Sand Calculator
Enter your project dimensions and get real cubic yards and estimated tons of sand.
You'll need
0.62 cubic yards
(16.7 cubic feet)
Estimated weight
0.83 tons
Keep going
- Loose sand like this becomes the leveling bed under a paver patio; the paver calculator works out how much sits under your specific paver size and pattern. Paver Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sand do I need for a paver base?
A 1-inch sand setting bed is the standard trade recommendation, laid on top of a compacted gravel base -- for that specific use case, see the dedicated paver calculator, which figures both layers together.
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
This calculator uses 1.35 tons per cubic yard, a standard trade estimate for dry sand. Wet sand weighs meaningfully more (water adds real weight), so treat this as a dry-sand planning estimate.
What's the difference between play sand, paver sand, and fill sand?
They're processed and screened differently for their use (play sand is washed and screened fine for safety; paver/polymeric sand is graded to lock pavers in place; fill sand is coarser and cheaper for general grading) -- but they weigh roughly the same per cubic yard, so this calculator's volume and weight estimates apply to any of them.
Should I buy sand by the bag or by the yard?
Bags (commonly 50 lb) make sense for small jobs -- a few square feet of paver joints or a sandbox -- since most bag prices work out more expensive per ton than bulk delivery. Once a project needs half a cubic yard or more, a bulk delivery from a landscape supplier is almost always cheaper, even after a delivery fee.
Does sand compact the same way as gravel?
No -- sand compacts less predictably than angular gravel because its rounder grains can shift and settle under load over time, which is why it's used as a thin setting bed on top of a compacted gravel base, not as the structural base layer itself.