acalculator

How much sand do I need?

Type the size of the area and how deep the sand goes. The sand calculator shows how much sand to order in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres, about what it weighs, and how many 0.5 ft³ bags that is.

Your numbers

Units
Area shape
Bags, weight and cost
Cubic yards
0.62

You need 0.62 yd³ of sand (16.67 ft³), or 34 bags, about 0.83 tons.

Cubic feet
16.67
Cubic metres
0.472
Bags
34
Weight (US tons)
0.83
Weight (tonnes)
0.76

Cubic yards: 0.62. You need 0.62 yd³ of sand (16.67 ft³), or 34 bags, about 0.83 tons.

How to calculate

Computes the sand to fill a rectangular or round area to a depth, in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres, its weight in tons, the number of 0.5 ft³ bags, and the cost.

Example with the default inputs (Area shape Rectangle, Length 10 ft, Width 10 ft, Depth 2 in, Extra 0%, Weight per cubic yard (tons) 1.35, Bag size (cubic feet) 0.5): You need 0.62 yd³ of sand (16.67 ft³), or 34 bags, about 0.83 tons.

Method: Volume = length × width × depth (or π × diameter² ÷ 4 × depth) × (1 + extra ÷ 100); cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27; bags = cubic feet ÷ bag size, rounded up; tons = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard.

  • A bag holds 0.5 ft³ by default (Sakrete Multi-Purpose Sand and Natural Play Sand: 6 ft² at 1 in deep).
  • One cubic yard weighs 1.35 US tons by default (100 lb per cubic foot, a 50 lb bag per 0.5 ft³). Engineering ToolBox lists dry sand at 97 lb/ft³ and wet sand at 119 lb/ft³.
  • No extra by default; add some for spills, an uneven base or sand that packs down.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Area shape Rectangle, Length 3 ft, Width 2 ft, Depth 1 in, Extra 0%, Weight per cubic yard (tons) 1.35, Bag size (cubic feet) 0.5 gives Cubic feet 0.5, Bags 1, Cubic yards 0.018519.Source: Sakrete Multi-Purpose Sand (a bag yields 6 ft² at 1 in deep), https://www.sakrete.com/product/multi-purpose-sand/
  2. Area shape Rectangle, Length 10 ft, Width 10 ft, Depth 2 in, Extra 0%, Weight per cubic yard (tons) 1.35, Bag size (cubic feet) 0.5, Price per bag $6.00 gives Cubic feet 16.666667, Cubic yards 0.617284, Bags 34, Weight (US tons) 0.833333, Cost of the bags $204.00.Source: Sakrete Natural Play Sand (0.5 ft³ per bag), https://www.sakrete.com/product/natural-play-sand/; NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (1 yd³ = 27 ft³)
  3. Area shape Rectangle, Length 13.12 ft, Width 8.202 ft, Depth 1.969 in, Extra 10%, Weight per cubic yard (tons) 1.35, Bag size (cubic feet) 0.5 gives Cubic metres 0.55, Cubic yards 0.719373, Bags 39.Source: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (1 yd³ = 0.764554857984 m³; 1 ft = 0.3048 m)
  4. Area shape Circle, Diameter 8 ft, Depth 12 in, Extra 0%, Weight per cubic yard (tons) 1.35, Bag size (cubic feet) 0.5 gives Cubic feet 50.265482, Bags 101.Source: Cylinder volume π × d² ÷ 4 × depth (OpenStax, Prealgebra 2e, §9.6, https://openstax.org/books/prealgebra-2e/pages/9-6-solve-geometry-applications-volume-and-surface-area)

How it works

  • Rectangle: volume = length × width × depth
  • Circle: volume = π × diameter² ÷ 4 × depth
  • Sand to order = volume × (1 + extra ÷ 100)
  • Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27 (1 yd³ = 0.764554857984 m³ exactly; 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³)
  • Bags = cubic feet ÷ bag size in cubic feet, rounded up to a whole bag
  • Weight (US tons) = cubic yards × tons per cubic yard; tonnes = tons × 0.90718474 (1 ton = 2,000 lb × 0.45359237 kg)
  • Cost (when you type a price per bag) = bags × price per bag

