Sand Calculator

Estimate how much sand you need for a garden bed, patio, sandbox, paving project or other area. Calculate volume from surface area and depth, add a waste allowance, and optionally estimate weight using bulk density.

Enter your project measurements

Choose how to define the surface area, enter the sand depth, and optionally include waste, weight and delivery estimates.

How do you want to calculate the area?

Surface area

Enter the total area you want to cover.

Area unit

Length

Width

Length and width unit

Circle diameter Diameter unit

The diameter unit is applied to the circular-area measurement.

Sand depth

Depth unit

Extra allowance (%)

Common planning allowances are around 5–10%, depending on the project.

Truck volume capacity (m³)

Used for a rough number of volume-based loads, not vehicle payload limits.

Also estimate sand weight and the number of bags

Weight is calculated from volume × bulk density.

Sand bulk density (kg/m³)

1,600 kg/m³ is an illustrative planning value, not a guaranteed density.

Weight per bag (kg)

Used to estimate the number of bags to purchase.

Reset

How the sand calculator works

1. Calculate the surface area

If you already know the area, enter it directly. For a rectangle or square, multiply length by width. For a circle, calculate the area from its radius.

2. Calculate volume

Sand volume = surface area × depth

Area must be expressed in square metres and depth in metres to produce a volume in cubic metres. The calculator converts the units before performing the calculation.

3. Include extra material

Order volume = base volume × (1 + waste percentage ÷ 100)

The extra allowance can help account for uneven ground, handling losses and small measurement differences. Choose an allowance suitable for your actual project.

4. Optionally estimate weight

Estimated weight (kg) = order volume (m³) × bulk density (kg/m³)

Bulk density varies with sand type, grain size, moisture and compaction. Use a supplier's density or weight-per-volume figure when available. A density-based result is an estimate, not a substitute for a supplier's delivered-weight specification.

Example calculation

Suppose a rectangular area is 5 m long and 3 m wide, with a sand depth of 10 cm and a 5% extra allowance.

Step	Calculation	Result
Surface area	5 × 3	15 m²
Depth in metres	10 ÷ 100	0.10 m
Base volume	15 × 0.10	1.50 m³
5% extra	1.50 × 0.05	0.075 m³
Total to order	1.50 + 0.075	1.575 m³

This example calculates volume only. Weight depends on the density of the sand being purchased.

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