Mason Sand Delivery

What makes mason sand different

Mason sand is washed and screened to a fine, uniform particle size. That uniformity is what a mason wants: mortar made with it is smooth, workable and spreads cleanly off a trowel without the gritty inconsistency that coarser sand produces.

The same properties make it the standard choice for play areas. Washed means the silt and organic material are gone, and fine and uniform means it is soft underfoot and does not have sharp coarse particles in it. Volleyball courts, sandboxes and above-ground pool bases all use it for that reason.

The mistake worth avoiding

Do not use mason sand as paver bedding. It comes up constantly and it is the single most common sand specification error we see.

Mason sand is too fine and too uniform to lock up under load. Pavers set on it move, rut and develop the wavy, uneven surface that people then blame on the installer. The correct bedding material for a conventional paver installation is washed concrete sand — coarser, better graded, and it locks. Our paver sand page covers the whole build-up including joint sand.

If you are buying sand for pavers, buy concrete sand. If you are buying sand for mortar or for a play area, mason sand is right.

Ordering

Mason sand is sold by the ton, minimum one cubic yard. At roughly 1.35 tons per cubic yard, one ton covers about 110 square feet at 2 inches.

Bulk sand needs somewhere to go that is not the street and not the lawn. A tarp or a plywood pad under the drop keeps it clean and makes it far easier to shovel. If the load is sitting more than a day or two, cover it — rain does not hurt it but wind-blown debris and organic matter do.

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

• Mortar for brick, block and stone masonry
• Tuckpointing and repointing mixes
• Playground and sandbox sand
• Volleyball courts and beach areas
• Above-ground pool base
• Fine levelling where a soft, uniform sand is wanted

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.

Mason Sand — common questions

Where we deliver Mason 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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