Enter your area and depth to get cubic yards, short tons and bag counts, and choose whether the sand is loose or compacted.
Sand is sold by the cubic yard in bulk, by the bag for small jobs, and by the ton from some suppliers. This calculator converts between all three, so you can compare a bulk quote with a pallet of bags.
The densities come from the AASHTO LRFD unit weight table: 100 lb/ft³ for loose sand and 120 lb/ft³ once compacted. AASHTO groups loose sand, silt and gravel into a single row and compacted sand, silt and clay into another — that is the standard's own convention, not a gap in our research, and we say so on the page rather than quietly inventing separate figures.
One thing we deliberately do not do: we do not claim a separate density for mason sand or concrete sand. We looked, and no authoritative source separates them. If your supplier quotes a figure for the exact product, that beats any published average.
A worked example you can check by hand
A 20 ft × 10 ft area at 2 in deep,
with a 5% waste allowance:
Area
200 ft² (20 ft × 10 ft)
Depth
2 in = 0.1667 ft
Volume (before waste)
33.3333 ft³
Waste allowance
5%
Volume (with waste)
35 ft³ = 1.2963 yd³
Density used
100 / 100 / 100 lb/ft³ (low / typical / high)
Weight (low)
3,500 lb = 1.75 short tons
Weight (typical)
3,500 lb = 1.75 short tons
Weight (high)
3,500 lb = 1.75 short tons
How we calculate this — and every number we used
We do not use a hidden "magic number". Here is the entire calculation:
volume = area × depth
volume_with_waste = volume × (1 + waste%)
weight = volume_with_waste × density
Why a range, not one number? Bulk material density changes with
moisture, gradation and compaction. Publishing a single figure would be falsely precise, so we publish
the range our sources support — and we show you exactly where each number comes from.
Why you can pick the state. The same material weighs very different
amounts loose, in place, or compacted — WisDOT measured volume changes of 27–60% on compaction alone.
Most calculators hide this behind one number. We let you choose.
How we chose the typical value. AASHTO LRFD Table 3.5.1-1 gives 0.100 kcf (= 100 lb/ft³ = 1.35 short ton/yd³) for 'Loose Sand, Silt or Gravel'. Note that AASHTO groups loose sand, silt and gravel into one row, so loose sand and loose gravel share this figure by the standard's own convention. Independent cross-check: SAKRETE's data sheet gives a 50 lb bag as approximately 0.5 ft³, which is exactly 100 lb/ft³ — an independent manufacturer figure landing on the AASHTO value.
Limits of this constant
AASHTO publishes these as 'traditional unit weights' and states in C3.5.1 that the unit weight of granular materials depends on the degree of compaction and water content. They are design nominal values, not measured statistics.
This is the loose/as-delivered figure. Once vibrated or compacted, sand reaches about 120 lb/ft³ — switch the state selector to see that.
AASHTO does not distinguish dry, mason or concrete sand. We found no authoritative figure separating those grades, so we do not pretend to.
How we chose the typical value. AASHTO LRFD Table 3.5.1-1 gives 0.120 kcf (= 120 lb/ft³ = 1.62 short ton/yd³) for 'Compacted Sand, Silt or Clay'.
Single-source constant. We could only retrieve one authoritative
published figure for this material, so the range may understate real-world variation.
Confirm the figure with your supplier before ordering.
Limits of this constant
AASHTO publishes these as 'traditional unit weights' and states in C3.5.1 that the unit weight of granular materials depends on the degree of compaction and water content. They are design nominal values, not measured statistics.
AASHTO's compacted row covers sand, silt AND clay together. Heavy clay can differ substantially.
Do not use this for bedding sand under pavers, which is screeded rather than compacted.
This calculator is only valid under these assumptions. If any of them do not match your project,
treat the result as a rough guide and get a quote from your supplier.
The area is treated as a rectangle.
The material is general-purpose sand. We do not distinguish dry, mason or concrete sand, because no authoritative source separates them by density.
Depth is the settled or compacted depth you want, not the depth of a loose heap.
For paver bedding, sand is screeded rather than compacted, so the compacted figure over-states it — which is the safe direction for ordering.
No allowance for sub-base, geotextile or edging.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
About 1.35 short tons per cubic yard loose, and about 1.62 short tons per cubic yard compacted. That is 100 and 120 lb/ft³ respectively, from the AASHTO LRFD unit weight table.
How many bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 54 bags of 0.5 ft³, 36 bags of 0.75 ft³, 27 bags of 1 ft³ or 14 bags of 2 ft³ — before any waste allowance. The calculator shows all of these for your volume.
How much sand for a sandbox?
Most sandboxes are filled to about half their depth so the sand stays inside. For a 5 ft by 5 ft sandbox filled 6 inches deep, you need about 12.5 cubic feet, which is under half a cubic yard. The calculator lets you enter your own dimensions.
Does this work for masonry or concrete sand?
The volume is right, but the tonnage is an estimate: we could not find an authoritative density that separates mason sand from concrete sand, so we use the general loose and compacted figures. For a concrete mix, the proportions matter far more than the bulk density, and those are a mix design question, not a density question.
How deep should paver bedding sand be?
About 1 inch, screeded level, on top of a compacted base. Deeper bedding allows the pavers to shift. Note that bedding sand is screeded rather than compacted, so our compacted figure slightly over-estimates it.