This sand calculator estimates sand for any area and depth — sandboxes, paver bases, masonry and leveling — and reports it in cubic yards, tons and the 50-lb bags the hardware store actually sells.
Uses dry sand at ~100 lb per cubic foot. Damp sand weighs ~15–20% more per volume and wet-compacted base sand settles — buy ~10% over for base work. Polymeric jointing sand is calculated by joint area instead (see the Paver Calculator’s joint note).
The Depths That Decide the Job
Sand is specified by what it does: paver bedding is a 1-inch screeded layer over compacted gravel (the pair planned together in our Paver Calculator); sandboxes want 4–8 inches of play sand (washed, rounded grain); masonry/mortar work buys by the job’s mix volumes; leveling and fill prices out like our Topsoil Calculator. At ~100 lb/ft³ dry, a cubic yard is ~1.33 tons — the number that decides between bags (small jobs: under about half a ton), a bulk bag (~1 yd³ tote), and a delivered dump. Part of our Construction Calculators collection.
Worked Example (Verified)
A 10 × 10 ft area at 2 inches deep (the widget’s defaults):
- Volume: 100 × (2/12) = 16.7 ft³ = 0.62 yd³
- Weight: 16.7 × 100 = 1,667 lb (0.83 tons)
- Bags: ⌈1,667 ÷ 50⌉ = 34 bags — the point at which a bulk delivery or tote bag usually beats bag-wrangling on price and sanity
- Sandbox scale check: an 8 × 8 box at 6 inches = 32 ft³ ≈ 3,200 lb — play sand replacement is a delivery, not a trunk load
Which Sand? (They Are Not Interchangeable)
- Play sand: washed, fine, rounded — safe and soft; useless for pavers.
- Concrete/coarse sand: sharp, graded grains that lock and drain — paver bedding and concrete mixes.
- Masonry sand: finer, cleaner — mortar and stucco work.
- Polymeric sand: sand + binder for paver joints; activated with water; sold by joint coverage, not depth math.
- Beach sand is the cautionary tale: rounded, salt-laden, compacts poorly — three failures in one free pile.
Related Tools
- Paver Calculator — the base-and-bedding project planner
- Topsoil Calculator — the soil counterpart
- Construction Calculators — the full collection
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sand do I need for my area?
Volume = length × width × depth (all consistent units), then weight at ~100 lb per cubic foot for dry sand. A 10×10 ft area at 2 inches: 16.7 ft³ = 0.62 yd³ ≈ 1,667 lb ≈ 34 fifty-pound bags.
How many bags are in a cubic yard of sand?
A cubic yard of dry sand weighs ~2,700 lb (1.35 tons), so about 54 fifty-pound bags — which is why anything near a yard is cheaper and easier delivered in bulk or in a 1-yard tote bag.
How deep should sand be under pavers?
One inch of coarse bedding sand, screeded and not compacted before laying (pavers are compacted into it afterward), over 4–6 inches of compacted gravel base for patios and walkways. The sand layer is a leveling bed, not a foundation.
Why is my delivered sand “less” than calculated?
Usually moisture state and compaction: sand bulks when damp and fluff-aerated, then settles 10–15% in place. Ordered-by-weight loads eliminate the argument; ordered-by-volume loads carry it. The 10% overage note in this calculator exists for exactly this.
Can I use play sand under pavers?
No — its rounded grains roll instead of locking, so the bed creeps and joints telegraph movement. Coarse, angular concrete sand is the bedding material; play sand belongs where softness is the spec.
Is this sand calculator free?
Yes — free, instant, no sign-up.