Sand Calculator
Cubic yards, tons, and bags of sand for bedding, boxes, and fill.
Input sheet
DIY at your own risk. Calcora's calculators and guides are general estimates and information only — not professional, engineering, legal, or safety advice. Always verify local building codes and permit requirements, and hire a licensed pro for electrical, gas, plumbing, structural, or any work you're not fully comfortable doing yourself.
Sand is sold by the ton in bulk and by the 50 lb bag at the store, and the conversion between volume and weight trips people up. This calculator takes an area and depth and returns cubic yards, tons, and bags in one shot.
How it works
Length × width × depth in feet gives cubic feet; divide by 27 for yards. Sand weighs about 100 lb per cubic foot, so a yard is ~1.35 tons.
Volume is length × width × depth in feet. The weight conversion uses dry sand's density of about 100 lb per cubic foot, which makes a cubic yard roughly 2,700 lb — about 1.35 tons. Damp sand is heavier, which is why a 'ton' delivered on a wet day looks like less material.
For paver bedding, the depth to use is 1 inch — the screeded layer between the compacted gravel base and the pavers. Deeper sand does not make a better bed; it makes a softer one that ruts.
Cubic feet = length × width × (depth ÷ 12); cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27; tons ≈ cubic feet × 100 lb ÷ 2000.
Worked examples
A 1 in bedding layer under a 20 × 10 ft paver patio. → About 0.8 tons — 34 bags or a small bulk scoop.
200 sq ft × (1 ÷ 12) = 16.7 cu ft ≈ 0.62 yd ≈ 0.8 tons; 16.7 × 100 ÷ 50 = 34 bags.
Filling an 8 × 8 ft sandbox 6 inches deep. → About 1.6 tons, or 64 bags of play sand.
8 × 8 × 0.5 = 32 cu ft ≈ 1.19 yd ≈ 1.6 tons; 32 × 100 ÷ 50 = 64 bags.
Tips & gotchas
- Match the sand to the job: concrete (sharp) sand for paver bedding, play sand for sandboxes, mason sand for mortar — they are not interchangeable.
- Past about half a ton, bulk delivery or a pickup-load from the yard beats bags on price several times over.
- Order slightly over — leftover sand stores forever, but a short screed layer stops the paver job cold.
FAQ
How much sand under pavers?
One inch of bedding sand, screeded level, on top of the compacted gravel base — more sand does not fix a bad base.
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
Roughly 2,700 lb dry — about 1.35 tons — and over 3,000 lb when saturated. Most quarries price it per ton, not per yard.
Can I use sand to level a lawn?
A thin topdressing mixed with soil works on minor low spots, but pure deep sand under grass drains too fast and starves roots. Use a sand-soil blend for anything past ½ inch.
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