If cars are going to drive on it, lay it in herringbone. That is the short answer, and it is not an aesthetic preference — herringbone is the only common pattern where every brick is locked against its neighbours in both directions, so the surface resists the twisting and braking forces a vehicle puts into it. Stretcher bond, basketweave and running bond all have their place, but that place is usually a patio, a pathway or a courtyard rather than a driveway.
The pattern you choose changes three things at once: how strong the surface is, how much waste you generate cutting it, and how the space reads visually. Here is how the common South African patterns actually perform, and where each one belongs.
Why pattern affects strength at all
Interlocking paving works as a flexible system. There is no mortar. Load comes down through a brick, spreads sideways into the bricks around it through the sand-filled joints, and disperses into the base. That sideways transfer is called interlock, and there are three kinds:
- Vertical interlock — friction in the joint sand stops a brick sinking relative to its neighbours.
- Rotational interlock — a properly restrained edge and a tight field stop bricks tilting under a wheel.
- Horizontal interlock — the pattern itself stops bricks sliding apart under braking, turning and acceleration.
Horizontal interlock is where pattern earns its keep. In a straight-laid stretcher bond, every joint runs continuously in one direction. A car braking along that direction is pushing along an uninterrupted line of weakness, and over years the bricks creep. In herringbone, there is no continuous joint anywhere. Every line stops after one brick length. That is the whole trick.
The patterns, and what each is actually good for
| Pattern | Structural strength | Cutting waste | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45° herringbone | Highest | Highest — two cuts per perimeter brick | Driveways, turning circles, slopes |
| 90° herringbone | Very high | Moderate | Driveways, entrances, parking bays |
| Stretcher / running bond | Moderate | Low | Pathways, patios, light-traffic areas |
| Basketweave | Low | Very low | Courtyards, feature panels, garden paths |
| Stack bond | Lowest | Lowest | Modern patios in large-format slabs only |
| Random / broken bond | Moderate to high | Moderate | Rustic driveways, mixed-size cobbles |
| Circle / fan feature | Depends on surround | High | Entrance features, courtyards |
Herringbone: the workhorse
Bricks are laid at 45 or 90 degrees to each other in a zigzag. Nothing lines up through the field, so load transfers in every direction. Under vehicles it is measurably the most stable pattern available with rectangular pavers.
45° vs 90°: 45-degree herringbone is run diagonally to the direction of traffic and is the stronger of the two, particularly where vehicles turn — a Plattekloof or Hout Bay driveway with a tight turning circle is exactly the case for it. It also generates the most waste, because every brick around the perimeter needs two angled cuts. 90-degree herringbone is easier and quicker to lay, cuts less, and is still far stronger than any stacked or running pattern.
Visually, herringbone reads busy at close range and calm from a distance. On a wide double driveway it looks deliberate. In a narrow courtyard it can feel restless.
Stretcher bond: the default that gets over-used
Every row offset by half a brick, like a face-brick wall laid flat. It is fast, it wastes very little material, and it visually lengthens a space — laid across a narrow path it makes the path look wider.
The problem is that it has one continuous joint line running the length of the pattern. Laid across the direction of traffic it performs reasonably. Laid along it, on a driveway, the bricks migrate over time and you get the tell-tale wandering joints and creeping edges. If a quote for a driveway specifies straight-laid stretcher bond because it is quicker, understand what you are trading.
On pathways and light-traffic patios it is genuinely a good choice, and it is the cheapest pattern to lay well. Our walkway and pathway paving work uses it constantly.
Basketweave: charming, but keep it off the driveway
Pairs of bricks laid alternately horizontal and vertical, forming squares. It suits older Cape homes, courtyards and small enclosed areas, and it has almost no cutting waste on a rectangular area.
Structurally it is weak for vehicles: the pattern creates continuous joints in both directions at regular intervals, and it tends to spread under load. Use it for a courtyard, a garden path, a feature panel inside a herringbone field — not for the surface your bakkie parks on.
Stack bond: modern, and only for slabs
Perfectly aligned grid, every joint continuous in both directions. It is the current look for large-format concrete slabs on contemporary patios, and with 600×600 slabs on a well-prepared base it works fine because the units themselves are large and heavy. Do not use it with small rectangular bricks anywhere load matters. It also punishes bad workmanship — with every joint dead straight, a 3mm error is visible from the kitchen window.
Random and broken bond
Mixed sizes laid in a repeating but non-obvious module, common with cobble-look ranges and reclaimed clay. Done properly it has good interlock because joints are constantly interrupted, and it hides small irregularities in old or reclaimed bricks well. Done badly it looks like a mistake. Ask to see photographs of the specific module before you commit.
Cape Town-specific pattern decisions
- Slopes. Vredehoek, Hout Bay, Constantia and the higher Plattekloof streets have driveways steep enough that braking loads are constant. Herringbone, laid at 45° to the slope, and get the edge restraints right — the pattern only holds if the perimeter does.
- Wind-driven rain. The south-easter drives water horizontally across a surface. Pattern does not change drainage much, but it changes where you can run falls without the joints looking crooked. Sort the falls first, then the pattern.
- Cape Flats sand. Sandy subgrades give a little under load, which makes horizontal interlock more valuable, not less. Herringbone on a driveway is not optional on soft ground.
- Coastal salt air. In Blouberg, Table View and Melkbosstrand the pattern is irrelevant to durability — the material and the joint sand matter far more.
- Heritage streets. In older Southern Suburbs pockets, basketweave or a random clay bond suits the house better than a crisp 45° herringbone. Match the building, not the catalogue.
What pattern does to your bill
Pattern does not change the price per brick, but it changes waste and labour hours. As a working guide, allow around 5% extra bricks for stretcher or basketweave, 8–10% for 90° herringbone, and 10–15% for 45° herringbone or a circle feature. Labour follows the same curve.
With grey bevel bricks at roughly R4.50–R6.50 each and clay pavers at R8–R12, on a 60m² driveway the material difference between the easiest and hardest pattern is real but not decisive — usually a few thousand rand. The full picture is in our Cape Town paving prices guide, where most installed materials sit between R380 and R900 per m².
One genuinely cost-effective move: lay the field in the simplest suitable pattern and spend the saving on a contrasting soldier course border. A single row of bricks laid end-on around the perimeter and along the edges of the drive does more for how a driveway looks than any amount of pattern complexity in the middle, and it doubles as part of the edge detail.
Getting the pattern to actually perform
A perfect herringbone on a bad base fails just as fast as stretcher bond on a bad base. Pattern is the last 10% of the job. The base depth, the compaction in layers, the falls and the edge restraints are the other 90% — our installation and prep guide covers what should be happening under the bricks before anyone starts laying a pattern at all.
If you want to see how different patterns read at full scale rather than in a brochure, have a look through our gallery, or talk to us about your driveway paving and we will tell you which pattern suits the shape, the slope and the traffic you actually have.
Quick answers
What is the strongest paving pattern for a driveway?
45-degree herringbone. Because no joint line runs continuously through the pattern, every brick is locked against its neighbours in both directions, which resists the braking and turning forces vehicles apply. 90-degree herringbone is a close second and cuts less waste.
Can I use basketweave paving on a driveway?
We would not recommend it. Basketweave creates continuous joints in both directions at regular intervals and tends to spread under vehicle loads. Keep it for courtyards, garden paths and feature panels, where it looks excellent and carries almost no waste.
Does the paving pattern cost more?
The bricks cost the same per unit, but complex patterns waste more on cuts and take longer to lay. Allow roughly 5% extra material for stretcher or basketweave, 8–10% for 90-degree herringbone and 10–15% for 45-degree herringbone or a circle feature.