Sand Calculator

1. Pick Imperial or Metric, the shape and the project. Enter the length and width (or the diameter) and the depth of sand you want.
2. Choose the sand condition. Use the damp planning figure if you do not know the density, or enter your supplier figure as a custom density.
3. Add any extra allowance, choose bags or bulk, and enter your own price. Read the tons, the volume, the bag count and the cost.

A sand calculator is a volume and weight tool for loose sand. It converts the size and depth of a space into cubic yards, then into tons, because most yards and quarries sell sand by weight. It also counts bags for small jobs.

It helps homeowners filling a sandbox, parents and schools topping up a play area, and anyone laying a thin bedding layer under pavers or a pool. Contractors use the same math for backfill and base layers.

The calculator does not pick a sand grade for you. Play sand, masonry sand and concrete sand differ in grain size, and a supplier can tell you which suits the job. For soil under plants, use the topsoil calculator instead, since soil is sold by volume, not weight.

The calculator finds the volume of the space, then multiplies it by the density of sand to get the weight.

1. Area. A rectangle is length x width. A circle is pi x radius squared, where the radius is half the diameter.
2. Volume. Area x depth, with the depth in the same unit. Inches divide by 12 to become feet, and centimeters divide by 100 to become meters.
3. Extra. The volume is multiplied by 1 plus your allowance. A 10 percent allowance multiplies it by 1.10.
4. Weight. Volume x density. Pounds divide by 2,000 to give short tons, and kilograms divide by 1,000 to give tonnes.

Density is the only figure that is not exact geometry, so the page shows three options and a custom field.

The compacted figure is the middle of the 1.62 to 1.66 tons per cubic yard that a Wisconsin DOT study measured for granular backfill sand. The loose figure divides that by the 38 to 52 percent swell the same study found from compacted to loose. The 100 lb figure is a common planning assumption, not a measured standard.

Sandbox. A 4 ft x 4 ft box filled 8 in deep holds 16 x 8 / 12 = 10.67 cu ft. With a 10 percent extra, that is 11.73 cu ft. At 100 lb per cubic foot it weighs 1,173 lb, or 0.59 tons. In 50 lb bags you need 24 bags, which is $156.00 at $6.50 a bag.

Playground surface. A 20 ft x 15 ft play area at 12 in deep needs 300 cu ft, or 11.11 cu yd. At 1.35 tons per cubic yard that is 15.0 tons. The 12 inch depth already allows for compression, so the extra is set to 0. At $45 a ton, the sand costs $675.00 before delivery.

Bedding layer. A 12 ft x 10 ft patio with a 1 in sand layer needs 10 cu ft, or 11 cu ft with 10 percent extra. That weighs 1,100 lb, so 22 bags of 50 lb.

Metric sandpit. A 2 m x 2 m pit at 30 cm holds 1.2 cubic m. With 10 percent extra and 1,602 kg per cubic m, it weighs 2,114 kg, or 2.11 tonnes. That is 85 bags of 25 kg, so bulk makes more sense.

Moisture and compaction change the weight of the same volume more than any other factor.

Moisture

Water fills the gaps between grains and adds weight. A ton of wet sand covers less ground than a ton of dry sand, so a load bought by weight after rain goes a shorter distance.

Compaction

Tamped or settled sand packs more grains into each cubic foot. The Wisconsin DOT study found granular sand expands 38 to 52 percent when it goes from compacted to loose. Sand you compact in place needs more tons than its loose volume suggests.

Grain Size and Grading

A well graded sand, with a mix of grain sizes, packs tighter than a uniform sand. Fine play sand and coarse concrete sand can differ by several pounds per cubic foot.

Depth Accuracy

Volume rises in step with depth. An 8 inch sandbox filled to 9 inches needs 12.5 percent more sand. Measure the depth in a few places if the base is uneven.

Playground Compression

The CPSC playground handbook says loose fill compresses at least 25 percent over time. Its example fills 12 inches to keep 9 inches after use and weathering.

Bags suit small jobs you can carry, and bulk suits jobs that need a truck.

Run the calculator twice to compare. Price the job in Bags mode, then switch to Bulk and enter the price per ton with the delivery fee spread over the load.

Sandboxes and Play Areas

Measure the inside of the frame and the depth you want. Most families buy these in bags, and the bag count stops a second trip to the store.

Playground Safety Surfacing

Choose Playground mode. The verdict checks your depth against the CPSC 9 inch minimum and its advice to overfill for compression.

Bases, Bedding and Backfill

A thin sand layer under pavers, a pool or a pipe uses the same math. For a gravel sub-base under a drive, see the gravel driveway guide, and for a slab poured on top see how much concrete for a slab.

1. Mixing Tons and Cubic Yards

A cubic yard is a volume and a ton is a weight. At 100 lb per cubic foot, 10 cubic yards is 13.5 tons, not 10.

2. Confusing Tons and Tonnes

A US short ton is 2,000 lb. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, which is about 2,205 lb. Check which one your supplier quotes; the ton to pounds converter shows the difference.

3. Using Depth in Inches as Feet

A 4 x 4 ft box times 8 gives 128, which reads as 128 cubic feet. The depth must be 0.67 ft, which gives 10.67 cubic feet.

4. Ignoring Moisture

Wet sand weighs more per cubic yard. If the yard weighs a wet load, you receive less volume for each ton you pay for.

5. Filling a Playground to the Bare Minimum

Loose fill compresses and gets kicked out from under swings and slides. Starting at 9 inches leaves you below the minimum soon after.

The volume is exact for the shape and depth you enter, and the weight is only as good as the density you choose.

At the common planning figure of 100 lb per cubic foot, one cubic yard weighs 2,700 lb, or 1.35 tons. Loose dry sand can be closer to 1.13 tons, and compacted sand closer to 1.63 tons.

At 1.35 tons per cubic yard, one ton of sand is about 0.74 cubic yards, or 20 cubic feet. Divide 1 by your supplier density in tons per cubic yard for any other sand.

Forty 50 lb bags make one short ton of 2,000 lb. A metric tonne needs forty 25 kg bags.

The CPSC says never use less than 9 inches of loose fill. Because it compresses by at least 25 percent, plan to install about 12 inches.

There is no safety standard for home sandboxes. Enter the depth your frame allows, and leave a few inches of frame above the sand so it stays inside.

The supplier may use its own density for that sand and moisture level. Enter their figure as a custom density to match their quote.

The volume works for any loose material, but the weight uses a sand density. Enter a custom density for gravel, or use a calculator built for that material.

A small allowance covers spills, uneven bases and settling. Set the extra field to the margin you want, or 0 if your depth already includes it.

No. Sand prices vary by region, grade and delivery distance, so the calculator only uses the price you enter.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers. Anything you choose to Save stays in this browser only.

• Weight-volume relationships and conversion factors for soils and aggregates: granular backfill conversion factors and swell (Wisconsin Department of Transportation research report WHRP G22-05, 2023).
• Public playground safety handbook: 9 inch minimum loose fill and 25 percent compression (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission).
• NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: cubic foot, cubic yard and short ton (National Institute of Standards and Technology).
• Exact conversion factors for length, volume, mass and density (NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8).