Enter your project area and sand depth to get volume in cubic yards, weight in tons, and number of 50-lb bags — for sandboxes, paver base, or any sand project.
The Square Yard Sand Calculator is a tool used to quickly calculate measurements, conversions, and estimates so you can plan materials and project decisions with confidence.
Measure length and width of the area. For sandboxes, measure inside dimensions. For paver patios, measure the full paver area plus 6 inches extra on each side for edging.
Paver bedding sand: 1 inch. Leveling layer: 2 inches. Sub-base fill: 4 inches. Sandbox: 6-12 inches at construction, but only needs 6" of play depth since the bottom 4-6 inches compact.
Area = 64 ft² = 7.1 yd². Volume = 64 × 0.5 = 32 ft³ ÷ 27 = 1.19 cubic yards. Weight ≈ 1.5 tons = 3,200 lbs. That's about 64 bags of 50-lb sand.
Under 1 cubic yard: bags are more practical. Over 1 cubic yard: bulk delivery saves 40-60%. One cubic yard of sand ≈ 54 bags at 50 lbs each — at $5/bag that's $270 bagged vs. $25-40 for bulk delivery.
| Area (ft²) | 1" deep (yd³) | 2" deep (yd³) | 6" deep (yd³) |
|---|
At 1": 0.028 yd³/yd². At 2": 0.056 yd³. At 4": 0.111 yd³. At 6": 0.167 yd³ per square yard.
Dry sand: ~2,700 lbs (1.35 tons). Wet sand: 3,200-3,400 lbs per cubic yard.
About 54 bags (50 lb each) per cubic yard of sand.
6-12 inches. Always use certified play sand that's washed and screened.
Mason sand: concrete mixing. Play sand: sandboxes. Paver sand: leveling base. Fill sand: backfill. Polymeric: paver joints.