Sand Calculator

1. Choose the project shape. Select rectangle for sandboxes, patios, and fill areas. Use circle for round pool bases, fire pit rings, or tree wells. Pick "Total area" if you already measured the square footage, or "Known volume" if you have a cubic feet or cubic yards number from a plan.
2. Enter your dimensions. Measure length and width in feet. For depth, most sand projects use inches: 2 inches for leveling, 4 to 6 inches for sandbox fill, and 1 inch for paver bedding sand. The sand calculator warns you if the depth looks too large, which usually means you entered feet instead of inches.
3. Select the sand type. Dry sand weighs about 1.3 tons per cubic yard. Wet sand weighs closer to 1.5 tons. Fill sand, masonry sand, and concrete sand fall in between. Use masonry sand for brick joints and bedding layers. Use concrete sand for mixing or as a leveling base. If your supplier quotes a specific density, use "Custom density" and enter their number.
4. Set the waste factor. 10% is a safe default. Uneven ground, wheelbarrow spillage, and compaction all consume more sand than the math predicts. Sandbox projects on flat ground can drop to 5%.
5. Choose a bag size (optional). Select 50 lb, 60 lb, or 100 lb bags if you're buying bagged sand from a home center. Skip this for bulk delivery orders where you need cubic yards or tons instead.
6. Enter a price per ton (optional). Leave at 0 to skip cost. Fill sand typically costs $15 to $30 per ton in 2026. Play sand in bags runs $3 to $5 per 50 lb bag at most home centers.
7. Review your results. The sand calculator shows cubic feet, cubic yards, tons, pounds, bag count, and cost. Use cubic yards or tons when calling a supplier for bulk delivery. For play sand and sandbox projects, the bag count tells you exactly how many bags to load at the store.

Pro tip: Measure depth at three different points and average them. Uneven subgrade means actual depth varies, and averaging prevents under-ordering. For sandbox builds, fill to 2 inches below the rim to keep sand from spilling over during play. I once ordered exactly the calculated amount for a pool base and came up short after leveling and compaction. That second delivery fee cost more than the extra half yard would have.

This sand calculator uses three steps: area, volume, and weight. Each step builds on the previous one so you can trace how your measurements become tons and bags.

Volume:

Cubic feet = Area (sq ft) × Depth (ft)

Cubic yards = Cubic feet / 27

Weight:

Tons = Cubic yards × Density (tons per cubic yard)

Pounds = Tons × 2,000

Bags:

Bag count = Total pounds / Bag size (lb), rounded up to the next whole bag

With waste:

Order quantity = Base result × (1 + Waste % / 100)

Variables:

• Area = project surface in square feet (length × width for rectangles, π × radius² for circles)
• Depth = material thickness in feet (divide inches by 12)
• Density = weight of one cubic yard of sand in tons (varies by type and moisture)
• Waste factor = percentage added for compaction, settling, spillage, and uneven ground
• Bag size = weight per bag in pounds (50, 60, or 100 lb)

Density reference:

Example:

A 10 × 12 foot sandbox fill at 6 inches deep, using dry sand.

• Area = 10 × 12 = 120 sq ft
• Depth in feet = 6 / 12 = 0.5 ft
• Cubic feet = 120 × 0.5 = 60 ft³
• Cubic yards = 60 / 27 = 2.22 yd³
• Tons = 2.22 × 1.3 = 2.89 tons (5,778 lb)
• With 10% waste = 3.18 tons (6,356 lb)
• Bags (50 lb) = 6,356 / 50 = 128 bags

At that quantity, bulk delivery is cheaper than bagged sand. Most suppliers deliver in 10 to 25 ton loads, so 3.18 tons fits a small delivery. Sand coverage for this 120 sq ft area at 6 inches deep works out to about 53 lb per square foot of surface area.

Circle example:

A 12 foot round pool base at 2 inches of sand.

• Radius = 12 / 2 = 6 ft
• Area = π × 6² = 113.1 sq ft
• Depth in feet = 2 / 12 = 0.167 ft
• Cubic feet = 113.1 × 0.167 = 18.88 ft³
• Cubic yards = 18.88 / 27 = 0.70 yd³
• Tons (dry sand) = 0.70 × 1.3 = 0.91 tons (1,820 lb)
• Bags (50 lb) = 1,820 / 50 = 37 bags

Quick sand tonnage reference: One cubic yard of dry sand weighs about 1.3 tons (2,600 lb). Multiply your cubic yardage by 1.3 for a fast tonnage estimate before entering details into the sand calculator.

Assumptions:

• The project area has uniform depth. For uneven ground, measure depth at several points and use the average
• Density values are dry-weight averages. Wet sand weighs 10% to 20% more, but suppliers typically price by dry weight
• Compaction reduces loose volume by 5% to 15%. The waste factor accounts for this plus spillage and spreading loss
• Bag yields vary by manufacturer. The calculator uses weight-based bag counts, which is more accurate than volume-based estimates
• For L-shaped or irregular areas, split into rectangles, calculate each section, then add the results