Sand and gravel calculator
Work out how much sand and how much gravel a job needs, side by side, in cubic yards, cubic metres or tons.
Sand and gravel calculator
Work out how much sand and how much gravel a job needs, side by side, in cubic yards, cubic metres or tons.
Enter your dimensions to see how much gravel you need.
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Results are estimates for planning. Bulk density varies by supplier, moisture and how much the material is compacted, so confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.
Sand and gravel calculator
Why two layers, not one number
Sand and gravel almost never travel to a job in the same ratio. A paver base uses a coarse aggregate under a thin bedding of sharp sand. A concrete slab uses a much larger volume of gravel than of sand, in a fixed ratio to cement. Calculating them as one average density loses that difference and either short orders the sand or over orders the stone. This page runs the two as separate layers, with their own material and depth, and adds the totals.
The 1:2:3 concrete mix
For a standard mixed on site concrete the ratio most builders quote is one part cement, two parts sand, three parts coarse aggregate, by volume. So for every cubic foot of gravel this page returns, budget two thirds of a cubic foot of sand and one third of a cubic foot of cement. The calculator shows the sand and gravel numbers directly; the cement volume is one third of the gravel figure. For an already mixed slab, use the concrete slab calculator instead, which works from finished concrete volume rather than aggregate volume.
Bulk or bags for a small job
On anything past a couple of hundred kilograms, bulk sand and gravel are cheaper per ton than bags, but the delivery fee decides where the crossover falls. The cost panel takes both quotes and compares them for the exact volumes this calculator returns, so the answer matches the job in front of you rather than a national average.
Planning a sand and gravel order
Most gravel calculators on this site ask for one material and one depth. This one asks for two because a lot of real projects are built in two layers that behave differently: a compacted gravel base that carries load, and a thin sand layer that gives you a flat, even surface to set pavers, flagstone or a footing on. If your project only has one layer of one material, you want the plain aggregate calculator instead; this page earns its keep specifically when the job has a base course and a bedding course stacked on top of each other. Entering both layers here rather than running two separate pages keeps the proportions between them visible, which matters because a sand layer that is too thick relative to the gravel beneath it will not stay flat once something is set on top of it.
The two numbers are not interchangeable and should not be averaged together. Gravel in the lower layer is chosen for how it compacts: angular, well graded stone locks together under a plate compactor and stays put. Sand in the upper layer is chosen for how it screeds: it needs to drag flat and level with a screed rail without voids forming under the paver. Because the two materials serve different jobs, ordering them separately and compacting the gravel layer before placing any sand on top is what keeps the gravel from working its way up into the bedding sand later. Enter the dimensions and depths for each layer above rather than estimating a single blended depth. The mode also matters because a layered job is usually priced and delivered as two separate line items by a supplier, so the breakdown this calculator gives you doubles as a reasonable shopping list rather than just a total you then have to split apart yourself.
Which calculator you reach for after this one depends on what sits on top of the sand. Setting pavers on it points you toward the paver base calculator, which is built around the same two layer logic but tuned for paver thickness and joint sand. Pouring a slab or footing on it points you toward the gravel calculator for a concrete slab or the concrete footing calculator, where the gravel layer is about drainage and frost protection under concrete rather than bedding a paver. None of these pages replace each other; they share the same underlying layered logic but are tuned to the thickness and tolerance that each finished surface actually needs, so picking the one that matches your finished material is worth doing before you commit to an order.
Sourcing usually splits by layer too. The gravel course is heavy and is almost always worth ordering in bulk and having it tipped where a wheelbarrow or machine can reach it, since the volumes involved make bagged gravel impractical past a small job. Sand bedding is lower volume and more moisture sensitive in storage, so it is often bought bagged even on a job where the gravel comes in bulk, particularly if there is no dry covered spot to keep a bulk sand pile and a rained on pile turns heavy and hard to spread evenly. If you are buying sand on its own for a different job, the dedicated sand calculator handles that without the gravel side of the form, and the aggregate calculator is there if the project has turned into a single blended aggregate rather than two distinct layers.
Sequence matters more than most people expect here. Excavate to the full combined depth, lay geotextile fabric if the subgrade is soft, place and compact the gravel in lifts rather than one deep pour, since a plate compactor struggles to reach the bottom of a thick single lift, check the top of the gravel for level, then screed the sand layer on rails just before setting whatever goes on top of it. Order a little over the calculated figure for both layers. Gravel settles further than the compaction estimate assumes, and sand has a habit of disappearing into the voids in the stone below it on the first pass, both of which are covered in more detail in this breakdown of compacted versus loose aggregate and in this guide to estimating sand volume. Keeping a small reserve of both materials on hand after the main install also saves a second delivery call if a low spot shows up once the surface is loaded.
Frequently asked questions
How much sand and gravel do I need for 1 cubic yard of concrete?
Roughly half a cubic yard of gravel and a third of a cubic yard of sand, plus around six 94 pound bags of cement, using the common 1:2:3 by volume mix. The exact numbers change with the mix strength and with how the aggregates compact together, so the calculator is best used as a starting order rather than a specification.
What is the 1:2:3 concrete mix?
One part cement, two parts sand and three parts coarse aggregate, measured by volume. It is the most commonly quoted mix for general concrete work such as footings, small slabs and post fills. Water is added until the mix is workable, which is usually somewhere near half the cement volume by weight.
Do I count sand and gravel separately or as a single aggregate?
Separately. Sand fills the voids between gravel stones, so the total volume of the mix is less than the sum of the two before mixing. Calculating sand and gravel as separate layers gives an honest order quantity; treating them as one average number under estimates the sand and over estimates the gravel.
How many bags of sand equal a cubic yard?
About 54 bags at the common 50 pound size, or 27 bags at 100 pounds, based on a sharp sand density around 1.5 tons per cubic yard. Bags sold by volume differ: a 0.5 cubic foot bag holds one 54th of a cubic yard regardless of density. Enter your bag size in the bags panel for the exact count.
Can I use this for paver base and bedding?
Yes, and that is one of the default setups on this page. The base layer runs 3 to 4 inches of a coarse aggregate such as #57 stone or crusher run; the bedding layer runs 1 inch of sharp sand. Adjust the depths to match your local practice and the calculator handles the rest.
Why does the calculator show more sand than I expected?
The bedding layer is deceptively volume heavy because it covers the same footprint at a smaller depth but a higher density. A one inch layer of sharp sand over 200 square feet is about 0.6 cubic yards, which is roughly a full pickup load. The number is right; sand simply weighs more per cubic foot than most people expect.
What sand is used in concrete?
Sharp sand, sometimes called concrete sand or grit sand. Its angular grains lock into the aggregate and give the mix its strength. Play sand and soft building sand are wrong for structural concrete because they are too fine and too rounded, though they are fine for mortar or bedding.
Is ready mix concrete cheaper than mixing sand, gravel and cement on site?
For anything past about a cubic yard, ready mix usually wins on price and on time, especially once you factor in the labour of mixing. On site mixing is cheaper for small quantities such as post holes and small pads, where a ready mix truck would charge for a minimum load you cannot use. The gravel cost calculator lets you compare both by entering the two quotes side by side.