Multiply patio area by exactly 1 inch of depth: 100 sq ft of pavers needs about 0.31 cubic yards — roughly 0.46 tons — of concrete sand. Never screed deeper; excess bedding sand is the leading cause of wavy, rutted paver surfaces.
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Paver Sand Calculator Guide
Bedding sand is the one layer of a paver job where more is worse. The industry standard is exactly 1 inch — not “about an inch,” and never two. Sand is a leveling medium, not a structural fill: at 1 inch it lets each paver seat perfectly, but every extra fraction is loose material that traffic will eventually push around, and the pavers ride the movement into waves and ruts. This calculator locks the default at 1 inch for that reason; resist the urge to raise it.
The quantity math is friendly: 100 sq ft at 1 inch is about 0.31 cubic yards, or 0.46 tons. A ton of concrete sand screeds out to roughly 215 sq ft, so even generous patios need surprisingly little — which is exactly why buying the right sand costs almost nothing extra.
Which Sand Works Under Pavers?
| Material | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete sand (ASTM C33) | Yes — the standard | Coarse, angular, mixed grain sizes; locks under vibration, still drains |
| Mason sand | No | Too fine and uniform; holds water, migrates out of the layer |
| Play sand | No | Rounded and powdery; never locks, ruts almost immediately |
| Stone dust / screenings | Not recommended | Traps water against paver bases; most paver manufacturers reject it for bedding |
| Polymeric sand | Joints only | Hardens when wetted — a disaster as a bedding layer |
| #8/#9 stone chip | Yes — open-graded systems | Pairs with a washed #57 base for a free-draining build |
Screeding the Perfect Inch
The professional trick costs a few dollars: lay two lengths of 1-inch outside-diameter pipe or electrical conduit on the compacted base as rails, flood sand over them, and drag a straight board across the rails to strike the surface. Lift the rails, fill their grooves with a trowel, and you have a bedding plane accurate to a few millimeters across the entire patio. Screed only as much area as you will pave that session — an overnight rain on open sand means re-screeding.
Two prohibitions keep the layer honest. Never compact the sand before laying — it must stay loose so pavers can seat when the plate compactor runs over the finished surface. And never walk the screeded bed: lay pavers working forward from the completed surface, kneeling on stone you have already placed, so the sand ahead stays untouched until a paver lands on it.
Bedding sand can only be as flat as what it sits on, so get the structural layer right first with the paver base calculator — lows in the base must be fixed in the base, never buried in extra sand. Once the pavers are compacted in, the polymeric sand calculator handles the joints, a different sand doing a completely different job.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of sand goes under pavers?
Concrete sand — washed, coarse, and angular, meeting ASTM C33. Its mixed grain sizes lock under vibration yet still drain, which is exactly what a bedding layer has to do.
Why exactly 1 inch of bedding sand?
One inch is enough to level pavers into and thin enough to stay put. Any deeper and the sand shifts under wheel and foot traffic, letting pavers settle into ruts that no amount of joint sand will fix.
Can I use play sand or mason sand instead?
No — both are too fine and too uniform. They hold water against the paver bases, wash out of the layer edges, and never lock the way sharp concrete sand does. The few dollars saved per bag get spent relaying pavers.
Do I compact bedding sand before laying pavers?
No. Screed it loose to a uniform 1 inch and lay pavers directly on the undisturbed surface — even footprints have to be raked out and re-screeded. The plate compactor pass comes after the pavers are down, seating them into the sand all at once.