Sand Calculator
Enter the area and depth to estimate how much sand you need for paver bedding, sandboxes, or fill. Get cubic yards and tons.
Results
- Volume needed
- 0.37 cu yd
- With 10% waste
- 0.41 cu yd
- Cubic feet
- 10 cu ft
- Cubic meters
- 0.28 m³
- Estimated weight
- 0.55 tons
Estimates only. Round up and buy a little extra to account for waste, spills, and breakage.
Whether you are bedding pavers, filling a sandbox, or leveling a base, this sand calculator converts area and depth into cubic yards and tons, matching how suppliers actually sell sand in bulk.
Sand is heavy: about 1.35 tons per cubic yard dry, and more when wet, so check your vehicle payload before picking up bulk sand yourself.
Also works as a paver sand calculator, sandbox sand calculator, and fill sand estimator.
How to use the sand calculator
- Enter the shape.
- Enter the length in ft.
- Enter the width in ft.
- Enter the depth in in.
- Enter the waste factor in %.
- Optionally add a price to estimate the total project cost.
- Read your quantities instantly — no sign-up, and you can print the estimate to take to the supplier.
Worked example
Inputs
- Shape
- Rectangle / Square
- Length
- 12 ft
- Width
- 10 ft
- Depth
- 1 in
- Waste factor
- 10 %
Results
- Volume needed
- 0.37 cu yd
- With 10% waste
- 0.41 cu yd
- Cubic feet
- 10 cu ft
- Cubic meters
- 0.28 m³
- Estimated weight
- 0.55 tons
Using the example values above, the sand calculator returns 0.37 cu yd (volume needed). Change any field to match your own project and the numbers update instantly.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
Use a 1 inch bedding layer of coarse concrete sand over a compacted gravel base. A 12 × 10 ft patio at 1 inch deep needs about 0.37 cubic yards, roughly half a ton.
Do not go thicker than 1 inch: a deep sand bed shifts under load and causes uneven pavers. The structural support comes from the gravel base, which is typically 4 to 6 inches compacted.
How much extra should I order?
Always order a little extra. A 5% waste factor suits simple, square projects; 10% is right for most jobs; bump it to 15–20% for irregular shapes, diagonal patterns, or uneven ground. Running short almost always costs more than the leftover material.
Cubic yard coverage by depth
| Depth | Coverage per cu yd |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft |
Formula
Volume (cu ft) = area × depth ÷ 12. Cubic yards = cu ft ÷ 27. Waste-adjusted = volume × (1 + waste%).
Frequently asked questions
- How thick should paver sand be?
- Use a 1 inch bedding layer of sand over a compacted gravel base.
- How much does sand weigh?
- Dry sand weighs about 1.35 tons per cubic yard.
- How much sand for a sandbox?
- A 4 × 4 ft sandbox filled 6 inches deep takes about 8 cubic feet, roughly 0.3 cubic yards or 16 bags of 0.5 cu ft play sand.
- How many tons of sand in a cubic yard?
- About 1.35 tons dry and up to 1.6 tons wet, which is why bulk sand is usually sold by the ton.
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