Sand Calculator
Result
Volume
- Volume in cubic yards
- 0.31 yd³
- Weight in pounds
- 832 lb
- Weight in kilograms
- 378 kg
- Bags of sand (50 lb each)
- 17
- Density
- 1,600 kg/m³
Sand is sold three ways — by the cubic yard from a landscape yard, by the 50 pound bag from a hardware store, and by the ton from a quarry — and this sand calculator answers all three at once. Enter the area and the depth, then pick the sand: masonry sand for a mortar mix, play sand for a sandbox, paver sand for the bedding under a patio. You get the volume in cubic feet and cubic yards, the weight in pounds and kilograms, and the bags of sand to load in the cart.
Bulk density of common sand
| Sand | Kilograms per m³ | Pounds per ft³ | Bags per yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masonry sand | 1600 | 99.9 | 53.9 |
| Play sand | 1500 | 93.6 | 50.6 |
| Paver sand | 1650 | 103 | 55.6 |
Dry bulk densities; damp sand is heavier and packs tighter. The last column is how many 50 pound bags it takes to make a cubic yard of that sand at that density.
Formula
Volume (ft³) = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12
- L
- Length of the area, in feet
- W
- Width of the area, in feet
- D
- Depth of the sand layer, in inches
- ρ
- Bulk density of the sand, in kilograms per cubic metre
Use it for a sandbox, the base under a patio or a paver walkway, bedding for a flagstone, or the sand that goes into a mortar mix. A sandbox is the one case where depth is the whole point: six inches of play sand is a different order of magnitude from one inch of bedding, and the bag count moves with it.
Worked examples
Bedding for a 10 ft by 10 ft patio, one inch of masonry sand
- Area: 10 × 10 = 100 square feet
- Depth in feet: 1 ÷ 12 = 0.083 ft
- Volume: 100 × 0.083 = 8.33 cubic feet = 0.31 cubic yards
- Masonry sand is about 100 lb per cubic foot: 8.33 × 100 = 832 lb
- Bags: 832 ÷ 50 = 16.6, so buy 17
One inch is a bedding layer, not a base. The same 100 square feet filled six inches deep — a sandbox — is 50 cubic feet and about 100 bags, so the depth estimate is worth taking seriously.
An 8 ft by 8 ft sandbox, six inches of play sand
- Area: 8 × 8 = 64 square feet
- Depth in feet: 6 ÷ 12 = 0.5 ft
- Volume: 64 × 0.5 = 32 cubic feet = 1.19 cubic yards
- Play sand is lighter at about 94 lb per cubic foot: 32 × 94 = 3,000 lb
- Bags: 2,997 ÷ 50 = 60 bags
Sixty bags is 3,000 pounds, which is three car loads or one delivery of 1.2 cubic yards if the yard will drop it where you want it. Play sand is washed and screened, and that is what the extra cost over masonry sand buys.
Limitations
The densities are dry bulk densities: about 100 lb per cubic foot for masonry and paver sand, about 94 for play sand. Damp sand is heavier and packs tighter — a wet bag can weigh 10% more and occupy 5% less room, so sand bought after rain goes further by volume and less far by weight. The 50 pound bag is the US standard; 60 and 80 pound bags are common, and a bulk delivery is sold by the cubic yard. Depth is the compacted depth, and the area is treated as a rectangle.
Frequently asked questions
- How much sand do I need for a patio base?
- An inch of sand over the area of the patio, and no more. For 100 square feet that is 8.3 cubic feet, or about 17 bags of 50 pounds. The sand is a bedding layer that lets the pavers sit level; the structural work is done by the compacted gravel underneath it.
- How many bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
- About 54 for masonry sand. A cubic yard of it weighs roughly 2,700 pounds, and a 50 pound bag is close to half a cubic foot, so both routes give the same answer — 54. Paver sand is a little denser and takes 56, play sand a little lighter at 51.
- How deep should the sand be in a sandbox?
- Four to six inches of play sand in a box with eight to twelve inch walls is the usual arrangement — deep enough to dig in, shallow enough that a child standing in it is not buried to the knees. Fill a little over the mark, because sand settles after the first few rainstorms.
- What is the difference between play sand and masonry sand?
- Play sand is washed and screened, with the fine dust and the sharpest grains taken out, which is what makes it safe to play in. Masonry sand is finer and more angular, and it is chosen for how it packs and how it binds with cement. Buy the wrong one and nothing breaks, but play sand is a poor bedding and masonry sand is an unpleasant sandbox.
- Which sand goes under pavers?
- Paver sand — coarse, washed, and screened to a tight range of grain sizes so it locks rather than shifting. It goes on at about an inch, screeded flat, with the pavers laid straight onto it. It is the densest of the three sands here, which is why the bag count is a little higher.
- How much sand is in a mortar mix?
- A mortar mix is sand plus cement plus lime, and the sand is by far the largest part of it by volume — the usual starting point is three parts sand to one part binder, adjusted for the job. This page tells you the sand for a given area and depth; the proportions of the mix are a separate calculation.
References
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 811 — the pound to kilogram factor used for the weight rows — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Approximate Conversions from U.S. Customary Measures to Metric — the practical chart for feet, inches and cubic feet — National Institute of Standards and Technology