How much sand do I need for pavers?
1 inch under them, and joint sand on top.
A 200 sq ft patio takes about 0.62 cu yd (0.8 tons) of bedding sand, plus roughly 3 bags of polymeric sand for the joints.
Sand by patio size
| Area | Bedding (cu ft) | Cu yd | Tons | Joint sand bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 4.2 | 0.15 | 0.2 | 1 |
| 100 sq ft | 8.3 | 0.31 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 200 sq ft | 16.7 | 0.62 | 0.8 | 3 |
| 300 sq ft | 25.0 | 0.93 | 1.2 | 4 |
| 500 sq ft | 41.7 | 1.54 | 2.1 | 7 |
Joint sand coverage varies a lot with joint width and paver thickness — a thick paver has a deeper joint to fill. 80 sq ft per 50 lb bag is a reasonable planning figure for a standard 60 mm paver; check the bag.
Two sands, and using the wrong one is the usual failure
Bedding sand is coarse, sharp, washed concrete sand — the kind with angular grains. It goes down 1 in, screeded level, and is never compacted before the pavers are laid. Do not use mason's sand or play sand: the grains are rounded and fine, and they behave like tiny ball bearings under load.
Polymeric sand fills the joints after laying. It has a binder that sets when wetted, locking the units together, resisting weeds and stopping the joints washing out. Ordinary sand in the joints washes away in the first heavy rain, and a paver patio with empty joints has lost the interlock that makes it work at all.
The other rule: 1 in of bedding sand, not more. Sand does not compact, it migrates, so a thick sand bed ruts under whatever route people walk. If the base is uneven, fix the base — sand is not a levelling course.
Common questions
- How deep should the sand under pavers be?
- Exactly 1 in, screeded flat. Thicker sand is the most common cause of a patio that ruts and dips within a couple of seasons.
- Can I use play sand or mason's sand?
- No. Both are too fine and too round. Ask for concrete sand, sharp sand or bedding sand — the coarse angular grades lock together under the paver instead of rolling.
- Do I have to use polymeric sand?
- Not strictly, but plain joint sand washes out and takes the interlock with it. Polymeric costs more per bag and saves resanding the patio every couple of years.
- How much polymeric sand for 500 square feet?
- About 7 bags at 80 sq ft each — more if the joints are wide or the pavers are 80 mm, because there is more joint to fill.
- Do I compact the sand first?
- No. Screed it flat and lay straight onto it, then compact the whole patio with the pavers in place, which beds each one into the sand. Compacting the sand first defeats the purpose.
- How much sand in tons?
- About 1.35 tons per cubic yard, so a 200 sq ft patio at 1 in is roughly 0.8 tons. Yards sell by the ton, so that is the figure to order on.
Related answers
Or size a specific patio with the paver guide.