Free Calculator · Published November 2026
Sand Calculator for Yards and Tons
A sand calculator turns length, width, and depth into cubic feet, then divides by 27. FHWA Table 5-9 lists loose, dry, well-graded sand at 99 pounds per cubic foot. A 10 by 10 foot area at 2 inches is 16.667 cubic feet, 0.617 cubic yards, and 0.825 short tons at that 99.
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Book a DemoHow the Sand Calculator Uses Table 5-9
Volume is cubic feet divided by 27. Weight is cubic feet times the unit weight you leave in the box. Short tons are pounds divided by 2,000.
99 is the loose, dry, well-graded example from Table 5-9. Replace it with a supplier ticket when you have one.
16.667 cubic feet = 0.617 cubic yards. 1650.0 pounds = 0.825 short tons. That is 1.3365 short tons per cubic yard at 99 lb/cu ft.
All calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user.
Important: these are table examples
All calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user. This tool is provided as a free service for planning purposes only and is not a substitute for a professional assessment, a supplier quote, or applicable local code requirements.
What This Sand Calculator Is Not
Bedding sand under pavers is a volume plus a unit weight. Driveway gravel, pea gravel, and crushed stone stay on the gravel calculator. A raised bed of soil stays on the soil calculator. This page does not borrow either chart.
The four sand rows
FHWA NHI-05-037 Table 5-9 prints typical unit weights for soils in their natural state. The citation in the table note is Peck, Hanson, and Thornburn, 1974. The rows below are only the sand rows. Dry and saturated are different columns. A loose pile is not the dense row.
| Sand in Table 5-9 | Dry lb/cu ft | Saturated lb/cu ft |
|---|---|---|
| Well-graded sand, loose | 99 | 124 |
| Well-graded sand, dense | 116 | 135 |
| Uniform sand, loose | 90 | 118 |
| Uniform sand, dense | 109 | 130 |
Worked example at 99
Depth of 2 inches is 2 ÷ 12 feet. 10 × 10 × (2 ÷ 12) = 200 ÷ 12 cubic feet, which is 16.667 at three decimals. Divide by 27 and the yards are 0.617 at three decimals. Times 99 is 1,650 pounds. Divide by 2,000 and the short tons are 0.825. Per cubic yard, 99 × 27 ÷ 2,000 = 1.3365. Retail names such as masonry sand or play sand are not labels in this table. If the ticket prints a different unit weight, type that number.
How should you write the sand order?
- Length, width, and depth, with the unit on each.
- Cubic feet, then cubic yards as cubic feet divided by 27.
- The unit weight, and whether it was the dry column, the saturated column, or a ticket.
- Pounds and short tons from that unit weight.
- The Table 5-9 row name if you used a row, including loose or dense.
- A note that the gravel-page densities were not used.
Compaction is a different table
Table 5-17 on the same FHWA chapter prints compacted dry unit weights. Well-graded clean sand, USCS SW, is a range of 109 to 131 pounds per cubic foot. That range is compacted material. It is not the 99 in Table 5-9. This sand calculator does not pick a midpoint of 109 to 131. Paver bedding is still the thin layer you measured, not a compacted pavement class.
The paver calculator counts pavers. It does not weigh the bedding. The cubic yard calculator is the volume step alone, with no unit weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the sand calculator use 99?
FHWA Table 5-9 lists well-graded sand, loose, at a dry unit weight of 99 pounds per cubic foot. Multiply cubic feet by 99, then divide by 2,000 for short tons. 99 times 27 divided by 2,000 is 1.3365 short tons per cubic yard. The saturated figure on the same row is 124, and this page does not use 124 unless you select it.
Is the sand calculator the gravel page?
No. The gravel calculator is the page for pea gravel, crushed stone, and the densities printed there. This sand calculator uses the FHWA natural-state sand rows. It does not copy a rounded tons-per-yard figure from the gravel page.
What is the worked example on the sand calculator?
A 10 by 10 foot area at 2 inches is 16.667 cubic feet at three decimals, and 0.617 cubic yards at three decimals. At 99 pounds per cubic foot the weight is 1,650 pounds, which is 0.825 short tons.
Does wet sand weigh the same?
No. Table 5-9 prints a saturated unit weight beside each dry unit weight. Loose well-graded sand is 124 pounds per cubic foot saturated, against 99 dry. A delivery can sit between those two. Use the supplier ticket when you have it.
Save the Sand Calculator Ticket Line
The yards, the 99 or the ticket weight, and the short tons belong on the job record.
Get a Free DemoAll calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user. This tool is provided as a free service for planning purposes only and is not a substitute for a professional assessment, a supplier quote, or applicable local code requirements.