Free sand calculator
Find out exactly how much sand to buy. Enter your area's length and width — or a diameter for a round bed — plus the depth you want to fill. The calculator returns the cubic feet and cubic yards you need, the weight in pounds and tons, and the order quantity with a waste margin — updated live, as you type.
On this page15 sections
| Order method | With 10% waste | Round up to |
|---|---|---|
| By volume | 0.68 cu yd | 0.75 cu yd |
| By weight | 0.92 tons | 1,833 lb |
Weight uses dry / loose sand at 100 lb/ft³. A cubic yard of dry sand weighs about 2,700 lb (≈ 1.35 short tons), so a half-ton pickup carries roughly half a yard — order a delivery for more.
Sand density varies with grain and moisture. How accurate is this?
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
How the sand calculator works
Sand is sold by volume (the cubic yard) and by weight (the ton), so the sand calculator works out both from the same measurements. It multiplies the area you are covering by the depth you want to fill to get a volume in cubic feet, converts that to cubic yards — the unit most suppliers quote — and then multiplies the volume by sand's bulk density to get the weight in pounds and tons. Enter a length and width for a rectangular bed, or a diameter for a round one.
What the result means for your order
Two numbers do the work. The cubic-yard figure is what you tell a bulk supplier when you order a load delivered. The tonnage is what a yard weighs by the scale, the way sand is often priced and what tells you how much your truck or trailer can legally carry. The calculator shows both so you can order by volume or by weight — and it adds a waste margin on top, because some sand is always lost to spillage, settling and an uneven base.
What goes into your sand estimate
A sand estimate is built from three pieces: the area, the depth and the density. Get each one right and the order is right; miss one and you are either short mid-project or paying to haul away a pile you did not need.
Area — the footprint you are covering
Length times width for a rectangle, or π × radius² for a circle. This is the footprint of the bed, base or fill. It is the easy part to measure, but it is worth measuring twice on irregular sites — splitting an odd shape into rectangles and adding them up beats guessing.
Depth — the lever that moves the order most
Depth is the input you choose, and it scales the whole order. A 1-inch bedding layer under pavers and a 4-inch leveling fill over the same footprint differ by a factor of four in both volume and weight. Decide the depth your project calls for before you order, because every extra inch adds material across every square foot at once.
Density — what turns volume into weight
Volume tells you how much space the sand fills; density tells you what it weighs. Dry, loose sand is about 100 pounds per cubic foot, so a cubic yard weighs roughly 2,700 pounds. Wet or compacted sand carries water and packs tighter, pushing density toward 120 pounds per cubic foot — which is why the same pile weighs noticeably more after rain.
A worked example using the sand calculator
Maria is laying a 10 ft × 10 ft base of play sand at a 2-inch depth. She wants the volume to order by the yard, the weight so she knows whether it fits in her trailer, and a 10% waste margin on top.
Step 1 — Find the volume in cubic feet
Depth in feet first: 2 in ÷ 12 = 0.167 ft. Then 10 × 10 × 0.167 = 16.67 cu ft.
Step 2 — Convert to cubic yards
16.67 ÷ 27 = 0.62 cu yd. That is the bare volume of the bed, before any waste.
Step 3 — Convert volume to weight
At 100 lb/ft³ for dry sand, 16.67 × 100 = 1,667 lb, and 1,667 ÷ 2,000 = 0.83 tons. That is well under a trailer's limit, so one trip will do it.
Step 4 — Add the waste margin
With 10% added, 0.83 × 1.10 = 0.92 tons (about 0.68 cu yd). Maria orders three-quarters of a yard, or one ton if her supplier sells by weight.
How much sand do I need?
If you want a ballpark before you measure, this table gives the volume and dry-sand weight for common areas at a 2-inch depth. These are bare figures — add 10% for waste before you order, and scale up directly if your depth is greater.
| Area (2 in deep) | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Dry weight (tons) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft × 5 ft | 4.2 | 0.15 | 0.21 |
| 8 ft × 8 ft | 10.7 | 0.40 | 0.53 |
| 10 ft × 10 ft | 16.7 | 0.62 | 0.83 |
| 12 ft × 12 ft | 24.0 | 0.89 | 1.20 |
| 20 ft × 20 ft | 66.7 | 2.47 | 3.33 |
| 24 ft × 24 ft | 96.0 | 3.56 | 4.80 |
All figures assume a 2-inch depth and dry sand at 100 lb/ft³. Double the depth to double the numbers; wet or compacted sand weighs about 20% more.
