Aggregate & Landscaping
Sand Calculator: How Much Sand? + Tons + Bags
Tell us your area, depth, and sand type — we'll tell you exactly how much sand to order in cubic yards, tons, bags and what it'll cost, for 5 sand types in both imperial and metric.
Here's the deal
Sand is sold by the cubic yard and delivered by weight — but the type matters more than people realize. Play sand in concrete makes weak concrete; fill sand under pavers washes out. The calculator picks the right density for the type you pick, so the weight is correct. Pick the right type, get the right number.
Wondering how much sand for:
Before you start · Step 1
What you need to measure
The calculator needs three numbers — the length and width of your area, and how deep you want the sand. The diagram shows each one. For a sandbox, the depth is the sand layer thickness, not the box wall height.
Length & width
Measure the two sides of your area in feet with a tape measure. For an odd shape, break it into rectangles and add them up. For a round sandbox or bed, switch the calculator to circle and measure the diameter (straight across the middle).
Depth
The depth in inches: 1″ for paver leveling, 2–3″ for lawn leveling, 8″ for a standard sandbox, 12″ for a deep one (sourced — concretecalculate, calcsummit). The depth chips in the calculator below match these presets.
Step 2 · The tool
Sand calculator
Pick your sand type (the densities are sourced — see the density-by-type table below), enter your dimensions, and the calculator returns cubic yards, tons, pounds, kilograms, bag counts, wheelbarrows, coverage area, and a sourced bulk-price range (or your own price for an exact total).
Enter your measurements,
then hit Calculate
Your full breakdown — yards, tons, bags, loads and cost — appears here.
Default: 10 × 10 at 2″ — press Calculate to compute your own.
Pick the right type
Which sand for which job
The single most common ordering mistake is buying the wrong type for the job. Play sand in concrete makes a weak mix (the cement paste needs angular grains to bond — play sand is washed, fine, and rounded). Fill sand under pavers washes out (too coarse for leveling). Masonry sand in the sandbox isn't play-area-clean. The matrix below maps type to use, sourced from howmuchstuff + concretecalculate.
| Type | Best for | Avoid for · why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard / all-purpose | General fill, leveling, mixing | (most flexible — no strong contraindication) |
| Play sand | Sandboxes, play areas (washed, screened, non-toxic) | Concrete mix · too fine/rounded = weak bond · paver leveling · washes out |
| Masonry sand | Mortar, paver bedding + joints | Concrete mix · wrong grain (too fine for the aggregate role) |
| Concrete sand | Mixing concrete — coarse, angular grain holds the mix | Sandboxes · too coarse · paver leveling · grain too varied |
| Fill / utility sand | Backfill, drainage, pipe bedding | Paver leveling · too coarse · play areas · not screened/washed |
The calculator's type selector reflects this matrix — pick the type by the job, and the per-type density does the right weight conversion automatically.
Reference
Sand density by type
Sand density runs roughly 2,500–2,800 pounds per cubic yard (~1,485–1,665 kg/m³) depending on type — the calculator uses the exact value for the type you pick, so the weight output is correct. Standard sand at ~2,700 lb/yd³ (~1,600 kg/m³ ≈ 1.35 US tons/yd³) is the cross-source industry default; the per-type values sit within this band.
| Type | lb/yd³ | kg/m³ | US tons/yd³ | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard / all-purpose | ~2,700 | ~1,600 | 1.35 | gigacalculator · concretecalculate · calcsummit · activecalculator · civilsir · infinitycalculator |
| Play sand | 2,500–2,600 | 1,485–1,545 | 1.25–1.30 | concretecalculate · calcsummit · howmuchstuff · hellogravel |
| Masonry sand | 2,600–2,800 | 1,545–1,665 | 1.30–1.40 | concretecalculate · hellogravel |
| Concrete sand | ~2,800 | ~1,665 | 1.40 | concretecalculate · hellogravel |
| Fill / utility sand | ~2,700 | ~1,600 | 1.35 | howmuchstuff · infinitycalculator |
Where sources disagree (masonry 2,600–2,800; play 2,500–2,600), the range is preserved rather than averaged into a fake single number. One outlier (infinitycalculator cites fine mason sand near 1,500 kg/m³) is acknowledged but the cluster sits near the standard 2,700 lb/yd³.
How far does a yard go
Sand coverage by depth
Cubic yards convert to coverage area according to depth — shallower depth, more coverage. The table below shows common-depth coverage from a single cubic yard and from one ton.
| Volume / weight | At depth | Coverage (sqft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 yd³ | 2" | ~162 |
| 1 yd³ | 3" | ~100 |
| 1 ton | 2" | ~120 |
| 1 ton | 3" | ~80 |
| 1 ton | 4" | ~60 |
The calculator above uses your exact dimensions, so you don't need to interpolate from this table — but it sets reasonable expectations. A 4×4 ft sandbox at 8″ deep uses about 0.25 yd³; a 10×10 paver area at 1″ leveling depth uses about 0.31 yd³.
By application
How deep should sand be?
The right depth depends on the job. For paver leveling, the sand layer is thin— about 1 inch, sitting on a 4–6 inch compacted gravel base. A common mistake is using a thick sand layer under pavers instead of gravel + thin sand; that fails because sand alone can't distribute load (concretecalculate, calcsummit).
| Application | Depth | Recommended type · note |
|---|---|---|
| Paver leveling | 1" | Masonry or concrete sand over 4–6" compacted gravel base · NOT play sand |
| Lawn leveling | 2–3" | All-purpose / standard sand |
| Sandbox | 8" | Play sand standard |
| Deep sandbox | 12" | Play sand · older kids / larger area |
| Paver joints (sweep-in) | fill to top | Polymeric or masonry sand |
The depth chips in the calculator above use these sourced presets: paver leveling 1″, lawn 2″, sandbox 8″, deep sandbox 12″.
