Sand is the quiet layer nobody sees but every hardscape depends on. Get the depth wrong and the patio tilts, the sandbox compacts into mud, or the pool base shifts. This page is a lookup - find your job in the table, grab the depth, type in the area, and the tool returns cubic yards, tons and bag count.
Depth lookup by job
| Job | Depth | Sand type |
|---|---|---|
| Paver bedding | 1 in | Washed mason sand |
| Patio leveling bed | 1 in | Fine screed sand |
| Sandbox fill | 6 to 8 in | Clean play sand |
| Pool base | 2 to 3 in | Fine mason sand |
| Artificial turf underlay | 1 to 2 in | Washed sand |
| Under concrete slab | 4 to 6 in | Fill sand |
Paver bedding - the 1 inch rule
This is the number people over-order. A paver patio does not want a foot of sand. It wants one inch of clean mason sand screeded flat between two straight guide pipes. That inch is the cushion and the leveling layer, not the structure. The structural work happens below - 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel base. If you dig the base deeper and call it sand, the pavers will settle the first winter.
Sandbox - 6 to 8 inches
A backyard sandbox wants 6 to 8 inches of washed play sand. Enough to bury a toy truck, not enough to bury a toddler. Twelve inches is overkill and gets expensive fast. Line the wooden box with landscape fabric first so grass does not grow up through the sand and so the sand does not wash into the dirt below.
Play sand versus fill sand
Read the bag. Play sand is washed, screened and fine - the stuff you see at the playground, soft on hands, no rocks, no silt. Fill sand is coarser, cheaper, brownish, and meant for grading and under slabs. It gets muddy when wet and dusty when dry. A sandbox filled with fill sand is a weekend regret.
Buying - bulk by the ton, small jobs by the bag
Bulk sand runs 1.3 to 1.6 tons per cubic yard and is sold by the ton at the quarry. For a 10 by 10 ft patio at 1 inch of bedding, that is about 0.3 cubic yards - well below a truck minimum, so bags make sense. The standard hardware-store bag is 0.5 cubic foot, which is roughly a 50 lb bag. That same 0.3-yard patio needs about 17 bags.
For a sandbox, the math flips. A 6 by 6 ft box at 8 inches deep is about 2.2 cubic yards - call the quarry. Bulk play sand is a fraction of the bag price, and the delivery truck can dump it right next to the box.
Quick coverage numbers
- One cubic yard of sand covers about 324 square feet at 1 inch deep
- One cubic yard covers about 100 square feet at 3 inches deep
- One cubic yard covers about 50 square feet at 6 inches deep
- A 0.5 cu ft bag covers about 6 square feet at 1 inch deep
Bring a tarp when the dump truck arrives - sand spilled on the driveway is a pain to sweep up and a slip hazard when wet.
Sand Calculator
Look up the depth for your job, type in the area, and read out cubic yards, tons and 0.5 cu ft bag count without doing the arithmetic.
How to use
- Pick the job - paver bedding, sandbox, pool base or underlayment
- Measure length and width in feet, or radius for a circle
- Set depth - 1 inch for paver bedding, 6 to 8 inches for a sandbox
- Add 10 percent waste for screeding and spills
- Read cubic yards, tons and the 0.5 cu ft bag count
Supported formats and limits
- Estimate only - sand settles and compacts once wetted
- Weight assumed at 1.3 to 1.6 tons per cubic yard
- Bulk sand is sold by the ton; small jobs use 0.5 cu ft bags
- US units only - feet, inches, square feet and cubic yards
Examples
A 10 by 10 ft patio at 1 inch of bedding sand comes to about 0.3 cubic yards, roughly 0.4 tons, or about 17 of the 0.5 cu ft bags.Common errors
- Length and width must both be positive numbers
- Radius must be positive for circular areas
- Depth should fall between 0.5 and 18 inches
- Waste factor stays between 0 and 25 percent
Privacy and browser support
The math runs entirely in your browser. No dimensions are sent anywhere.
FAQ
How deep should a sandbox be?
Six to 8 inches of clean play sand. Deeper than 12 inches is a drowning risk for toddlers and the sand never gets mixed anyway. Line the box with landscape fabric before filling to keep grass and bugs out.
How thick is paver bedding sand?
One inch, screeded flat between two guide pipes. Any thicker and the pavers sink and shift; any thinner and you cannot level the bumps out. This is bedding only - the structural base is 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel underneath.
Play sand versus fill sand - what is the difference?
Play sand is washed, screened and fine, with no silt or rocks, safe for kids. Fill sand is coarser, cheaper and used for grading and under concrete. Never put fill sand in a sandbox - it is dusty, muddy when wet and often contains flecks of clay.
How many 0.5 cu ft bags make a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so a 0.5 cu ft bag means about 54 bags per yard. A 50 lb bag of sand is close to 0.5 cubic foot, which is why the two numbers travel together.
Do I need sand under artificial turf?
A thin 1 to 2 inch bedding of fine sand over a compacted gravel base, then infill sand on top of the turf itself. Skip the bedding and the turf follows every bump in the dirt.
Is sand or gravel better under pavers?
Both, in layers. Four to 6 inches of compacted gravel is the structural base, then 1 inch of sand on top as the leveling bed. Sand alone shifts over a winter and the pavers tilt.