How Much Does a Cubic Metre of Sand Weigh? m³, kg and Bags

How much does 1 m³ of sand weigh?

About 1,600 kg (1.6 t). The bulk density of dry, loose sand is generally around 1.6 t/m³. The exact value changes with the type of sand, the grain size and the moisture, but 1.6 is the figure used for ordering.

When people say "a metre of sand", they almost always mean a cubic metre. So a metre of sand ≈ 1,600 kg.

How many m³ is 1 tonne of sand?

The sum is 1 ÷ 1.6 = 0.625 m³, which rounds to about 0.6 m³.

• 1 t (1,000 kg) of sand ≈ 0.6 m³
• 5 t of sand ≈ 3.1 m³
• 7 t of sand ≈ 4.4 m³

In other words, a tonne of sand comes to a little more than half a cubic metre.

How much does 1 litre of sand weigh?

1 m³ is 1,000 litres, so 1,600 kg ÷ 1,000 L = about 1.6 kg per litre. A 10-litre builder's bucket filled with dry sand weighs around 16 kg.

How many 25 kg bags are in 1 m³ of sand?

1,600 kg ÷ 25 kg = 64 bags of 25 kg per m³.

Going the other way, a 25 kg bag holds about 0.016 m³ (25 ÷ 1,600), or around 16 litres of sand. And 40 bags of 25 kg make 1 tonne.

How many m³ is a big bag of sand?

A big bag holds about 1 tonne, which is about 0.6 m³. For 1 m³ of sand, count on about 1.6 big bags. In practice, for 2 m³ (about 3.2 t) you would order 4 big bags, which already leaves some margin.

Does wet sand weigh more?

Yes. Water fills the gaps between the grains and adds weight, so the same amount of damp or wet sand weighs more than dry sand. Freshly washed sand, or sand that has been rained on, weighs more per m³ than the 1.6 t reference. To work out quantities, use the dry-sand figure and add the usual 10 to 15 % margin.

What about gravel?

Gravel is a little lighter by volume: count on about 1.5 t per m³. So 1 t of washed gravel 8-12 mm takes up about 0.67 m³.

How much does 1 m³ of sand cost?

Sand is priced by weight, so the sum is price per tonne × 1.6 = price per m³. The same logic works for the other formats:

• In bulk: price per tonne × 1.6
• In big bags (about 1 t each): about 1.6 big bags per m³
• In 25 kg bags: 64 bags per m³

See the current prices, excluding VAT and delivery, on the coarse washed sand 0/4 product page.

Only washed sand 0/4 is sold in bulk. The other sands, such as fine washed sand 0/1, pit sand 0/4 and Tagus river sand, are sold in big bags and in bags.

We deliver to site from 5 t across the Lisbon and Setúbal region (outside it, on request, also from 5 t). Smaller orders are still taken, for collection at our sand pit in Seixal.

To find out how much sand each job takes (render, screed, concrete, blockwork), see our guide on how to calculate the amount of sand and how much sand and cement you need.