When to use this sand calculator
Reach for it any time a project turns on how much sand to buy — which is most of them, because sand is heavy, bulky and awkward to top up once a delivery has left.
- Paver and flagstone bedding — the 1-inch leveling layer of sand beneath patios, walkways and driveways.
- Paver joint sand — sweeping sand into the gaps between set pavers to lock them in place.
- Play areas and sandboxes — filling a sandbox or play pit to a comfortable depth.
- Base and leveling fill — bedding for pipes, pools and sheds, or evening out a low spot before a slab.
- Concrete and mortar mixes — estimating the sand portion when batching your own mix.
Types of sand by project
The volume math is the same for every sand, but which one you buy depends on the job. The four most common options trade grain shape, drainage and compaction against price.
| Sand type | Best for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete / coarse sand | Paver bedding, concrete and mortar mixes | Sharp, gritty grains that compact and lock under load |
| Polymeric sand | Paver joints | Contains a binder that hardens with water to resist washout and weeds |
| Mason / fine sand | Mortar, brick and block work | Finer, smoother grains for a workable mix |
| Play sand | Sandboxes and play areas | Washed and screened to remove sharp pieces and dust |
Density varies only slightly between these for estimating; the calculator's dry/wet setting captures the main weight difference. Confirm the product for your specific application.
For paver projects, a sharp concrete sand is used for the bedding layer and a polymeric or jointing sand goes into the gaps — they are not interchangeable.
Cubic yards or tons: how sand is sold
Sand is quoted both ways, and the bridge between them is density. Bulk yards sell by the cubic yard for delivery; many sell by the ton off a scale. Knowing how the two convert lets you compare prices and confirm a load fits your vehicle.
| Sand condition | lb / ft³ | lb / yd³ | Short tons / yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry, loose | 100 | ~2,700 | ~1.35 |
| Wet or compacted | 120 | ~3,240 | ~1.62 |
A US short ton is 2,000 lb. Dry sand ≈ 100 lb/ft³ (Engineering ToolBox; Inch Calculator cites 1.3–1.5 tons/yd³). Wet sand carries water weight and packs tighter, so the same volume weighs more.
One practical consequence: a half-ton pickup is rated for roughly a half-cubic-yard of sand, not a full yard. A cubic yard of dry sand weighs about 2,700 pounds — over a ton — so order a delivery rather than overloading a light truck.
Density and per-yard tonnage figures cross-checked against Inch Calculator's sand reference, which quotes roughly 1.3–1.5 short tons per cubic yard for dry sand.Waste factor: how much extra to order
Order the exact calculated volume and you will likely come up a little short. Some sand spills off the shovel and the wheelbarrow, some settles and compacts below the loose volume you measured, and an uneven base quietly swallows extra in the low spots. A modest overage covers all of it.
The 10% rule
For most jobs, add 10%. On a clean, well-prepared base you can trim that to 5%; on rough or uneven ground, or where the sand will be compacted, 10% is the floor and some estimators go to 15%. The calculator's waste field defaults to 10% and adjusts up to 20%.
Why running short is worse than running over
Leftover sand is cheap and easy to use elsewhere, but running out mid-project is costly: a second small delivery often carries the same trip fee as the first, and a partial layer that sets before the rest arrives leaves a visible seam in a paver base. The overage exists so one delivery finishes the job.
Sand definitions
How accurate is this sand calculator?
The volume math is exact. Length times width times depth, divided by 27, is the precise cubic-yard volume of your bed, and the round-area option uses the exact π × radius² formula. If your measurements are right, the geometry is right to the decimal.
The weight is a well-grounded estimate. Sand's bulk density varies with grain size, mineral make-up and — most of all — moisture: dry, loose sand sits near 100 lb/ft³, while wet or compacted sand can reach 120 lb/ft³ or more. The calculator's dry/wet setting captures that swing, but the real tonnage of your specific sand can drift either way. Treat the weight as a planning figure, confirm the price and whether your supplier sells by the yard or the ton, and when in doubt order to the high side — the waste factor exists precisely because a second small delivery costs far more per pound than the sand you did not need.
Frequently asked questions about the free sand calculator
About this sand calculator
This sand calculator runs entirely in your browser. Every dimension you type stays on your device — nothing is sent to a server, logged, or shared. Volume is computed as area × depth and converted to cubic feet and cubic yards, while the weight in pounds and tons uses sand's bulk density (dry or wet) with your waste factor applied — all updating instantly.
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