Sand calculator

Measure the area, set the depth. The ticket gives you yards, tons and bags.

Sand is one of the few materials where an inch is the answer. Bedding sand under pavers goes down one inch screeded flat, and going deeper does not help — it ruts. The calculator handles the thin layers that trip up a yardage table, and gives you tons because that is how the yard sells it.

Add an area

Depth

The finished depth of the sand, not the hole.

Waste allowance

Extra volume as a percentage of the measured total. This is an addition, not a percentage lost to shrinkage. Confirm it with your supplier.

Density

tons/yd³

Placeholder range: 1.3 to 1.4 US short tons/yd³. Confirm the product density and whether it is loose or compacted.

Price per ton

Material price only. Delivery, minimum charges and tax are excluded. The default is a placeholder.

Bag price

Compare whole bags at your price. Delivery, collection and handling costs are excluded.

How the number is worked out

Area times depth gives cubic feet, divided by 27 gives cubic yards, multiplied by the density gives tons. At one inch deep the yardage is small and the arithmetic is easy to get wrong by a factor of twelve, which is exactly why this page exists.

area (ft²) × depth (ft) ÷ 27 × density (tons/yd³) = tons

The right sand for the job

Coarse concrete sand is the bedding layer under pavers. Play sand is washed and rounded, which is kind to hands and useless as a base. Mason sand is fine and even, for mortar and for sandboxes where the price of play sand offends you.

Thin layers, small numbers

A patio of 200 square feet at one inch is about 0.6 of a cubic yard — less than a ton. Suppliers often have a minimum, so it can cost the same as ordering a full ton. The ticket prices both bulk and bags so you can see which way is silly.

Depths that work

Job	Depth	Sand
Paver bedding	1 in screeded	coarse concrete sand
Paver joints	to the top	polymeric or jointing
Sandbox	10–12 in	washed play sand
Above-ground pool base	2 in	mason sand

Questions

How much sand for a paver patio?

One inch of bedding sand: about one cubic yard for every 320 square feet, plus jointing sand on top, which is bought separately by the bag.

How much does a yard of sand weigh?

Roughly 2,700 pounds dry. Wet sand is heavier and will not screed properly, so keep it covered.

Can I use play sand under pavers?

No. It is rounded and washed, so it never locks together — the pavers move by the end of the first season.

Bags or bulk?

Compare the entered material prices and whole bag count, then add delivery or collection costs. The cheaper option depends on your quote, access and handling requirements.

Other calculators

The same ticket, the same assumptions on screen, for whatever else the job needs.

Concrete slabs, footings, columns and steps Gravel driveways, bases and drainage stone River rock beds, borders and dry creeks, by stone size Mulch beds and trees, by the yard or the bag Asphalt hot mix by the ton Topsoil beds, lawns and levelling Fill dirt holes, grades and backfill, with settling Compost lawn top-dressing and bed amending Cubic yards any volume, in every unit Rebar bars, sticks, laps and weight