Sand calculator

Cubic feet = length × width in feet × depth in inches ÷ 12: a 12 × 12 ft paver bed 1 inch deep takes 12 cubic feet of sand, or 26 bags of 0.5 cu ft with 5% extra.

Your measurements

Example

Use the unit shown for each box, or type another one: 12 ft 6 in, 150 in, 3.8 m and 600 mm all work, as do the marks on a tape measure.

Area 1

Shape Length (ft) Width (ft) Depth Depth of the finished layer. Name

What the sand is for Pavers and brick are set on a coarse concrete sand; a sandbox takes play sand, washed and screened for play. The amount is the same either way; the choice only changes which sand is priced. Weight of a cubic yard of sand (tons) 1.35 tons is QUIKRETE’s dried play sand: about ½ cu ft in a 50 lb bag. Quarries and landscape yards sell by the ton: use their figure for the product you buy. A figure in tonnes a cubic meter × 0.843 gives tons a cubic yard.

Details Extra, bag size and your prices

Extra for uneven ground (%) Bag size (cu ft) Printed on the bag. Most bagged gravel, stone and sand hold 0.5 cu ft. Your price per ton ($) Your price per cubic yard ($) Your price per bag ($)

Example: replace these measurements

Your order

26 bags of sand, 0.5 cu ft each

144 sq ft measured

Your measured layout

Paver bedding: length and width across the top, depth down through the sand. Shown for the first area; the totals count every area.

Your shopping list

26 bags of sand, 0.5 cu ft each

At posted store prices

$200.20 26 × $7.70 a bag, QUIKRETE All-Purpose Sand No. 1152, 50 lb at Five Mountain Hardware in Shickshinny, PA on Oct 20, 2026

$200.20 for this item, before tax and delivery.

Each price is one store’s posted price on the day shown, for the product named. Prices vary between stores: check yours. Your own price goes under Details.

At the weight of a cubic yard above, this order weighs about 1,300 lb. Before you haul it yourself, check the payload on the sticker in your truck’s door frame, or ask the yard what delivery costs.

At these prices the 26 bags of sand cost $200.20, more than a whole cubic yard of loose concrete sand ($120 a yard at Whiz-Q Stone). Just 16 bags cost more than that yard, which holds as much as 54 bags. If a landscape yard near you sells it loose, ask its price and its smallest load before you buy bags.

Quantities and package details

Paver bedding: 144 sq ft × 1 in = 12 cu ft
Volume before extra: 12 cu ft (0.44 cu yd)
Cubic yards to order: 0.47
Tons to order: 0.63
Bags of 0.5 cu ft: 26

The calculation

Paver bedding: 144 sq ft × 1 in ÷ 12 = 12 cu ft
12 cu ft ÷ 27 = 0.44 cu yd; with 5% extra = 0.47 cu yd
0.47 cu yd × 1.35 tons a yard = 0.63 tons
12.6 cu ft ÷ 0.5 cu ft a bag = 25.2, rounded up to 26 bags

Not measured yet? Common jobs

A rough starting point, worked out with this calculator. Usual sizes and depths, with this calculator's 5% extra and 1.35 tons a cubic yard. Use a row to load its size into the calculator, then change it to your measurements.

Sand for common jobs
Job	Size	Cubic yards	Tons	Bags of 0.5 cu ft
Paver walkway bedding	3 × 30 ft, 1 in	0.29	0.39	16
Paver patio bedding	12 × 12 ft, 1 in	0.47	0.63	26
Paver patio bedding	12 × 16 ft, 1 in	0.62	0.84	34
Sandbox	5 × 5 ft, 6 in	0.49	0.66	27
Round sandbox	6 ft across, 6 in	0.55	0.74	30

Common questions

How much sand do I need for pavers?

Pavers sit on about 1 inch of screeded sand. For a 12 × 12 ft patio that is 144 × 1 ÷ 12 = 12 cubic feet, about 0.44 cubic yards or 24 bags of 0.5 cubic feet before any extra.

How many bags of play sand for a sandbox?

A 5 × 5 ft sandbox filled 6 inches deep holds 12.5 cubic feet: 25 bags of 0.5 cubic feet, the usual 50-lb bag.

How many tons is a yard of sand?

About 1.35 tons for dry sand, more when it is wet. QUIKRETE’s dried play sand comes about ½ cubic foot to a 50 lb bag, which is 2,700 lb a cubic yard. Suppliers sell by the ton or the yard; use their figure for the product you buy.

Source: QUIKRETE Premium Play Sand No. 1113: bag and sandbox chart. Listed on the Sources page.

How to plan the quantity

Area × depth gives the volume: square feet × inches ÷ 12 = cubic feet, and ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Multiply by the weight of a yard of sand for tons; the calculator starts from 1.35 tons for dry sand as an example, and your supplier gives the figure for theirs.

Pavers sit on a screeded bed of sand about 1 inch deep over a compacted base. A sandbox is often filled 6 to 12 inches deep.

Bagged sand usually holds 0.5 cubic feet (a 50-lb bag of all-purpose or play sand). For more than about a cubic yard, a bulk delivery is usually simpler than bags.

Before you order

Wet sand weighs more than dry, and damp sand bulks up, so a load sold by the ton holds a little less when it is wet.
Polymeric joint sand for pavers is a separate product with its own coverage per bag.

Before ordering, read the guide: How to lay a paver patio: base, sand, edging and joints. Or choose another calculator.