How much sand do I need for 1,000 square feet?
A 1 inch layer over 1,000 square feet, the standard paver bedding depth, takes 3.24 cubic yards of sand, about 4.54 tons or 175 bags of 50 lb. At 2 inches, for under a pool or play set, it is 6.48 cubic yards (350 bags), and a 6 inch sandbox fill is 19.44 cubic yards.
Sand for 1,000 square feet by depth
| Depth | Cubic yards (5% extra) | Tons | 50 lb bags | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 3.24 | 4.54 | 175 | paver bedding layer |
| 2 in | 6.48 | 9.07 | 350 | under a pool or play set |
| 3 in | 9.72 | 13.61 | 525 | leveling, fill under a slab |
| 4 in | 12.96 | 18.15 | 700 | sand pit, volleyball base |
| 6 in | 19.44 | 27.22 | 1,050 | sandbox, horseshoe pit |
Coarse concrete sand at 1.4 tons per cubic yard. Play sand is a little lighter; wet sand is heavier.
Change the numbers
The calculator below is preset for this size. Adjust anything and the results update instantly.
Bags or bulk for 1,000 square feet?
At 1 inch deep this is 175 bags, which costs about $875 at $5 a bag and is a lot of lifting. Bulk sand costs $30 to $50 a ton from a landscape yard, so 4.54 tons is $136 to $227 before delivery. Order bulk; it arrives in a pile and you save hours of bag handling. For a sandbox at 6 inches, the 1,050 bags of play sand needed cost about $6,300, and bulk play sand is often not available, so plan on bags for that.
Using sand on 1,000 square feet
- Paver bedding: exactly 1 inch of coarse concrete sand, screeded with a straightedge over pipes, never compacted. The paver calculator adds the base and joint sand.
- Under a pool: 2 inches of masonry sand, leveled and tamped, with the ground dead level first; sand does not fix a slope.
- Lawn leveling: a 50/50 mix of sand and compost no more than 1/2 inch at a time; pure sand over clay makes a hardpan.
- Sandbox: washed play sand 6 to 8 inches deep over landscape fabric with drainage underneath. 1,000 square feet at 6 inches weighs about 25.3 tons.
- Fill: use fill sand or crushed stone, compacted in 4 inch lifts, and see the gravel calculator for the stone layer.
Common questions
How many bags of sand for 1,000 square feet?
175 bags of 50 lb at 1 inch deep, 350 at 2 inches, or 1,050 at 6 inches. A 50 lb bag is about half a cubic foot and covers 6 square feet at 1 inch.
How many tons of sand for 1,000 square feet?
4.54 tons at 1 inch, 9.07 at 2 inches, 18.15 at 4 inches, or 27.22 tons at 6 inches, using 1.4 tons per cubic yard with 5 percent extra.
How many yards of sand for 1,000 square feet?
3.24 cubic yards at 1 inch deep. Multiply 1,000 square feet by the depth in feet (1 inch is 0.083 ft), divide by 27, and add 5 percent for settling. At 3 inches it is 9.72 yards.