Sand Calculator
Sand for a paver base, a sandbox or a bedding layer, worked out by volume and converted to the tonnage a supplier quotes. Dry and wet sand differ by about a fifth in weight.
Sand needed
0.88short tons
- Cubic yards
- 0.65
- Cubic feet
- 17.5
- Cubic metres
- 0.50
- Weight
- 0.88 short tons
- Tonnes
- 0.79
- Includes a 5% waste allowance. The bare figure is 0.62 cubic yards.
- Aggregate is normally sold by the ton, so the weight figure is the one to quote your supplier.
- Densities are mid-range trade figures. Loose material settles and its weight changes with moisture, so treat the tonnage as an estimate.
About the sand calculator
Bedding sand under pavers is the most common reason people look this up, and depth is the thing to get right. One inch, screeded flat over a compacted base, is the standard. Laying it thicker to smooth out a poor base is tempting and is exactly how pavers end up settling unevenly within a season.
How wet the sand is matters more than people expect. Dry sand runs about 1.35 short tons to the cubic yard; wet sand is nearer 1.6 because water fills the space between the grains. On a full load that is a difference worth knowing before you order by weight.
This covers the sand layer only. The compacted gravel base beneath a patio is a separate calculation — switch the material to gravel or crushed stone and run it again.
What it works out
- Tonnage for ordering, and volume for checking
- Dry sand, wet sand, gravel and crushed stone
- Any depth, from a one-inch bedding layer up
The formula
Tons = (Length × Width × Depth ÷ 27) × Density per cubic yard
Sand is worked out by volume and bought by weight, so this runs in two steps: cubic yards from the area and depth, then multiplied by density to get tonnage.
How wet the sand is matters more than people expect. Dry sand runs about 1.35 short tons to the cubic yard; wet sand is nearer 1.6, because water fills the spaces between the grains. That is close to a twenty per cent difference on the same volume, so a load quoted by weight will give you noticeably less material if it has been sitting out in the rain.
For paver bedding, depth is the thing to get right. One inch, screeded flat, is the standard. It is tempting to lay more to smooth out a poor base, but a thick sand layer keeps moving under load and the pavers settle unevenly within a season.
- Length and Width
- The area being covered.
- Depth
- One inch for paver bedding. Deeper for a sandbox or where you are filling as well as bedding.
- Density
- Weight per cubic yard, which changes with moisture more than with grade.
A worked example
A twenty by ten foot patio, bedded on one inch of dry sand.
That works out to 0.88 short tons.
- Cubic yards
- 0.65
- Cubic feet
- 17.5
- Cubic metres
- 0.50
- Weight
- 0.88 short tons
- Tonnes
- 0.79
Questions
How much sand do I need for a paver patio?
One inch of bedding sand under the pavers. For a twenty by ten patio that is about 0.6 cubic yards, or a little under a ton. That is separate from the compacted gravel base underneath, which is usually four to six inches.
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
Around 2,700 pounds dry, so about 1.35 short tons. Wet sand is nearer 3,200 pounds because of the water it holds — close to a twenty per cent difference for the same volume.
How deep should the sand be under pavers?
One inch, screeded level, over a compacted base. Thicker is a common mistake: a deep sand layer keeps shifting under load and the pavers settle unevenly, usually within the first year.
What kind of sand should I use under pavers?
Coarse concrete sand, sometimes sold as bedding sand. Fine play sand and mason sand hold too much water and compact poorly, so they let the surface move.
How much sand for a sandbox?
Work out the box area and the depth you want — six to twelve inches is usual. A four by four foot box filled eight inches deep takes about 10.7 cubic feet, which is roughly 0.4 cubic yards.
Should I order sand by the ton or by the yard?
Ask which your supplier quotes in and use their density to convert rather than a general figure, especially if the material has been stored outside. The moisture difference is large enough to matter on a full load.