Building sand calculator
Work out how much building sand or soft sand you need in tonnes and bulk bags.
Building sand calculator
Use your supplier's density
You need
- Volume
- Weight
- Area
| Order by | Exact | Order, rounded up for anything sold in whole bags |
|---|
Fewer than three independent suppliers publish a density for this material, so treat this range as provisional and use your supplier's figure where you have one.
Enter your measurements to see what to order.
One cubic metre of building sand weighs about 1.6 tonnes and covers about 20 square metres at 50mm.
How to work out how much building sand you need
- Measure the area in metres and multiply length by width.
- Pick a depth in mm and multiply it by the area to get a volume.
- Multiply the volume by the bulk density, 1600 kg per cubic metre for building sand, to get a weight.
- Divide the weight by your supplier's tonne or bulk bag to get what to order, and round up. Suppliers do not sell part bags.
- Add 10 percent. Covers settlement, uneven ground and the material lost around the edges. A second delivery for half a yard costs more than the extra you did not use.
How many tons in a cubic yard of building sand?
About 1.35 US tons, at 1600 kg per cubic metre. Because published densities run from 1500 to 1700, the honest answer is a range: between 1.26 and 1.43 tons per cubic yard depending on grading and how wet the load is.
How many cubic yards in a ton of building sand?
About 0.74 cubic yards. One tonne is about 0.63 cubic metres.
How much does building sand weigh?
Between 1500 and 1700 kg per cubic metre, a spread of 13 percent. UK bricklaying sand, also sold as soft sand and plastering sand. The calculator above uses 1600, and you can replace it with your own supplier's figure.
5 published figures from 2 suppliers, read 2026-09-20.
Fewer than three independent suppliers publish a figure for this material. Treat the range as provisional and use your supplier's own density where you have one.
| Supplier | Published figure | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Mainland AggregatesUK | Approx 1.7 tonnes per cubic metre; 850kg per bag; 1 x Bulk Bag will cover approx 10sqm at 50mm depth | bulk |
| Smith & Sons (Bletchington) Ltd, OxfordshireUK | Approximately 1.7 Tonnes Per Cubic Metre; material code 0/2 [FP] Cat4 to BS EN 13139 | bulk |
| Smith & Sons (Bletchington) Ltd, OxfordshireUK | Approximately 1.7 Tonnes Per Cubic Metre; 0/2 [FP] Cat4 to BS EN 13139 | bulk |
| Smith & Sons (Bletchington) Ltd, OxfordshireUK | Approximately 1.7 Tonnes Per Cubic Metre; 0/2 [FP] Cat4 to BS EN 13139 (BS 1200 mortar sand) | bulk |
| Mainland Aggregates (Plastering SandUK | Approx 1.7 tonnes per cubic metre; 850kg per bag; a 15mm base/scratch coat requires 20-25kg per square metre | bulk |
What you can order building sand in
| Pack | Where | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 850kg bulk bag | UK | 850 kg (suppliers state 700 to 1000 kg) |
| 25kg bag | UK | 25 kg |
| tonne | UK, AU | 1,000 kg |
Building sand and mason sand
In the US trade the same material is sold as mason sand, ordered in cubic yards and tons, so the mason sand calculator works in those units and at those depths.