If you're planning a paver patio install, sandbox build, French drain, or backfill project, knowing what a cubic yard of sand actually weighs determines whether your delivery truck, your driveway, and your equipment can handle the load. This guide breaks down sand weight by type and how to calculate it for your project.
What Is Sand?
Sand is a granular material made up of finely divided rock and mineral particles — typically quartz, but also feldspar, basalt, or shell fragments depending on source. For landscape and construction use, sand is sized between 0.0625mm (very fine) and 2mm (very coarse). Different applications call for different grain sizes.
Common landscape sand types include mason sand (fine grain, joints and mortar), paver sand or coarse sand (medium-coarse, paver bedding and drainage), and concrete sand (specific gradation for cement mixing).
What Affects the Weight of Sand?
1. Moisture Content
Wet sand can weigh 20-30% more than dry sand. Saturated sand pulls in water that fills the air gaps between grains — the same cubic yard at 2,500 lbs dry can hit 3,200 lbs after a heavy rain.
2. Grain Size & Type
Coarse sand grains pack with more air gap between them than fine sand grains, but the larger individual grains are denser. The two effects roughly offset — most sand types fall in a similar weight range. Mason sand (fine) and coarse sand land within ~5% of each other.
3. Compaction
Tamped or vibrated sand weighs more per cubic yard than freshly delivered loose sand. Sand under a paver bedding application gets plate-compacted, which can add 10-15% density.
Average Sand Weight Per Cubic Yard
On average, dry sand weighs about 2,600 to 2,800 pounds per cubic yard. Wet sand runs 2,900 to 3,200 lbs per cubic yard. Across all the standard landscape sand types we carry, the working average is ~2,700 lbs/cy.
Quick reference for our most popular Boston-area sand:
- Paver Sand (Coarse Washed): ~2,700 lbs/cy dry
- Mason Sand: ~2,750 lbs/cy dry
- Concrete Sand: ~2,700 lbs/cy dry
- Septic Sand: ~2,800 lbs/cy dry
For reference, a full Ottr dump truck load (6 cubic yards) of average sand weighs about 16,200 lbs (8.1 tons).
How to Calculate Sand Weight
To estimate the total weight of sand for your project:
- Volume needed (in cubic yards)
- Estimated weight per yard (~2,700 lbs as a working average)
Then multiply:Cubic Yards x Weight per Cubic Yard = Total Weight (lbs)
Example:
For a 12' x 12' paver patio with 1" of bedding sand, you need about 0.5 cubic yards. At ~2,700 lbs/yard:0.5 x 2,700 = 1,350 lbs (about 0.7 tons)
For coverage planning: 1 cubic yard of sand covers about 100 square feet at 3" depth, or 300 square feet at 1" paver bedding depth.
💡 Tip: Use the calculator on each sand product page to estimate exactly how many cubic yards your project needs.
Where to Buy Sand in Greater Boston
For fast bulk sand delivery across the Greater Boston area, Ottr Landscape Supply is the trusted local source. We carry mason sand, paver sand, concrete sand, and septic sand — all delivered loose by the cubic yard with no minimum order.
Order online, pick a delivery date, and we'll dump-truck the load straight to your driveway or job site. Same-day and next-day delivery available across Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Plymouth County.
Get a Quote or Order Sand Online Today
Whether you're setting pavers, building a sandbox, prepping French drain bedding, or backfilling around a foundation, our bulk sand is delivered direct by the cubic yard. Browse our sand and soil collection for the full lineup.
