Sand Calculator
Cubic yards, tons, and bags of sand for bedding and fill.
1 in for paver bedding, 6 in for a sandbox.
Sets tons per cubic yard. Paver bedding uses coarse concrete sand.
Delivered price for sand. Leave at 0 to skip the cost estimate.
You need
0.37 cubic yards
Order a little extra; screeding always consumes more than the math.
- Approximate weight
- 0.50 tons
- Volume
- 10.0 cu ft
- 50 lb bags
- 20 bags
Estimates only. Verify quantities before ordering.
How this is calculated
Volume = length (ft) x width (ft) x depth (in) / 12, divided by 27 for cubic yards. Weight assumes about 1.35 tons per cubic yard for dry sand. A 50 lb bag holds roughly 0.5 cu ft.
Enter the area and the depth of sand, and this calculator converts it to cubic yards for bulk orders, tons for quarry pricing, and 50 lb bags for small jobs. Concrete sand, mason sand, and play sand all measure the same way; they differ in grain size and cleanliness, not volume.
Match the sand to the job. Paver bedding should be coarse concrete sand at 1 inch deep, screeded flat. Sandboxes use washed play sand, typically 6 inches deep. Polymeric joint sand is a different product sold in small bags and is not what this calculator estimates.
Sand for common projects
Bedding rows use a 1 inch depth over a compacted gravel base; sandbox rows use 6 inches.
| Project | Cubic yards | 50 lb bags |
|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 ft paver bed, 1 in | 0.31 cubic yards | 17 bags |
| 12 x 12 ft paver bed, 1 in | 0.44 cubic yards | 24 bags |
| 16 x 20 ft paver bed, 1 in | 0.99 cubic yards | 54 bags |
| 6 x 6 ft sandbox, 6 in | 0.67 cubic yards | 36 bags |
| 8 x 8 ft sandbox, 6 in | 1.19 cubic yards | 64 bags |
Which sand for which job
Concrete sand, sometimes labeled coarse or C33, is the correct bedding layer under pavers. Its angular grains lock together under compaction and it drains freely, which is exactly what a paver bed needs. It is also the sand used in a concrete mix. If a supplier offers you one sand for a patio, this is almost certainly the one.
Mason sand is finer and more uniform, made for mortar where a smooth, workable mix matters more than drainage. It is occasionally sold for paver joints, though polymeric jointing sand has largely replaced it there. It makes a poor bedding layer because the fine grains hold water and shift under load, which shows up as ruts across a patio a year later.
Play sand is washed and screened fine sand, sold in bags for sandboxes and priced for that market. Fill sand is cheap unscreened material for raising grade or backfilling, and it often contains silt and stones. Neither belongs under pavers. Confusing them is easy because the bags look alike on a pallet, so read the label rather than the sign above it.
Bags or bulk?
The crossover sits around half a cubic yard. A 50 lb bag holds roughly half a cubic foot, so a cubic yard is about 54 bags, which is more than 2,500 pounds handled twice: once into the car and once into the yard. Below about half a yard the convenience of bags usually wins; above it, bulk is cheaper per unit and dramatically less lifting.
Bulk sand is sold by the cubic yard or the ton and normally carries a delivery fee and an order minimum. Because sand is dense, check what your driveway and the delivery truck can manage before ordering several yards. Sand also holds water, so material delivered after rain can weigh noticeably more per yard than the dry figure implies, which matters when you are buying by weight rather than volume.
Screeding a bedding layer
A paver bedding layer is 1 inch, not more, and this is the single most common place a patio goes wrong. Thicker sand is tempting because it makes leveling individual pavers easier, but sand is not a structural material: any depth beyond an inch consolidates unevenly under traffic and the surface turns wavy. Depth belongs in the compacted base beneath, not in the sand above it.
Screed by laying two lengths of 1 inch pipe on the compacted base, filling between them with sand, and drawing a straight board along the pipes. Lift the pipes and fill the grooves as you go. Do not compact the bedding layer before setting pavers; it gets compacted through the pavers at the end, and that final pass is what beds each unit into place.
Common questions
What kind of sand goes under pavers?
Coarse, angular concrete sand (ASTM C33), screeded to a 1 inch bed over the compacted gravel base. Do not use fine play sand or mason sand under pavers: fine rounded grains shift and wash out, and the surface will rut.
How much does a yard of sand weigh?
Dry sand weighs roughly 2,600 to 2,800 lb per cubic yard, and wet sand can push past 3,200. That is more than a half-ton pickup should carry, so have bulk sand delivered or haul it in small loads.
How much sand do I need for a sandbox?
A 6 inch depth is typical. An 8 x 8 ft sandbox at 6 inches takes 32 cubic feet, which is about 1.2 cubic yards or 64 of the 50 lb bags. Buy washed play sand for sandboxes, since unwashed construction sand is dusty and can contain sharp debris.
Can I use sand alone as a paver base?
No. Sand is the thin leveling layer, not the structure. The load is carried by 4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed gravel beneath it. Pavers laid on sand alone settle unevenly within a season or two, especially where water moves through the soil.