Sand Calculator

Sand formula

Cubic feet = Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (in) / 12
Cubic yards = Cubic feet / 27
Tons = Cubic yards x 1.3 (masonry), 1.25 (play) or 1.35 (fill)
50 lb bags = Cubic feet / 0.5

Worked example

A 15 x 12 ft sandbox filled 8 in deep with play sand: 15 x 12 = 180 sq ft. 180 x (8 / 12) = 120 cubic feet. 120 / 27 = 4.44 cubic yards. At 1.25 tons per yard that is 4.44 x 1.25 = 5.56 tons of play sand, or 120 / 0.5 = 240 bags of 50 lb if you buy it bagged.

For a 24 x 15 ft above-ground pool with a 2 in sand base: 360 x (2 / 12) = 60 cubic feet, or 2.22 cubic yards, about 2.9 tons of masonry sand.

Quick reference

Which sand to buy

Concrete sand, also sold as masonry or bedding sand, is coarse and angular and is the right choice under pavers, flagstone and above-ground pools because it screeds flat and locks together when compacted. Fill sand is unwashed and cheaper, fine for backfill or leveling under a slab but too dirty for a paver bed. Play sand is washed, screened and rounded so it is safe for sandboxes; most people buy it in bags, though some yards sell it in bulk.

Polymeric sand is a different product: fine sand mixed with a binder that hardens when wetted. It is swept into paver joints after the pavers are laid, never used as a bedding layer, and is bought by the bag based on the paver area and joint width rather than by volume.

Bags or bulk

Under about half a cubic yard, bags are easier: a 50 lb bag is half a cubic foot, so a 100 sq ft patio needs 17 bags for a 1 in bed. Past that, bulk sand from a landscape yard is far cheaper per ton, delivered by the yard or by the ton. One cubic yard is roughly 1.3 tons, and a small dump truck load of 5 tons is about 4 cubic yards.

Order 5 to 10 percent extra. Sand spilled at the edges, worked into the gravel base or lost to an uneven screed adds up, and a sandbox or pool base is always deeper in the low spots than the tape measure suggests.

Key facts

• Dry sand weighs about 100 lb per cubic foot, or 2,600 to 2,700 lb per cubic yard; wet sand can run 3,000 lb or more.
• A 50 lb bag of sand holds about 0.5 cubic feet, so 54 bags make one cubic yard.
• Paver bedding is a 1 in screeded layer of coarse concrete sand, never more, over a compacted gravel base.
• A 50 lb bag of polymeric sand fills the joints of roughly 50 to 100 sq ft of pavers, depending on joint width.
• Play sand is washed and screened to remove dust and sharp particles; masonry sand is the same grade as concrete sand but finer.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and references

• •Sand and Gravel Products data sheet (All-Purpose Sand, Play Sand bag sizes, ASTM C33) (Quikrete)
• •All-Purpose Sand product page (paver underlayment, 50 and 70 lb bags) (Quikrete)
• •Premium Play Sand product page (50 lb bags) (Quikrete)
• •Handbook 44 Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (cubic feet, cubic yards, tons) (NIST)