Sand Calculator
Soil & OrganicMeasurements in, purchasing amount out
How the Sand Calculator works
The calculator finds volume first, then applies the selected material’s estimated bulk-density range to show weight. Your suggested order adds 10% for settling, uneven ground, and small measurement errors.
Using your measurements
12 ft × 8 ft × (1 in ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 0.30 cu yd
Density assumption: Paver / bedding sand · 2,500–2,900 lb/yd³
The full breakdown
One sand calculator, five completely different jobs
“Sand calculator” covers more ground than any other material on this site, because sand does more jobs than any other material on this site. A paver patio wants a thin, exact bedding course. A sandbox wants a deep, forgiving fill. A pool filter wants a precise weight matched to one specific tank model, not a depth at all. The math above — length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27, converted to cubic yards and then to tons or bags — is the same arithmetic every time; what changes job to job is which depth and which sand you plug in.
Two mistakes account for most bad sand orders. The first is treating bedding sand and jointing sand as the same product: bedding sand is coarse, sits under the pavers, and stays at 1 inch; polymeric jointing sand is fine, swept into the joints after the pavers are laid, and bought by joint coverage rather than bed area — the FAQ below gives a rule of thumb, and the paver calculator sizes the bedding layer for a whole patio. The second is ordering play or paver sand for a pool filter: filter sand is a specific graded silica (commonly #20 grade), sold by the bag to match a filter model, and the wrong grade can blow sand back through the return lines.
Weight is the other variable worth getting right before a delivery truck shows up. Dry sand of any type runs in the 2,300–2,900 lb/yd³ range; wet sand can climb past 3,000 lb/yd³ once the pore space fills with water, which matters if you’re close to a trailer or floor load limit. Pick the wet variant above if the pile has sat outside or you’re buying from a yard rather than a dry bagged source.
Sand type changes the weight, not the volume
Cubic yards needed stay the same no matter which sand you pick — only the weight estimate moves. Fill sand runs lightest; wet sand of any grade runs heaviest because of the water sitting in the pore space.
| Sand | Weight |
|---|---|
| Masonry / mortar sand | 2,400–2,800 lb/yd³ |
| Play sand | 2,400–2,700 lb/yd³ |
| Fill sand | 2,300–2,700 lb/yd³ |
| Wet sand | 2,900–3,400 lb/yd³ |
How deep, job by job
Depth is where a sand calculator earns its keep, because it is almost never the same number twice. These are the starting points contractors actually use; adjust for your base and local frost line.
| Paver bedding course | 1 in (2.5 cm), never thicker |
|---|---|
| Leveling sand under slabs, sheds, or pipe | 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm), screeded flat |
| Paver joints (polymeric sand) | Swept to fill joints, not measured as a bed |
| Sandbox (play sand) | 6–12 in (15–30 cm) depending on digging depth wanted |
| Above-ground pool base | 2–3 in (5–7.5 cm) across the full footprint |
| Horse arena footing | 4–6 in (10–15 cm) over a compacted base |
Bagged vs. bulk sand
Sand is sold by weight, not by fixed-volume bag, so the conversion runs through density instead of a flat bag count. At a typical 2,600–2,900 lb/yd³, a 50 lb bag covers roughly half a cubic foot and a 100 lb bag close to one cubic foot — bulk delivery overtakes bagged sand in cost-per-yard once a job clears about half a ton.
A standard pallet holds about 49 bags of 50 lb sand, or 42 bags at 60 lb — check the supplier’s pallet spec before ordering a full pallet.
Two ways to waste a sand delivery
Bedding sand swept into paver joints
Bedding sand isn’t designed to lock in place once it’s exposed at the surface — it washes and ants tunnel through it. Polymeric sand is a separate product with a binder that hardens when watered in; use it for joints and keep plain bedding sand under the pavers, not in them.
Wrong grade in a pool filter
Filter sand is sized to a specific mesh grade so it traps debris without clogging the tank’s laterals. Play sand or mason sand is too fine for most residential filters and can slip through the underdrain — check the filter’s manual for the exact grade and weight before buying.
Sand, specifically
Sand questions people actually ask
Why add 10% to the calculated amount?
Extra material covers small dips, settling, spillage, and measurements that are not perfectly square. The calculated amount remains visible so you can compare both figures.
Are bag counts based on the same amount?
Both are shown. “Calculated” bags cover the measured volume; “Order” bags include the 10% allowance and round partial bags up to whole bags.
How accurate is the weight estimate?
Volume comes directly from your dimensions. Weight is a range because moisture, particle size, composition, and compaction change bulk density.
What is sand made of?
Mostly tiny grains of weathered quartz and other minerals, typically 0.05–2 mm across. Composition varies by source: river and mason sand carry more mixed minerals, while pool filter and play sand are often processed to a more uniform silica grain.
How many bags of sand do I need?
Work out the total weight in pounds from the calculator above, then divide by the bag weight — 50 or 100 lb are the common sizes. A cubic yard at typical density runs roughly 50–58 bags at 50 lb each.
How much polymeric sand do I need?
Polymeric sand is bought by coverage, not by depth, because it only fills the joints. As a rule of thumb, a 50 lb bag covers roughly 50 to 100 square feet of standard pavers with narrow joints, and far less — sometimes 20 to 40 square feet — for tumbled pavers or flagstone with wide joints. Joint width, joint depth, and paver size all move the figure, so use the chart on the bag for your paver and round up. The calculator above is for bedding and fill sand, which is measured as a layer.
How much sand for a pool filter?
It depends entirely on the filter model — residential sand filters typically take somewhere between 150 and 400 lb of #20 silica filter sand, but the manufacturer’s spec sheet for your exact tank is the only reliable source. Overfilling past the fill line reduces filtration quality.
How much sand do I need for my pool?
For an above-ground pool base, figure 2–3 inches of sand across the entire footprint — plug the pool’s diameter into this calculator’s circle shape and that depth to get cubic yards. That’s separate from filter sand, which is a fixed weight tied to the filter model, not the pool size.
How much sand for a 4x4 sandbox?
At a 6-inch fill depth, a 4×4 ft sandbox holds about 8 cubic feet — roughly 700–800 lb of play sand. Filling it to a deeper 12 inches for more digging room takes about double that, around 1,400–1,600 lb.
How much sand for 100 sq ft?
At a 1-inch bedding depth, 100 sq ft needs about 0.31 cubic yards, roughly 750–850 lb depending on the sand. Enter 100 as your area and 1 in as depth above for an exact figure at your chosen density.
How much sand is required for 1000 sq ft?
Same caveat as above: it depends on depth and purpose. A 2-inch bedding or leveling layer across 1,000 sq ft comes to about 6.2 cubic yards — swap in your actual depth above for a precise number.