Which sand for which job
- Coarse sand. Washed, sharp sand: the bedding layer under pavers, and the sand of concrete. Stores sell it as all-purpose, concrete or paver sand.
- Play sand. Washed and screened for sandboxes. Quikrete says of its own that it is best used damp.
- Mason sand. Fine and evenly graded, for mortar. A 50 lb bag holds about 0.5 cu ft (Quikrete’s data sheet), which is 100 lb a cubic foot: the weight the calculator starts from.
- Polymeric sand. Sand with a binder, swept into the joints of a finished patio and set with water. It is sold by what a bag covers, not by volume.
| Material | Tons per cubic yard | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coarse sand (paver and concrete sand) | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.1 to 1.5 | Sands & Soils, Earthstone Rock, Stone Centers |
| Play sand | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.1 to 1.5 | Quikrete, Earthstone Rock, Stone Centers |
| Mason sand | 1.35 (2,700 lb) | 1.3 to 1.5 | Quikrete, Sands & Soils |
Wet sand is heavier than dry sand, which is most of the spread in that table. Ask your supplier, then press “Use my own figure”.
How much sand under pavers?
Pavers sit on a thin, even bed of coarse sand, screeded flat over the compacted base. The specification we read asks for a nominal 1 in, and no more than 1 1/2 in: sand is not there to fill dips in the base.
| For | Depth | In metric |
|---|---|---|
| The bedding layer under pavers | 1 in | 2.5 cm |
| The base of an above-ground pool | 2 in | 5 cm |
University of Houston: Spread the bedding sand evenly over the base and screed it to a nominal 1 in, not exceeding 1 1/2 in.
Sands & Soils: A cubic yard of masonry sand weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Under an above-ground pool, keep the sand to a layer of 2 to 3 in.
A patio of 144 sq ft at 1 in is 12 cu ft, 0.44 cubic yards, or 24 bags of 0.5 cu ft.
For the joints, tick “Polymeric sand for the joints” and type what one bag covers. That figure depends on the size of the paver and the width of the joint, and every maker prints a chart of it on the bag: the calculator divides your area by it and does not supply a figure of its own. At 60 sq ft a bag, the same patio takes 3 bags.
Sandbox sand
A sandbox is a box: its length, its width, and the depth of sand you want in it. Measure the inside of the frame.
Worked example. A sandbox 6 × 6 ft, filled 10 in deep with play sand.
- Area: 6 ft × 6 ft = 36 sq ft
- Volume: 36 sq ft × 10 in = 30 cu ft = 1.11 cubic yards
- Weight: 1.11 cubic yards × 1.35 tons = 1.50 tons
- In bags: 60 bags of 0.5 cu ft, at about 50 lb each
To top up, measure down from where you want the sand to the sand that is left, and enter that as the depth.
Bags or bulk?
One cubic yard is 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft. The sandbox above is 60 bags, 3,000 lb to carry from the shelf to the cart and from the car to the yard. Bags suit a bedding layer for a small patio or a top-up; near a cubic yard and above, ask a supplier for the smallest load they deliver and what the delivery costs.
Bulk goes by the quarter of a cubic yard, and a purchase rounds up: the sandbox is 1.25 cubic yards to order.
Questions about sand
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
About 2,700 lb, or 1.35 tons. The suppliers we read give from 2,200 to 3,000 lb, by how wet the sand is.
How many bags of sand make a yard?
54 bags of 0.5 cu ft, which is what a 50 lb bag holds.
How much polymeric sand do I need?
The area of the patio divided by what one bag covers. That coverage is on the bag, by paver size and joint width; narrow joints between large pavers take far less than wide joints between small ones.
How deep should the sand under pavers be?
A nominal 1 in, screeded, and not more than 1 1/2 in (University of Houston master specification). One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at that depth.
Sources
- Sands & Soils, White Coarse Sand. A cubic yard of coarse sand weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Used for concrete, for playboxes and as a leveling agent for pavers. Read on .
- Earthstone Rock, Cubic Yards vs. Tons for Landscape Rock. Landscape rock about 2,800 lb per cubic yard; river rock about 2,900 lb; sand about 3,000 lb; decomposed granite, landscape gravel and pea gravel about 2,700 lb; most rock between 1.3 and 1.5 tons per cubic yard. Read on .
- Stone Centers, Landscape Rock Calculator. River rock about 1.4 to 1.75 tons per cubic yard; lava rock about 1.2 to 1.4; sand 1.10 to 1.25. Read on .
- Quikrete, Sand and Gravel Products, data sheet. All-Purpose Sand (No. 1152), for the underlayment of brick pavers among other uses, in 50, 60 and 70 lb bags; Premium Play Sand (No. 1113), washed and screened for sandboxes, in 50 lb bags. Read on .
- Quikrete, Mason Sand (No. 1952), data sheet. Each 50 lb bag of mason sand holds approximately 0.5 cu ft. Read on .
- Sands & Soils, Masonry (Orange) Sand. A cubic yard of masonry sand weighs approximately 2,600 lb. Under an above-ground pool, keep the sand to a layer of 2 to 3 in. Read on .
- University of Houston, Master Specification 32 14 13.13: Interlocking Concrete Pavers. Spread the bedding sand evenly over the base and screed it to a nominal 1 in, not exceeding 1 1/2 in. Read on .
Updated . How we calculate. Found a mistake? Tell us.