Play Sand Calculator
Find how many 50 lb bags of play sand you need to fill a sandbox.
Measure your project
Your answer
That weighs about 0.24 tons.
If you buy bags
What it costs
We start at $6.49, the lower of 2 store prices (Ohio $6.49, Hawaii $13.49; Oct 2026). Check yours.
Quick answers
- 50 lb bags in a cubic yard
- 54 bags of 50 lb. Each bag holds 0.5 cubic feet.
- What does one bag cover?
- 6 sq ft at 1 in deep, says Sakrete. At 4 in deep, it covers 1.5 sq ft.
- A 4 × 4 ft sandbox
- 11 bags at 4 in deep. That is Sakrete's own example.
- How deep?
- We found no US rule for home sandboxes. NC State suggests 18–24 in for school sand areas.
How to work it out
- Measure the length and width of the sandbox in feet.
- Multiply the length by the width, then by the depth in inches.
- Divide that by 12. Now you have cubic feet.
- Divide the cubic feet by 0.5 for 50 lb bags. Round up.
4 × 4 × 4 ÷ 12 = 5.33 cubic feet
5.33 ÷ 0.5 = 10.7, so 11 bags
11 × 50 lb = 550 lb of sand
How deep should sandbox sand be?
We found no US rule for how deep a home sandbox should be. So the calculator lets you pick.
Playground safety handbooks come from CPSC, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Its home handbook calls a sandbox ground-level play. It says a sandbox needs no protective surfacing.
Some websites say CPSC gives sandbox sand depths. The CPSC handbooks we read do not.
Sakrete's bag sheet works an example at 4 in deep. That is a sum to show the method, not a rule.
For schools and childcare, NC State's Natural Learning Initiative suggests 18–24 in of sand. That much lets kids dig without hitting the bottom.
Quikrete's sandbox plan adds an optional gravel base, 1–2 in deep. It helps rain drain away.
Sand under a swing set is different
Under swings and climbers, sand is there to soften falls. For home sets, CPSC asks for 9 in of sand under equipment up to 5 ft high. The public handbook gives sand a lower limit: 9 in for falls up to 4 ft.
Loose sand packs down over time, so the home handbook says to start at 12 in. Your swing set's maker should list a fall height. Compare it with both handbooks.
Bags for common sandbox sizes
Each row is one sandbox size. Each number is 50 lb bags of play sand, with no extra.
| Sandbox | Per 1 in deep | 4 in deep | 6 in deep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 3 ft | 1.5 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 × 4 ft | 2.7 | 11 | 16 |
| 5 × 5 ft | 4.2 | 17 | 25 |
| 6 × 6 ft | 6 | 24 | 36 |
| 4 × 8 ft | 5.3 | 22 | 32 |
| 8 × 8 ft | 10.7 | 43 | 64 |
Per inch counts are not rounded. Multiply by your depth, then round up. For a round box, pick “Round” in step 1.
Why we count bags by volume
Sakrete's sheet says a 50 lb bag holds 0.5 cubic feet. That is 100 lb of sand per cubic foot.
Caterpillar's tables put dry sand lighter, at about 89 lb per cubic foot.
Say we counted bags by weight, using Caterpillar's figure. The 4 × 4 ft box would get 10 bags. By volume, it needs 11. You would run one bag short.
So we count bags by the space they fill. The tons shown in step 2 use Caterpillar's figure, so your bags may weigh a bit more.
What play sand costs
Bag prices are thin: we have just 2 stores. A 50 lb bag ran from $6.49 in Ohio to $13.49 in Hawaii. The calculator starts at the lower one.
At those prices, Sakrete's 4 × 4 ft example costs $71–$148.
School sand areas are much bigger jobs. NC State says they run 40–300 sq ft. The smallest, 18 in deep, takes 2.2 cubic yards. That is 120 bags, or about $779 at the Ohio price.
For that much sand, ask a landscape yard. One Texas yard sells a “mortar/playground” sand loose, at $55 a cubic yard. That is one price, so treat it as rough.
Questions people ask
How much sand do I need for a sandbox?
Multiply length × width in feet, then × depth in inches. Divide by 12 for cubic feet. Each 50 lb bag fills 0.5 cubic feet.
How many bags of sand for a sandbox?
Each bag fills 0.5 cubic feet, so divide by 0.5 and round up. A 4 × 4 ft box at 4 in deep takes 11 bags of 50 lb.
How many pounds of sand for a sandbox?
Multiply your bags by 50 lb. Sakrete's 4 × 4 ft example takes 11 bags, which is 550 lb.
How deep should sand be in a sandbox?
We found no US rule for a home sandbox. Sakrete's example uses 4 in. For school sand areas, NC State suggests 18–24 in.
Does CPSC say how deep sandbox sand should be?
No. Its home playground handbook says a sandbox needs no protective surfacing. It gives no sand depth for one.
How many bags of play sand are in a cubic yard?
54 bags of 50 lb. That is 27 cubic feet split into 0.5 cubic foot bags.
What kind of sand do you use for a sandbox?
Buy bags sold as play sand. Sakrete and Quikrete both make 50 lb bags of it.
Do I need gravel under a sandbox?
It is up to you. Quikrete's sandbox plan says a 1–2 in gravel base helps water drain away.
Where our numbers come from
- Play sand bags: Sakrete Natural Play Sand data sheet (50 lb = 0.5 cubic foot)
- Play sand: Quikrete sand and gravel data sheet
- School sand play areas: Natural Learning Initiative, NC State
- Sandbox drainage: Quikrete sandbox project sheet
- Home playground depths: CPSC Outdoor Home Playground Safety Handbook
- Playground depths: CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook
- Material weights: Caterpillar earthwork tables
- Play sand prices: 2 US stores (Oct 2026; few prices)
- Bulk play sand price: one Texas yard (Oct 2026; a single price)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 3 Oct 2026.
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