How the sand calculator works
- Area. Length × width, or 3.1416 × radius² for a circle.
- Volume. Area × depth in feet. 2 inches is 0.167 ft.
- Cubic yards. Cubic feet ÷ 27.
- Settling allowance. Sand settles less than dirt. 5–10% is usually enough; use more if you will wet and compact it hard.
- Tons. Cubic yards × about 1.35 for dry sand.
- Bags. Total pounds ÷ 50.
Worked example. A 10 × 10 ft area, 2 inches deep:
- 100 sq ft × 0.167 ft = 16.7 cu ft
- Plus 10%: 18.3 cu ft ÷ 27 = 0.68 cubic yards
- × 1.35 tons = 0.92 tons, about 1,833 lb
- 1,833 ÷ 50 = 36.7, so 37 bags of 50 lb
At that size, bags and a small bulk delivery are close; compare a local delivered price with the bag price.
tons of sand = length × width × depth (ft) ÷ 27 × 1.35
Sand coverage
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | One ton covers (dry) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | about 240 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | about 120 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | about 80 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | about 60 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | about 40 sq ft |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | about 20 sq ft |
One ton of dry sand is about 0.74 cubic yards, or 20 cubic feet.
Common sand jobs and depths
| Job | Typical depth | Calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Sandbox | about 6–12 in | Play sand calculator |
| Base under an above-ground pool | about 2 in, or as the pool maker says | This page |
| Bedding around pipes in a trench | a few inches under and over the pipe | Backfill calculator |
| Fill under a concrete slab | as specified | This page |
| Horse arena footing | about 2–4 in over a firm base | Arena sand calculator |
| Backyard volleyball court | about 12 in or more | Arena sand calculator |
| Mortar for brick or block | mixed with cement | Mason sand calculator |
Fill sand
Fill sand is coarse, usually unwashed sand used to fill and level, especially where drainage matters: under slabs, around pipes and as a base for above-ground pools. It drains well and compacts easily when it is damp, but it washes away on slopes and does not hold a shape the way clay fill does. For general raising and filling, compare it with fill dirt. Sandy fill, a soil with lots of sand in it, sits between the two.
Buying sand: yard, ton or bag?
- By the cubic yard. Common at landscape supply yards. Use the cubic yards figure.
- By the ton. Common at quarries and sand pits. Ask how wet the sand is; wet sand weighs more, so a ton is less volume.
- In bags. Usually 50 lb. Handy for small jobs and places a truck cannot reach. About 54 bags make a cubic yard.
Set the calculator’s “price is per” box to match your quote to get a total. Delivery fees are extra.
Sand weight in brief
Dry sand weighs about 100 lb per cubic foot, or about 2,700 lb (1.35 tons) per cubic yard. Damp and wet sand can weigh 10 to 20 percent more. The sand weight calculator has the full chart and converts yards to tons both ways.
Sand weights and bag counts are typical figures for dry sand. Different sands and moisture levels weigh different amounts, so confirm with the supplier and round up for the last bag or the last part load.
Questions people ask
- How do I calculate how much sand I need?
- Multiply length × width in feet, multiply by depth in feet (inches ÷ 12) and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Multiply cubic yards by about 1.35 for tons of dry sand. Add 5 to 10 percent for settling and uneven ground.
- How much area does a yard of sand cover?
- About 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches.
- How many 50 lb bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
- About 54 bags of dry sand, since a cubic yard weighs about 2,700 lb and each 50 lb bag holds about half a cubic foot.
- How much is a yard of sand?
- It depends on the type of sand (fill sand is usually cheaper than washed mason or play sand), the supplier and delivery. Get a local price per yard or per ton and the delivery fee, and enter it in the calculator.
- How many tons of sand do I need?
- Work out the cubic yards, then multiply by the weight per yard: about 1.35 tons for dry sand, up to about 1.6 tons for wet sand. 5 cubic yards of dry sand is about 6.75 tons.