Sand Calculator

To figure out how much sand you need, measure the length and width of the area in feet and the depth you want to fill in inches. Enter those three numbers and the calculator instantly returns the sand in cubic yards, tons, and bags. Bulk sand is sold by the cubic yard or ton, so those are the numbers a landscape yard will ask for. Only filling a small sandbox or a few paver joints? Open More options to switch on bag counts, wet sand, metric units, or a price estimate. A common question is *how much sand do I need for a 10x10 patio paver base* — at a 2-inch setting bed that's about 0.6 cubic yards, or roughly one bulk scoop.

Sand quantity comes down to one thing: volume. Area (length × width) times depth gives you cubic feet, which converts to the cubic yards or tons a supplier sells. The tricky part is that sand is priced two different ways — by volume (cubic yard) for bulk deliveries and by weight (ton) for larger jobs — so this tool shows both. Depth is where most people go wrong: a *paver base* wants about a 1-inch leveling layer of sand over the gravel, a *sandbox* usually gets 6–12 inches, and *block-paving joints* barely need a fraction of an inch. Get the depth right and everything else follows. Sand also settles and compacts, so ordering a small buffer (5–10%) keeps you from a second trip to the yard.

Volume (ft³) = Area (ft²) × (Depth in inches ÷ 12)

Then convert:

- Cubic yards = ft³ ÷ 27
- Tons = cubic yards × density (dry sand ≈ 1.35 tons/yd³, wet ≈ 1.55)
- Bags = total pounds ÷ bag weight (rounded up)

For a circle, area = π × (diameter ÷ 2)². Dry sand weighs roughly 100 lbs per cubic foot, which is why a single cubic yard tips the scale near 1.35 tons.

Example 1 — Paver base for a 10×10 patio: 10 × 10 = 100 ft² at a 1-inch sand bed = 100 × (1/12) = 8.33 ft³ = 0.31 yd³ ≈ 0.42 tons. One small bulk scoop covers it.

Example 2 — Kids' sandbox 6×6 filled 10 inches: 36 ft² × (10/12) = 30 ft³ = 1.11 yd³ ≈ 1.5 tons. In 50-lb play-sand bags that's about 60 bags.

Example 3 — Leveling a 20×20 area 2 inches deep: 400 ft² × (2/12) = 66.7 ft³ = 2.47 yd³ ≈ 3.3 tons of dry sand.

- Buy bulk over ~1 cubic yard. Bagged sand costs far more per pound; once you cross a cubic yard, a bulk delivery almost always wins.
- Match sand to the job: *paver / concrete sand* for a patio base, *mason sand* for smooth joints, *play sand* for sandboxes.
- Add 5–10% for compaction. Sand settles once it's walked on or rained on — the waste field handles this for you.
- A cubic yard ≈ 1.35 tons of dry sand, but wet sand is heavier; if it's been raining, expect the ton count to run high.
- Wet-cast vs dry-laid? For paver bases keep the sand bed to about 1 inch — thicker beds rut and shift over time.