How much play sand do you need?
Enter the length, width and depth of your sandbox. You get tons, cubic yards and truck loads of play sand.
You need about
0 tons
0cubic yards
Add your truck size to see loads
for this job
How this was worked out
Assumes play sand at 1.3 tons per cubic yard. Damp sand weighs more than dry, so ask your supplier for their number.
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About play sand
Play sand is washed and screened until it is soft, fine and free of clay, sticks and stones. It is the sand for a child's sandbox, filled 6 to 8 inches deep. Some sand yards sell washed masonry sand for the same job, since the grain is close.
More about play sand
Washing takes out the silt and clay that would stain clothes and turn the box to mud when it rains, and screening pulls out pebbles and roots. Bagged play sand is usually finer and cleaner than most bulk sand. If you want that softer feel from a bulk load, ask the yard what they sell for sandboxes.
Before filling a sandbox, lay landscape fabric on the ground so the sand stays clean and weeds stay out, then fill to 6 to 8 inches. That depth lets children dig without hitting bottom and leaves a few inches of rim to keep the sand in. A lid or a tarp keeps rain, leaves and animals out of it.
Small boxes are often filled from bags, but past about half a cubic yard a bulk load is usually easier to handle. Play sand that arrives damp weighs 10 to 15 percent more than it will once it dries. It also settles at first, so plan to top the box up after a few weeks.