Sand calculator
A 1 in bed of sand under a 12 × 12 ft patio takes 0.44 cubic yards, about 0.60 tons or 24 bags of 0.5 cu ft.
What sand weighs
Sand is heavier than it looks, and water makes it heavier still. The calculator uses 2,700 lb (1.35 tons) per loose cubic yard, which sits within the agency figures below, and 3,000 lb when you choose a compacted layer. If your supplier quotes a weight per yard, choose "Other" and enter it.
| Condition | Lb per cu yd |
|---|---|
| Sand (Caltrans) | 2,400 to 2,600 |
| Sand, loose (EPA) | 2,441 |
| Sand, loose (MoDOT) | 2,630 to 2,960 |
| Sand, compacted (MoDOT) | 2,830 to 3,180 |
| Sand, wet (EPA, 110 to 130 lb per cu ft) | 2,970 to 3,510 |
Area: 12 ft × 12 ft = 144 sq ft
144 sq ft × 1 in = 12 cu ft ÷ 27 = 0.44 cu yd
0.44 cu yd × 2,700 lb per loose cu yd ÷ 2,000 = 0.60 tons
Sand for common jobs
| Job | Cu yd | Tons | Bags of 0.5 cu ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paver bedding, 10 × 10 ft, 1 in | 0.31 | 0.42 | 17 |
| Paver bedding, 12 × 20 ft, 1 in | 0.74 | 1.00 | 40 |
| Sandbox 4 × 4 ft, 10 in | 0.49 | 0.67 | 27 |
| Sandbox 6 × 6 ft, 10 in | 1.11 | 1.50 | 60 |
| Pool base 24 ft round, 2 in | 2.79 | 3.77 | 151 |
Bagged sand is commonly 50 lb, about half a cubic foot; QUIKRETE also sells All-Purpose Sand in 60 and 70 lb bags. A 6 × 6 ft sandbox filled 10 in deep takes 1.11 cubic yards, which is 60 bags of 0.5 cu ft, so bulk delivery starts to make sense.
Sand under pavers
Pavers are laid on a screeded bed of coarse sand about 1 in thick over a compacted gravel base, as Unilock's installation guide describes. Order the bedding sand by the area times 1 in, and get the base from the paver calculator, which works out both layers.
Sources
- Maintenance Manual Volume 1, Appendix: Useful Information, California Department of Transportation, July 2014. Loose weights of crushed gravel, limestone, granite, screenings, sand and soil; 111 lb of asphalt mix per square yard per inch; 2.0 tons per compacted cubic yard of base.
- Highway Maintenance Tables and Conversion Factors (Engineering Policy Guide appendix), Missouri Department of Transportation, current guide. Loose and compacted weights of crushed stone, sand, asphalt and concrete in pounds per cubic foot and per cubic yard.
- Standard Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, March 2016. Loose weights of gravel, rock, sand, sandy loam soil and shredded wood chips.
- QUIKRETE Sand & Gravel Products data sheet, The QUIKRETE Companies, revised November 2020. All-Purpose Gravel is clean gravel with a top size of about ⅜ in, sold in 50 lb bags; All-Purpose Sand comes in 50, 60 and 70 lb bags.
- Basic Technical Guide: pavers and walls, Unilock, January 2024. Gravel base of 6 to 8 in for patios and walkways, 6 to 12 in for pool decks, 10 to 14 in for driveways; a 1 in bed of coarse sand; 6 in of base under walls.