Sand Bag Calculator
How many bags of sand for a paver base, sandbox or pool pad, and what one 50 lb bag covers.
Quick estimating rule of thumb
For sand bags: area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 = cubic feet, then divide by 0.5 for a standard 50 lb bag. A cubic yard is 54 bags, about 2,700 lb. One bag covers roughly 6 sq ft at 1 inch. Anything over about 15 bags is cheaper and easier delivered loose.
This sand bag calculator returns a bag count rather than cubic yards, which is what matters when you are buying 50 lb bags off a shelf. The standard bag is 0.5 cubic feet, and that is the default here.
Switch to Bags I have to find out how far a stack you already own will stretch at your bedding depth, which is useful when a project is half done and you need to know whether to go back.
For bulk sand by the yard or ton, see the sand calculator. For bedding and polymeric joint sand specifically, the paver sand calculator uses joint-based coverage rates.
Bags add up fast on a paver base
A 50 lb bag holds only 0.5 cubic feet, so it takes 54 bags to make a cubic yard. That is the single most important number on this page, because sand projects look small and are not. A 1-inch screeded bedding layer under a 10 ft × 12 ft patio is 10 cubic feet, or 20 bags. A 200 square foot patio needs about 33 bags for bedding alone.
At 1 inch deep, one 0.5 cubic foot bag covers 6 square feet. At 2 inches it covers 3. The bags per cubic yard page has the same coverage figures for every bag size. Those numbers are why almost anyone doing a full patio orders bulk: 33 bags is over 1,600 lb to carry, and a landscape yard will deliver the same sand for a fraction of the price.
Sandboxes and pool pads
A 5 ft × 5 ft sandbox filled 10 inches deep holds about 21 cubic feet, or roughly 42 bags of play sand. Filled a more modest 6 inches it is 12.5 cubic feet, about 25 bags. Play sand is one of the few sand jobs where bags genuinely make sense, because washed play sand is often not stocked in bulk.
An above-ground pool wants a 2-inch levelled sand base. A 15-foot round pool is about 177 square feet, so roughly 30 cubic feet, about 60 bags, or just over one cubic yard. That is firmly a bulk order.
Buy the right sand, not just the right amount
Bedding sand under pavers must be coarse, sharp concrete sand meeting ASTM C33. Fine mason sand and play sand hold water and migrate out from under the pavers, and the patio ruts within a season. Bags are usually labelled by use ("paver base sand", "all-purpose", "play sand") and they are not interchangeable.
Joint sand is a separate purchase again. Polymeric jointing sand is sold by coverage, not volume: a 50 lb bag covers roughly 100 square feet of standard pavers with 1/8 inch joints, but as little as 30 to 40 square feet of large-format pavers with wide joints. Check the bag rating rather than calculating it by volume.
Frequently asked questions
How many bags of sand do I need?
Multiply area by depth in feet for cubic feet, then divide by 0.5 for standard 50 lb bags. A 100 square foot area at 1 inch deep is 8.3 cubic feet, about 17 bags.
How many bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
54 bags of 0.5 cubic feet, which is the standard 50 lb bag. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
How much does a 50 lb bag of sand cover?
About 6 square feet at 1 inch deep, 3 square feet at 2 inches, and 1.5 square feet at 4 inches.
How many bags of sand for a paver patio?
For the 1-inch bedding layer, about one bag per 6 square feet. A 200 square foot patio needs roughly 33 bags, the point at which bulk sand is far cheaper.
How much does a 50 lb bag of sand hold?
About 0.5 cubic feet. Dry sand weighs roughly 100 lb per cubic foot, which is where the 50 lb figure comes from.
How many bags of sand for a sandbox?
A 5 ft × 5 ft box at 10 inches deep needs about 21 cubic feet, roughly 42 bags of play sand. At 6 inches deep it is about 25 bags.
How many bags of sand for a pool base?
A 15-foot round above-ground pool needs about 30 cubic feet for a 2-inch base: roughly 60 bags, or just over half a cubic yard. Order bulk for anything this size.
What kind of sand goes under pavers?
Coarse, sharp concrete sand meeting ASTM C33. Do not use mason sand or play sand for bedding. Both hold water and wash out from under the pavers.
Is bagged sand cheaper than bulk?
No, considerably more expensive per cubic yard. Bags make sense below about 15, for play sand, or where a delivery cannot reach. Past that, bulk wins on both price and effort.
How thick should paver bedding sand be?
Exactly 1 inch, screeded flat and not compacted before the pavers go down. A thicker sand layer lets pavers sink unevenly under traffic.
How many bags of polymeric sand do I need?
Buy by the coverage on the bag, not by volume. A 50 lb bag covers about 100 square feet of standard pavers with narrow joints, but only 30 to 40 square feet with large-format pavers and wide joints.
How much does a cubic yard of sand weigh?
About 1.35 tons (2,700 lb) dry, and up to 1.6 tons wet or compacted. That is 54 bags at 50 lb each.
Should I buy extra bags of sand?
Yes, about 10%. Screeding wastes some, low spots in the base soak it up, and sand spreads less evenly than you expect.