Exact arithmetic. Each size is read as the exact decimal you typed, in the unit you typed it in (12 ft 6 in is exactly 150 in). When you type in a unit, the page stores the size in metres and reads it back as the decimal with the fewest significant digits, in one of the box's units, that gives the same stored number (a feet-and-inches pair counts by its value in inches; on a tie the first unit in the menu wins). When no decimal of up to 17 significant digits in those units gives the stored number (a value that was not typed on the page), the stored number's own shortest decimal, in metres, is used. Every step for a rectangle is an exact fraction, so 3 × 2 ft at 1 in is exactly 0.5 ft³ and exactly 1 bag. A circle uses π, so its volume and bags come from that number.

Output format. Cubic yards, cubic feet, tons and tonnes show with at most 2 decimals, cubic metres with at most 3, bags as a whole number, and the cost in dollars and cents, each rounded half up from its exact value, with trailing zeros left off. In Metric the answer leads with cubic metres and tonnes.

Assumptions

  • Bag size: 0.5 ft³ by default, the yield of Sakrete’s Multi-Purpose Sand and Natural Play Sand (6 ft² at 1 in deep). More than 0 and at most 100 ft³.
  • Weight: 1.35 US tons per cubic yard by default (100 lb per cubic foot × 27 ÷ 2,000). Engineering ToolBox gives 97 lb/ft³ dry (1.31 tons per cubic yard) and 119 lb/ft³ wet (1.61 tons). From 0 to 10.
  • Extra: 0% by default; from 0% to 100%.
  • The area is filled level to the depth you type, with straight sides. Lengths are more than 0 and at most 10,000 m; the depth more than 0 and at most 100 m.

Worked examples by hand

A 3 × 2 ft area, 1 in deep. 3 × 2 × 1/12 = 0.5 ft³ = 0.5 ÷ 27 = 0.0185 yd³ = 1 bag, Sakrete’s 6 ft² at 1 in.

A 10 × 10 ft area, 2 in deep, $6 a bag. 10 × 10 × 2/12 = 16.67 ft³ (50/3) = 50/81 = 0.62 yd³; × 1.35 = 0.83 tons; 16.67 ÷ 0.5 = 33.3, so 34 bags, costing 34 × $6 = $204.

A 4 × 2.5 m area, 5 cm deep, 10% extra. 4 × 2.5 × 0.05 = 0.5 m³; × 1.1 = 0.55 m³ = 0.55 ÷ 0.764554857984 = 0.72 yd³ = 19.42 ft³; ÷ 0.5 = 38.85, so 39 bags.

A round sandbox 8 ft across, 1 ft deep. π × 8² ÷ 4 × 1 = 50.27 ft³; ÷ 0.5 = 100.53, so 101 bags.

Other questions people ask

How do I calculate how much sand I need?

Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 10 × 10 ft area 2 in (1/6 ft) deep needs 100 × 1/6 = 16.67 ft³, or 0.62 yd³.

How many bags of sand do I need?

Divide the cubic feet by the bag size and round up. A 50 lb bag of all-purpose or play sand holds about 0.5 ft³, enough for 6 ft² at 1 in deep (Sakrete). The 16.67 ft³ above is 33.3 bags, so buy 34.

How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?

About 1.3 US tons dry and up to about 1.6 tons wet. Engineering ToolBox lists dry sand at 97 lb per cubic foot and wet sand at 119 lb. The calculator uses 1.35 tons (100 lb per cubic foot) by default; type your supplier’s figure.

How much sand do I need under pavers?

Paver bedding sand is usually a 1 in layer. For a 10 × 12 ft patio that is 120 × 1/12 = 10 ft³, or 20 bags of 0.5 ft³. The paver calculator works out the gravel base and the sand together.

How much play sand fills a sandbox?

Use the circle shape for a round box. A sandbox 8 ft across filled 1 ft deep holds π × 8² ÷ 4 × 1 = 50.27 ft³, or 101 bags of 0.5 ft³. Most sandboxes are filled 6 to 12 in deep.

Should I buy extra sand?

The calculator adds nothing by default. Add 5% to 10% if the base is uneven, if you spread the sand by hand, or if you will tamp it down.