block paving do I need?
For patios and footpaths 40–50mm is enough, for a yard or a driveway used by a car 60–80mm, and for parking and trafficked areas 80mm and up. The rule is simple: the heavier the load, the thicker the block and the thicker the sub-base under it.
What sizes does block paving come in?
The common formats are 200 × 100mm (roughly 50 blocks per m²) and 100 × 100mm (roughly 100 per m²), plus modular packs that mix several sizes. A bigger unit means fewer blocks per m² and quicker laying.
Which block shape is best?
Plain rectangular blocks are the cheapest and go anywhere, three-size modular packs look more natural on larger areas, and interlocking shaped blocks (the I- and S-profiles) key into each other and hold up better under vehicles. Beyond that it comes down to looks and load.
Should you pick paving by colour?
Colour is a matter of taste, but lighter shades stay cooler underfoot and hide dust better; darker ones look smart yet show efflorescence and dirt more. Shades drift slightly between batches — order the whole job at once, with spare.
Written by Michal Antal, who builds Paving Planner. The numbers in this article come from the same app paving contractors use for their quotes. Last reviewed 1 August 2026.