Concrete Sand Delivery

Why concrete sand locks and mason sand does not

Concrete sand is washed and graded across a range of particle sizes rather than screened to a single fine size. That range is the whole reason it works structurally: the different sizes wedge against one another and the layer stiffens under load instead of flowing.

Put a load on mason sand and the uniform particles roll past each other and the layer deforms. Put the same load on concrete sand and it locks. That is why concrete sand is the fine aggregate in concrete and the correct bedding for pavers, and mason sand is neither.

Most suppliers here grade it to ASTM C33, which is the standard fine-aggregate specification for concrete. If your mix design or paver specification names C33, this is the product.

Paver bedding — get the thickness right

The bedding course under conventional pavers is 1 inch of screeded concrete sand. Not two, not three, and not variable to make up for a base that was not graded properly.

This is the mistake that ruins paver jobs. A thick sand bed is a soft sand bed, and pavers set on it settle unevenly no matter how well they were laid. The base carries the load and the base gets graded flat; the sand is a thin, consistent setting layer and nothing more.

Screed it, set the pavers, compact them into it, then sweep joint sand. Full detail on the whole build-up including joint sand is on our paver sand page.

Quantities

At roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard, one ton of concrete sand covers about 215 square feet at 1 inch — which is the paver bedding case. A 22-ton tri-axle covers roughly 4,700 square feet of bedding, which is a very large patio, so bedding sand orders are frequently combined with base material on the same delivery.

For concrete work, order against the mix design rather than a coverage figure.

Specification

Figures are typical, not guaranteed. Weights and gradations vary between pits and sources. If your job is specified, send us the relevant plan sheet and we will match it — and confirm quantities against your own scale tickets once you are running.

What it is used for

• Fine aggregate in ready-mix and site-mixed concrete
• Bedding course under conventional interlocking pavers
• Mortar and grout mixes where a coarser sand is specified
• Pipe bedding and backfill
• Levelling course beneath flagstone and slabs

Working out how much you need

Material is sold by the ton. Plans are drawn in cubic yards. That mismatch is where most ordering errors come from, and they are expensive in both directions — running short stops a crew, and over-ordering by a large margin ties up money in a pile.

The arithmetic: multiply length by width by depth in feet, divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then multiply by the material's weight per yard. Most rock runs about 1.35 to 1.4 tons per cubic yard; compacted base is heavier at roughly 1.65; topsoil is lighter at about 1.15.

Then allow for compaction. Base and fill lose roughly 20 to 25 percent of their loose volume once they are properly compacted, so the tonnage you order should be above the theoretical plan volume. Our tonnage calculator builds that allowance in and converts the answer into truckloads.

Order slightly heavy. Two extra tons in a pile costs almost nothing and always gets used. Two tons short on a Friday afternoon costs you a whole extra delivery and a crew standing around.

Concrete Sand — common questions

Where we deliver Concrete Sand

From Jupiter down to Key West — Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. Mainland deliveries are same or next day; the Keys are scheduled runs.

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