Bulk and bags
How much does sand cost?
Sand cost depends mostly on type (the more processed, screened, or washed, the more it costs) and quantity (bulk delivery is dramatically cheaper than bagged once you cross about 1 cubic yard).
| Type | Bulk $/yd³ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard / all-purpose | $35–50 | The typical default; bulk delivery. |
| Play sand | $40–60 | Priciest — washed, screened, certified clean. |
| Masonry sand | $35–50 | Comparable to standard. |
| Concrete sand | $30–45 | Cheaper — coarser, less processed. |
| Fill / utility sand | $25–40 | Cheapest — minimal processing. |
Bagged sand runs $4–8 per 50-lb bag, which works out to ~$200–400 per cubic yard equivalent — 4 to 8 times the bulk rate (concretecalculate). For small projects (≤ 1 yd³ — a sandbox, a small paver patio), bagged is the practical choice. Above that, bulk delivery wins by a wide margin; a half-ton pickup carries about 1 yd³ safely (see hauling section below).
Honest weight
Wet vs dry sand
Sand is sold by the cubic yard (a volume) but delivered by weight. The calculator above works in dry sand weight — that's the universal convention. But if your sand is damp or wet, the actual delivered weight runs 10–20% heavier (~3,100–3,400 lb/yd³ vs dry ~2,700) because water fills void space without changing volume (concretecalculate, calcsummit, hellogravel, activecalculator, inchcalculator — universal across the source set).
Logistics
What fits — pickup, dump truck, wheelbarrow
Sand at ~2,700 lb/yd³ is dense enough that hauling matters. Here's what fits in the three common transport modes:
A half-ton pickup(Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, Ram 1500) has a payload of ~1,500–2,000 lb — that's about one cubic yard of dry sand (activecalculator). Overloading is real: the suspension, tires, and brake feel are all rated for that range. A dump truck delivery typically runs 10–14 tons (calcsummit, infinitycalculator) — call it 7–10 yd³ for standard sand. A wheelbarrow at ~60 lb of sand per loaded barrow makes 4–5 trips per cubic yard (hellogravel) — fine for a half-yard sandbox; tedious past that.
Questions
Sand calculator FAQ
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
Can I use play sand for concrete?
What sand do I use under pavers?
How much sand do I need for a sandbox?
How many 50-lb bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
How much does sand cost per yard?
Is wet sand heavier than dry sand?
Receipts
Sources & methodology
Pinned sources
- concretecalculate · calcsummit · activecalculator · gigacalculator — Per-type sand densities + depth applications + moisture factor · 2026Standard sand 2,700 lb/yd³ (1,600 kg/m³) universal across the four; play sand 2,500–2,600 (washed, fine); masonry 2,600–2,800; concrete 2,800 (coarse, angular); fill ~2,700. Depth applications: 1" paver leveling, 2" lawn, 8" sandbox, 12" deep sandbox. Moisture: wet sand 10–20% heavier (3,100–3,400 lb/yd³) because water fills void space without changing volume.
- howmuchstuff — Coverage + bag counts + type-job guidance · 2026Coverage: 1 yd³ covers ~162 sqft @ 2", ~100 @ 3"; 1 ton ~120 @ 2", ~80 @ 3", ~60 @ 4". Bags: 50-lb bag ≈ 0.5 ft³; ~54 bags per yd³. Type-job: play sand for sandboxes (washed/screened); masonry for mortar/paver bedding+joints; concrete sand for concrete mixing; fill sand for backfill/drainage; all-purpose for general fill/leveling.
- hellogravel — Sand density spread + moisture + hauling · 2026Sand density range 2,500–2,800 lb/yd³ by type (preserved as ranges, not flattened). Moisture: wet sand 10–20% heavier. Hauling: ~4–5 wheelbarrow loads per yd³ (about 60 lb per loaded wheelbarrow).
- civilsir · infinitycalculator — General density range + cost + hauling · 2026General sand density across types ~2,600–3,000 lb/yd³ (1.3–1.5 t/yd³). Cost: bulk $25–60/yd³ or $10–45/ton. Hauling: dump truck 10–14 tons. Note (infinitycalculator outlier): fine mason sand can run slightly lower (~1,500 kg/m³); cluster is near-standard.
- concretecalculate · mudmixer (cost) · inchcalculator (moisture) — Bulk-vs-bagged cost threshold + moisture corroboration · 2026Bulk by type: play $40–60, masonry $35–50, concrete $30–45, all-purpose $35–50, fill $25–40 — all per yd³ bulk delivery. Bagged: $4–8 per 50-lb bag = $200–400/yd³ equivalent; bulk wins above ~1 yd³. Moisture corroborated by inchcalculator: wet sand 10–20% heavier (universal across the source set).
Every density figure on this page traces to one of the named sources above. Per-type densities are presented as ranges where sources disagree (notably masonry 2,600–2,800 lb/yd³ and play sand 2,500–2,600); the calculator uses a single value within the sourced range for each type. Cost figures are labeled sourced ranges — never a single dollar value as fact. When the user enters their own price, the calculator uses that for an exact total. Moisture (wet sand 10–20% heavier) is universal across the sourced set and stated as a honest planning note rather than baked into the engine. For the shared publish-our-receipts standard, see the methodology page.