Concrete Sand Delivered by the Ton

Ready-mix plants buy more of this sand than of any other kind, which is how it got its name. The grains are Coarse, with a range from small pebbly bits down to fine grit, and the washing strips out most of the clay and silt. Rubbed between two fingers it feels rough and scratchy. Those angular, mixed grains wedge against one another, which gives the sand strength in concrete and stability as a bedding layer.^[1]

Color runs Tan to gray, depending on the rock it came from, and it looks darker straight off a wash plant than after a day in the sun. Expect roughly 2,700 lb in each cubic yard. Gravel Valet sells Concrete Sand by the ton. The coarse texture leaves more open space between grains than a fine sand does, so water moves through a layer of it with less resistance.^[1]

Sand graded for concrete follows a rough recipe: enough coarse grains to give the mix a skeleton, and enough fine grains to fill the spaces between them. Too much fine material makes a weak, sticky mix that cracks as it dries. Too little leaves a harsh mix that is hard to finish. A good load of Concrete Sand sits in the middle, which is also why it beds pavers so well.^[1]

Mixing concrete by hand or in a small mixer is the namesake job. Combined with cement, gravel and water, it fills the spaces between stones and helps the mix cure hard. Fence post footings, small slabs, steps and pads poured at home all use it.^[1]

Paver bedding is the second big use. Over a compacted stone base, a thin, screeded layer of Concrete Sand gives each paver a firm seat that still lets you tap it level. Because the sand drains, water that seeps through the joints can move down into the base instead of sitting under the pavers. Pool installers spread it under above-ground pool liners, and plumbers and utility crews use it to bed pipe in a trench so rocks do not press on the line.^[1]

Other jobs include topping a horse arena, mixing into heavy clay garden soil to loosen it, and sanding icy walks for traction in winter. The coarse grains feel rough under bare feet, so for a sandbox most people pick a finer, softer sand.^[1]

Under pavers, sand goes on last, over a stone base that is already graded and compacted. Lay two straight pipes or rails on the base, fill between them with sand, and drag a board across the rails to strike a flat, even bed about 1 inch thick. Pull the rails, fill their grooves by hand, and stay off the screeded sand while you set the pavers from the finished side.^[1]

A pool base calls for a deeper, wider pad. Clear and level the ground, frame the circle, and spread a 2 inch layer, which takes about 0.83 tons per 100 square feet. Some installers build to 3 inches, about 1.25 tons per 100 square feet, to smooth out a lumpy yard. Wet and tamp the pad, then check it with a long level in several directions before the liner goes down.^[1]

For pipe bedding, lay sand along the trench floor, set the pipe, and pack more sand around and over it before the trench is backfilled. A 4 inch layer covers about 100 square feet per 1.67 tons, and a 6 inch layer about 100 square feet per 2.50 tons. Tamp the sand at the sides of the pipe by hand so there are no hollow spots.^[1]

Mason Sand is finer and softer. It makes smooth mortar and fills tight paver joints, while Concrete Sand makes stronger concrete and a better paver bed. Many patio jobs use both: the coarse sand underneath and the fine sand swept into the joints on top.^[1]

Fill Sand is unscreened and holds more fines and the odd pebble, so it works for filling holes and raising grades but not for a mix or a bed where the grain matters. Playground Sand is washed and fine, made for digging hands and soft landings. Stone Dust Screenings compete with Concrete Sand for the paver bed. Screenings lock tighter, while Concrete Sand drains better and screeds more easily.^[1]

Most Concrete Sand is natural sand dug from old river and glacial deposits. Pits run the raw sand through a wash plant, where water and screws carry away clay and silt and screens pull out the oversize stones. In areas with little natural sand, quarries make a crushed version from rock, then wash it the same way. Either kind can meet the same grading.^[1]

Gravel Valet orders from pits and yards near each delivery address, many of which also supply local ready-mix plants. The source rock sets the color, which is why loads range Tan to gray from one region to the next. The grain size stays Coarse wherever it comes from.^[1]

Natural pit sand tends to have rounder grains worn by water, while crushed sand from a quarry has sharper, more angular grains. Home concrete and paver beds take either one well. Crushed sand can feel a little grittier and pack a bit tighter, and natural sand can screed a bit more smoothly.^[1]

A patio bed, a pool pad or a trench of pipe bedding uses far more sand than the bags on a store pallet hold. Buying by the bag also means loading, unloading and opening each one. A bulk delivery by the ton replaces all of that with one drop.^[1]

At roughly 2,700 lb per cubic yard, sand is too heavy to haul in quantity in a family car. Renting a truck or trailer adds its own fees and time. One dump truck brings the full amount, and getting enough for the bed and any concrete in one order keeps the job moving without a second run to the yard.^[1]

Find the square feet of the area you are bedding or padding and pick the depth. The calculator gives the tons. If you are also mixing concrete, add the sand that mix calls for. Enter your ZIP to see the delivered total for your address and order by the ton.^[1]

Point the truck to a firm, flat spot clear of wires and branches, close to the work but off any septic field. A tarp under the pile keeps the sand free of grass and dirt. If the pile will sit for a few days, cover it so rain does not wash the Coarse grains into the lawn.^[1]

If one order covers both a concrete pour and a paver bed, keep part of the pile clean and dry for the mix. Sand that has been rained on carries extra water into the mixer, so cut back the water you add to keep the batch from turning soupy. A tarp over the pile solves most of this.^[1]