Sand Calculator
Whether it is a one-inch paver bedding layer or a full sandbox, enter your dimensions and get sand quantity in cubic yards, cubic feet, tons and bags, with a cost line. Density presets cover dry, damp and masonry sand, since a damp load can weigh a quarter more than a dry one.
Sand required
| Cubic feet | |
| Cubic metres | |
| 50 lb bags (rounded up) | |
| Bulk cost | — |
Rounding: bags round up; weight assumes 100 lb/ft³ dry sand; the bulk cost is calculated from the unrounded yardage in whole cents.
Thin layers, big estimating traps
Sand jobs are usually thin-layer jobs, and thin layers punish sloppy inputs. A paver bed is screeded at a single inch — mistype that as one foot and the order balloons twelve-fold; forget the allowance and you run out with three pavers to go. Small absolute quantities also flip the buying decision constantly between bags and bulk, which is why this estimator reports the 50 lb bag count and the yardage side by side rather than making the choice for you.
Grain shape matters as much as quantity. Sharp, coarse concrete sand drains and locks; fine rounded play sand rolls and holds water. The two are not interchangeable no matter how similar the pallets look — bedding laid in play sand pumps water in rain and lets pavers wander. Buy the coarse product for anything structural and keep the soft stuff for the sandbox it was washed for.
How to use the sand calculator
- Select units. The depth entry flips between inches and centimetres with the system — sand layers are thin, and thin layers are where unit slips hide.
- Enter the footprint. Length and width of the patio, path or box. For paver work, measure to the outside of the edge restraint, not just the paver field.
- Choose the sand depth. Paver bedding is screeded at 1 in — deliberately thin, because bedding sand is a levelling layer, not a structural one. Sandboxes typically run 6–8 in.
- Set the allowance. Sand loses volume to joint-filling, screed board waste and compaction of the base beneath; 10% is a sound default for paver projects.
- Add a bulk price if you have one. The tool prices the bulk cubic-yard route; compare it with the 50 lb bag count times your store price to pick the cheaper path.
- Order by the number that fits the job size. Bags for anything under a few cubic feet, bulk delivery once the count climbs into the dozens.
Key formulas
- Volume: V (ft³) = length × width × (depth ÷ 12)
- With allowance: Vorder = V × (1 + extra%)
- Weight: tons = ft³ × 100 ÷ 2,000 (dry sand)
- Bags: count = ⌈ft³ ÷ 0.5⌉ (50 lb bag ≈ 0.5 ft³)
Worked example
Bedding for a 15 ft × 10 ft patio at 1 in with a 10% allowance: V = 150 × (1 ÷ 12) = 12.50 ft³; with allowance 13.75 ft³ = 0.51 yd³, weighing 13.75 × 100 ÷ 2,000 = 0.69 tons. Bags: 13.75 ÷ 0.5 = 27.5 → 28 × 50 lb. Bulk at $40/yd³ = 0.5093 × 40 = $20.37 — here the store run and the bulk order are close enough that delivery fees decide it.
Sand type reference
| Type | Grain | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete / paver sand | Coarse, angular | Bedding layers, mixing, base leveling |
| Mason sand | Fine, screened | Mortar, smooth finish work |
| Play sand | Fine, rounded, washed | Sandboxes only |
| Polymeric sand | Fine + binder | Paver joints after laying |
Things to keep in mind
- Bedding is not base. The inch of sand rides on several inches of compacted stone; skipping the stone and deepening the sand builds a patio that waves within a season.
- Screed off pipes for a true inch. Two lengths of 1 in conduit as screed rails give a consistent bed far faster than eyeballing.
- Keep sand dry before polymeric jointing. Polymeric products activate with water once — damp joints at fill time set patchy and haze the pavers.
- Wind and rain tax open piles. Cover a bulk drop; a weekend of weather can visibly shrink a small delivery.
- Round bag counts up, always. The tool already does; resist undoing it at the checkout to save one bag.
Frequently asked questions
How much sand do I need under pavers?
One inch of screeded bedding sand — no more. The bedding layer only irons out the tolerance between the compacted base and the paver bottoms; make it thicker and pavers settle unevenly as the deep sand shifts under point loads. The structural work belongs to the compacted stone base below, which is a separate (and larger) material order.
How many 50 lb bags of sand make a cubic yard?
Dry all-purpose sand weighs close to 100 lb per cubic foot, so a 50 lb bag holds about half a cubic foot — meaning a full cubic yard needs 54 bags. That count is the strongest argument for bulk delivery on anything patio-sized: past roughly ten bags, a loose half-yard usually beats the bag price and spares your back.
What is the difference between play sand, paver sand and polymeric sand?
Play sand is washed and screened fine for sandboxes — safe, but too rounded and powdery for bedding. Paver or concrete sand is coarse, sharp and free-draining, exactly what a bedding layer wants. Polymeric sand is a joint-filling product with binders that harden after wetting; it goes in the gaps between laid pavers, never underneath them.
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
Around 2,700 lb dry — about 1.35 short tons — using the 100 lb/ft³ figure this tool assumes. Damp sand holds water between grains and can add several hundred pounds per yard, so a "yard of sand" quoted by weight after rain is genuinely less material. For hauling, use the tons output against your vehicle rating before committing to a single trip.
Do I compact bedding sand before laying pavers?
No — compact the stone base, screed the sand loose, and let the plate compactor pass over the finished pavers press them into the bedding. Pre-compacting the sand defeats its purpose: the loose layer is what lets each paver seat at exactly the right height. The sequence is base compacted, sand screeded, pavers laid, then compacted together.
How deep should sandbox sand be?
Six inches is the practical sweet spot: deep enough for digging and castle engineering, shallow enough that the box does not become a small dune. An 8 ft × 8 ft box at 6 in works out to 32 cubic feet — 64 bags of play sand or a single small bulk scoop — and a fitted cover will keep most of it where you paid for it to be.
Last updated: 24 July 2026