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MATERIAL CALCULATOR

Sharp sand calculator.

Calculate the sharp sand needed for a specified layer. Convert cubic metres to tonnes or full bags using supplier density.

KEEP YOUR PLAN

Give your project a name.

Save your measurements and quotes on this device. No account needed.

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YOUR MEASUREMENTS

Use the depth and allowance from your project specification.

Bag sizes, weight & pricing +

Bag counts and prices apply to the main material only. Enter your supplier’s density to calculate weight.

Compare bags with loose delivery +

Use the bag size and units above. Compare the same product at your supplier’s quoted prices. Enter small-bag or bulk-bag contents above and its price below. Include each delivery charge below. Use prices including VAT throughout.

Bulk-bag quote · optional third option

Compare small bags, bulk bags and a loose load side by side. Each price is optional; include delivery once for each option.

Minimum and increment use the bulk quote unit. For half-tonne orders, enter 0.5 as the increment. Zero uses the exact estimate. VAT is not added automatically. If delivery is included in a quote, enter zero for that charge. Check unloading and access separately. Weight quotes need your supplier’s bulk density.

Gouache illustration of a pale gravel path curving between leafy garden borders.
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a completed project.
BEFORE YOU ORDER

Getting a useful estimate

Calculate the sand layer specified for your project. This tool does not calculate cement, mortar yield or jointing compound.

Measure the space you need to fill. Rectangles use length and width; circles use diameter. For several sections, choose combined areas and add rectangles, then subtract exclusions. The final area must be greater than zero.

Calculate a sand layer, not a mortar recipe

Enter the dimensions and specified sand thickness. This produces a volume for that layer. It does not calculate the dry ingredients needed to make a mortar bed or the yield of a cement mix.

Marshalls distinguishes mortar bedding from sand bedding for paving flags. Follow the installation instructions for the exact paving product; do not assume that all slabs can be laid on loose sand.

Marshalls: Paving installation and delivery FAQs

Order the quoted sharp sand

Wickes lists its named sharp-sand jumbo bag as 800 kg. Enter your supplier’s actual bag contents and loose bulk density to work out a whole-bag order.

Confirm that the quote is for sharp sand and the grading your project requires. Do not substitute a differently specified sand on the strength of a similar price.

Wickes: Sharp sand jumbo bag

Keep bedding and jointing quantities separate

Bedding sand is the layer beneath the paving. Jointing material goes between pieces and may be a different product. Use its manufacturer’s coverage instructions rather than treating the bedding volume as a jointing estimate.

Compare the same sand in bags or loose delivery, with VAT included in both prices. Enter delivery and minimum-load charges separately.

Marshalls: Paving installation and delivery FAQs

Volume formula

Volume = area × depth × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)

Allowance applies once to each volume layer. No density or compaction factor is assumed. If buying by weight, enter the density for your supplier’s product in the units shown.

Sources & what they cover

  • NIST SI conversion factorsNational Institute of Standards and Technology

    Exact US customary and SI conversion factors; no material or installation recommendations.

    Source checked
  • Sharp sand jumbo bagWickes

    Named sharp-sand product and 800 kg bag. No density, mortar recipe or bedding depth imported.

    Source checked
  • Paving installation and delivery FAQsMarshalls

    Different bedding systems for paving flags, joints, VAT and delivery access. No generic installation specification imported.

    Source checked

We check what each reference covers. A source check does not mean a specialist has reviewed this tool. You supply the depths, densities, prices and blend proportions.

Operated by Pete CallaghanUpdated Not yet independently reviewedHow we check our toolsReport a correction