Sand Coverage Chart: Yards, Tons & Coverage by Area

What does 0.62 cubic yards mean?

It means the 100-square-foot patch at 2 inches deep holds 0.62 cubic yards of sand: 100 square feet times 2 inches is 200 twelfths of a cubic foot — 16.67 cubic feet — and a cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet, so 16.67 ÷ 27 is 0.62. At 1.50 tons a yard that is 0.93 tons, and because suppliers sell whole yards, you order 1. The part people get wrong is ordering the exact figure: 0.62 yards ordered as 0 leaves the whole patch uncovered, and the fix is rounding up, not down. The second mistake is forgetting that sand settles and washes: a loose 2-inch layer compacts thinner underfoot, so play areas and paver beds often order a little extra depth worth of material.

Three things to check before you trust the number

Is the area really 100 square feet? An extra foot on each side of a 10-by-10 patch makes it 121 square feet, and the volume jumps to 0.75 yards — still 1 ordered, but on a bigger job that error crosses a whole yard. Measure twice, especially on curves.

Is 1.50 the right density for your sand? Damp sand as delivered sits near 1.50 tons a yard, while dry sand runs nearer 1.35 and wet sand runs heavier; fine sand runs lighter. The 1.40 branch shows the same volume weighing 0.86 tons instead of 0.93 — the yards do not change, but the truck weight and the price per ton do.

How deep after settling? This chart gives the loose depth you spread. A sand layer that settles from 2 inches to 1.5 loses a quarter of its volume — order the settled depth you want, then add about 10% for settling and spillage on a play-area job.

Worked example

On the defaults: 100 square feet, 2 inches deep, 1.50 tons per cubic yard.

1. Cubic feet: 100 × 2 ÷ 12 is 16.67 cubic feet.
2. Cubic yards: 16.67 ÷ 27 is 0.62 cubic yards.
3. Weight: 0.62 × 1.50 is 0.93 tons.
4. Order: 0.62 rounded up is 1 cubic yard.

And the other way: the area that needs exactly 1.00 cubic yard at 2 inches deep is 162 square feet, the depth that needs exactly 2.00 cubic yards over 100 square feet is 6.48 inches, and the smallest whole depth needing 2 cubic yards over 100 square feet is 7 inches.

Sand lookup: area × depth at 1.50 tons per cubic yard

Every branch, checked

• 200 square feet at 2 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 200 square feet at 2 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 1.23 cubic yards (1.85 tons); order 2 cubic yards.
• 100 square feet at 4 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 100 square feet at 4 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 1.23 cubic yards (1.85 tons); order 2 cubic yards.
• 100 square feet at 6 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 100 square feet at 6 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 1.85 cubic yards (2.78 tons); order 2 cubic yards.
• 50 square feet at 2 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 50 square feet at 2 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 0.31 cubic yards (0.46 tons); order 1 cubic yards.
• 100 square feet at 2 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 100 square feet at 2 inches, 1.40 tons per yard: 0.62 cubic yards (0.86 tons); order 1 cubic yards.
• 100 square feet at 3 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 100 square feet at 3 inches, 1.50 tons per yard: 0.93 cubic yards (1.39 tons); order 1 cubic yards.

The reverses, worked backwards

• Area that needs exactly 1.00 cubic yard at 2 inches deep: 162 sq ft — at 162 sq ft the figures are 1.00 cubic yards (1.50 tons); order 1 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 0.99 cubic yards (1.49 tons); order 1 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 1.01 cubic yards (1.51 tons); order 2 cubic yards..
• Depth that needs exactly 2.00 cubic yards over 100 square feet: 6.48 inches — at 6.48 inches the figures are 2.00 cubic yards (3.00 tons); order 2 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 1.97 cubic yards (2.95 tons); order 2 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 2.03 cubic yards (3.05 tons); order 3 cubic yards..
• Smallest whole depth needing 2 cubic yards over 100 square feet: 7 inches — at 7 inches the figures are 2.16 cubic yards (3.24 tons); order 3 cubic yards.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 1.85 cubic yards (2.78 tons); order 2 cubic yards.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 2.47 cubic yards (3.70 tons); order 3 cubic yards..

What the defaults assume

The defaults are 100 square feet, 2 inches of depth and 1.50 tons per cubic yard, so the headline is a small sandbox or paver bed in damp sand as delivered. The model is one volume conversion and one weight conversion: area times depth in feet gives cubic feet, divided by 27 gives cubic yards, times density gives tons, and the order quantity is the volume rounded up to a whole yard. The area reverse is checked at 1 square foot either side, because 1 square foot at 2 inches is 0.01 cubic yards; the depth reverse is checked at 0.10 inches either side, because 0.10 inches over 100 square feet is 0.03 cubic yards; the whole-depth reverse is checked at 1 inch either side. The model does not include settling, spillage, or delivery minimums — add about 10% for a play-area job and check your supplier's minimum load.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• A homeowner filling a sandbox — 100 square feet at 2 inches is 0.62 yards, so order 1.
• A landscaper quoting a paver-bed job — the lookup table gives yards and tons for areas from 50 to 300 square feet at four depths.
• Someone comparing sand types — the 1.40-density branch shows the same volume weighing 0.86 tons instead of 0.93.
• A buyer checking a supplier quote — the reverses give the area or depth behind any quoted yardage.

Accuracy & limitations

Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp. The main limitation is the material, not the arithmetic: density varies by sand type and moisture — the 1.50 default is damp sand as delivered, while dry sand runs nearer 1.35 tons a yard (the same 0.62 cubic yards would weigh 0.83 tons), so confirm whether your supplier quotes dry or as-delivered density — and a spread layer settles thinner than its loose depth. This page is a calculation tool, not a supplier quote.

Cite this calculator

100 square feet at 2 inches deep needs 0.62 cubic yards (0.93 tons) of sand. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/sand-coverage-chart/, accessed 28 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions