Sand Calculator
Bedding sand by volume, weight and sack — with the moisture bulking that makes damp sand order bigger but weigh exactly the same.
Sand Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Rectangles at uniform depth.
- Bulking is a planning band; lab values vary by grading.
- No compaction allowance — bedding is entered finished.
In short: A 1-in bedding course over 20 × 24 ft: 40 ft³ = 1.481481 yd³ = exactly 2.00 tons of dry sand, or 80 half-cubic-foot bags. Damp, it bulks 20% — order 1.777778 yd³ of volume and the two tons never move.
Formula
bedding ft³ = ft² × depth ÷ 12
tons = ft³ × dry density ÷ 2,000
bulked volume = yd³ × (1 + bulking) — weight unchanged
one ton covers = 2,000 ÷ density × 12 ÷ depth ft²
[('bedding', 'the finished, compacted depth'), ('weight', 'dry density — moisture-proof'), ('bulking', 'damp sand: more volume, same tons'), ('bags', 'where sand still buys by the sack')]
Worked Example
- Multiply area by depth for the bedding volume.
- Convert to weight with the dry density.
- Count sacks for small-scale buys.
- Inflate volume — never weight — by the bulking factor.
- State the coverage of a ton at the entered depth.
1 inch over 480 ft²: 40 ft³ = 1.481481 yd³ = exactly 2.00 tons at 100 lb/ft³, or 80 half-foot bags. Damp at +20%, order 1.777778 yd³ of volume — and one ton covers 240.00 ft² at this depth.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Weight and volume kept separate through the weather
- The one aggregate where bags are honestly compared
- Coverage per ton at the entered depth
Where it stops
- Uniform depth only
- No gradation guidance
Practical Use Cases
Paver bedding
The 1-inch compacted course.
Masonry sand
Mortar and joint sand by weight.
Play areas
Depth-first sandbox fills.
Topdressing
Thin lifts over large areas.
Quote conversion
Yard quotes against ton quotes.
Methodology & Editorial Standards
Volume is the rectangle × depth ÷ 12; weight applies the DRY density so moisture cannot double-count — the bulking factor inflates only the ordered volume, and the wet-weight card explains the scale-side effect separately. Bags ceil at the entered sack size; coverage inverts the tonnage. Zero dimensions, density or sack size are refused.
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Sand Calculator — 10 Expert FAQs
10 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
About 1.35 tons dry — 100 lb per cubic foot. Wet sand runs 10-15% heavier per yard, which is a scale fact, not a volume fact: the pile covers the same, the ticket weighs more.
How much sand for a 1-inch bedding layer?
Square feet ÷ 12 for cubic feet at one inch — 480 ft² needs 40 ft³, 1.481 yd³, almost exactly 2 tons dry, or 80 of the half-foot sacks.
What is sand bulking?
Surface moisture pushes grains apart, so damp sand occupies up to 20-30% MORE volume for the same weight. It is why a damp pile looks like a bargain and a scale disagrees — order volume with the factor, weight without.
Bags or bulk sand?
Bags suit sand in a way they never suit gravel: small beds under about 40 sacks stay clean, dry and portable. Past that, a delivered yard is cheaper per ton and kinder to wrists.
Does wet sand change my order?
Buying by volume: yes — damp sand bulked means the same weight arrives in a bigger pile, so order the bulked volume. Buying by weight: the tons you need never change, but each wet ton covers less area than a dry one.
How much area does a ton of sand cover?
At 1 inch: 20 ft² per ton at 100 lb/ft³. The formula is 2,000 ÷ density × 12 ÷ depth-in — depth is linear, so 2 inches halves it.
Should bedding sand be compacted?
Paver bedding is spread and SCREEDed to a compacted 1 inch; over-compacting before the pavers can distort the screed rails. The depth you enter should be the finished one, as with gravel.
What density should I use?
100 lb/ft³ is the dry reference (1.35 t/yd³). Masonry sand, concrete sand and play sand differ a few percent; the scale, not the table, settles big orders.
Is play sand different from masonry sand?
Grading and washing differ — play sand is fine and washed, masonry sand carries fines that help mortar. The volume arithmetic is identical; the spec sheet is not.
How deep for a sandbox?
Depth is a play decision — 6-12 inches is common guidance. The page prices whatever depth you enter at sand's weight, which is how sandbox projects turn into tonnage surprises.