Polymeric sand calculator
Enter the patio area, the paver size and how wide and deep the joints are. You get the volume of the joints, the bags of polymeric sand to buy, how far each bag goes, and the bedding sand for under the pavers.
Inputs
Result
Polymeric sand coverage per 50 lb bag
Square feet per bag on 2-3/8 in pavers, by paver size and joint width, at 97 lb/ft³.
| Paver | 1/8 in joint | 1/4 in | 1/2 in | 3/4 in |
|---|
How it is worked out
A 300 ft² patio of 6 x 9 in pavers, 2-3/8 in thick, with 1/8 in joints has 0.0069 ft³ of joint per square foot: 2.1 ft³ in all, about 200 lb of sand. A 50 lb bag fills 75 ft², so 4 bags, 5 with 10% extra.
Checked against the bag
Alliance Gator, one of the largest makers, publishes 65 to 85 ft² per 50 lb bag of Super Sand Bond for 1/8 to 3/8 in joints and 22 to 42 ft² for 3/4 to 1 in joints, on 2-3/8 in pavers. Narrow joints between mid-sized pavers land in that range here; small pavers have more joint per square foot and take more sand, large slabs less. The coverage printed on your bag is the final word for that product.
Joint width matters most
Doubling the joint width doubles the sand. Tight concrete pavers with spacer bars have joints of about 1/8 in; tumbled pavers and natural stone run 1/4 to 1 in or more. Choose a polymeric sand rated for your joint width; wide-joint products are coarser.
For the pavers themselves and the gravel base, use the paver calculator.
Questions
How much polymeric sand do I need?
Work out the joint volume per square foot: (paver length + width) / (length x width) x joint width x depth x 144 cubic inches. Multiply by the area and about 97 lb per cubic foot. A 300 ft² patio of 6 x 9 in pavers with 1/8 in joints takes about 200 lb: 4 bags of 50 lb, 5 with extra.
How many square feet does a bag of polymeric sand cover?
Alliance Gator quotes 65 to 85 ft² per 50 lb bag for 1/8 to 3/8 in joints and 22 to 42 ft² for 3/4 to 1 in joints on 2-3/8 in pavers. Small pavers and wide joints use more.
How much polymeric sand for 100 square feet?
About 1.5 to 2 bags of 50 lb for 4 x 8 in pavers with 1/8 in joints, about 1.3 for 6 x 9 in pavers, and about 3.6 for 4 x 8 in pavers with 1/4 in joints.
How deep should polymeric sand be?
The full depth of the joint, to about 1/8 in below the top of the paver or the bottom of its bevel, so the sand is not worn away by traffic.
How much sand do I need under pavers?
A screeded bedding layer of about 1 in: 0.083 ft³ per square foot, or about 3 cubic yards per 1,000 ft².
Can I use polymeric sand in wide joints?
Only a product rated for them. Standard polymeric sands are for joints up to about 1 in; wide-joint versions are made for natural stone with joints up to several inches.
More Landscaping calculators
Gravel calculator
Tons and cubic yards of gravel, crushed stone or sand for any mix of areas, by depth and material density.
Mulch calculator
Cubic yards or bags of mulch for every bed, topping up what is already there to the depth you want.
Topsoil calculator
Cubic yards, tons or bags of topsoil or fill for lawns, beds and grading, by area and depth.
Sod calculator
Square feet, pieces and pallets of sod for any mix of lawn areas, with waste, weight and the cost to buy and lay it.
Grass seed calculator
Pounds and bags of grass seed for a new lawn or overseeding, by grass type, from university extension seeding rates.
Paver calculator
Pavers to order for a patio or walk, plus the gravel base, bedding sand and edge restraint under them.
Retaining wall calculator
Blocks, caps, base gravel and drainage stone for a segmental block retaining wall, course by course.
Cubic yard calculator
Cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres for any area and depth, the unit bulk material is sold in.