How much does a cube of sand weigh: calculation of material for construction work

How much does a cube of sand weigh: calculation of material for construction work

Many types of construction work are carried out using sand. This type of material is especially in demand when working with concrete: forming a screed, filling a blind area, building a foundation or fence, installing a metal carport. Since bulk materials are among the main components of construction, it is very important to determine before purchasing how much a cube of sand weighs and calculate its required amount.

The calculation of sand is carried out in tons or cubic meters

How to determine how much a cube of sand weighs: material characteristics

Many owners of country houses are trying to figure out what the weight of sand is in one cube. This indicator is especially relevant for suburban construction, affecting such serious arrays of works as the construction of a building or the arrangement of a courtyard and a house territory. How much does 1 cube of sand cost with delivery is one of the burning questions of any person who undertakes independent construction or is concerned about purchasing material for hired workers.

Depending on how many kilograms of sand in a cube, the basic proportions of the concrete mixture will be calculated. This point is very important, because an incorrect calculation will lead to a violation of the technology and serious consequences.

Sand is used for a wide range of construction works

Why is it so important to determine how many cubes of sand in 1 ton

An indicator reflecting how many kilograms in 1 cube of sand, with erroneous calculations, can cause many difficulties:

• violation of the formulation of a mixture of concrete;
• incorrect consistency of the finished solution;
• loss of adhesive properties;
• low quality concrete;
• violations in the process of solidification;
• reduction of concrete strength;
• premature destruction of a structure made of cement mortar.

For this reason, it is very important to determine not only how much sand is in 1 cube, but also what weight of material is contained in this volume.

Pay attention! In most cases, it is used as a standard measure of the weight of 1 cube of sand. It is this unit that is considered as a generally accepted indicator for calculations. Despite this, other variants can be found in reference books and tables, for example, sand in tons / cubic meters or in grams / cubic cm.

When calculating the required number of sand cubes, its specific gravity is taken into account

The indicator reflecting 1 cubic meter, how many kg of sand is contained in the specified volume, is called specific gravity or specific gravity. This measure, applicable to bulk materials, is in the range of 1500-2800 kg/m3. In accordance, you can now estimate how many kg of sand in a cube.

The value of the specific mass of the material can be influenced by various factors, including:

• composition of minerals;
• grain composition;
• size of fractions;
• humidity level;
• compaction percentage;
• impurities.

Tamping of paving slabs using wet sand

Sand density

Today, many are concerned about the cost of a cube of sand, but few people know that the final price is influenced by the characteristics of the material, one of which is density. Sand, like crushed stone, belongs to the category of bulk materials. The level of its density depends on the air layers that form between the solid particles.

Related article:

How much does a cube of concrete weigh? Main characteristics and composition. General information about the concrete mix, weight determination. Varieties of concrete depending on the material. What affects the weight of concrete?

The density of sand happens:

• technological;
• real;
• bulk – represents the ratio of the specific gravity of sand to the volume occupied by this material. In this case, the volume includes not only solid sand particles, but also all the pores, as well as voids present in the composition of the embankment (taken as a basis for determining how many cubes of sand in a bag or bucket);
• true or conditional – the value is considered as the limit of the ratio of the specific weight of the material to the volume occupied by it, minus all the pores and voids present in the mound.

The density of sand varies between 1.3-1.8 t/m3, and is equal to 1.3 t/m3 for river sand, and 1.4 t/m3 for quarry sand.

The density of construction sand ranges from 1.3 to 1.8 tons per 1 cubic meter

Useful advice! In fact, it is impossible to determine, taking a bag or bucket as a measure, how many cubes of sand in the specified volume will be contained. The indicator of the true density of the material will always be higher than the real one, it can only be considered theoretically (conditionally). As for the practical application of such a measure as a bucket or a bag of sand, how many cubes there will really be in this container depends on the bulk density.

Size of sand fractions

How many cubes of material are in a bag of sand can be determined taking into account its grain composition. To do this, it is enough to sift the grains of sand using special sieves. As a result, you will have the opportunity to determine the level of gravel particles in the material that have certain dimensional data. Usually, the material size modulus is used in calculations.

Table 1. Sand size modulus:

Type of material	The size of the fractions of the material, mm
Small	1,5-2
Average	2-2,5
Large	more than 2.5

 

If you have fractions larger than 2.5 mm in front of you, most likely you are dealing with quarry or river sand, how much a cube of material weighs in this case will depend on water demand.

According to the particle size, the material is divided into 2 classes:

• I – more than 1.5 mm;
• II – with any dimensional data.

The class of the material and the size of its fractions depends on how much 1 cubic meter of sand costs for construction work.

There are three sizes of sand fractions — fine, medium and large

Varieties of construction sand: how much does 1 cube of each weigh

How much 1 cube of sand weighs is affected by its variety, storage method and humidity level. According to GOST, the weight of standard construction sand is 1550-1700 kg/m3 (18.5-20.4 kg/bucket). The weight of dry loose sand is equal to 1440 kg / m3, and compacted – 1680 kg / m3. Wet standard sand has a weight of 1920 kg/m3.

There are several varieties of sand. Classification is based on how and where the material was extracted. Sand used in construction can be:

• river – the mining zone is located at the bottom of rivers. The material is characterized by purity, the shade can be gray or yellow. The size of the fractions varies between 0.3-0.5 mm. It is used for the preparation of mixtures, solutions, organization of drainage system;

The most popular types of sand in construction are river and quarry sand

Pay attention! Despite the demand for the river option, buyers are also interested in quarry sand. How much a cube of material weighs in this case depends on the amount of impurities, which may look like small pebbles or dust-like particles.

• quarry – mining is carried out using an open method. The size of the fractions varies within a wide range – 0.6-3.2 mm. The scope of application extends to foundation work, the arrangement of sidewalks. In addition, sifted and washed quarry sand is used in finishing and plastering works, as well as in the recipe for the preparation of cement screed;
• marine – the mining area is the seabed. The scope of application is extensive, but the material is not in high demand because its cost is high.

Table 2. Sea, river and quarry sand: how much does 1 cube and 1 bucket weigh:

Type of sand	Specific gravity m3 (kg)	Specific weight of the bucket (kg)
River	1630	19,5
Career	1500	18,3
Sea	1620	∼ 19,4

 

The price of river sand with delivery per cube is considered the most affordable of all, if you need to buy a material of natural origin. However, there are other types of sand – obtained artificially.

Artificial types of sand:

• slag;
• quartz;
• keramzite.

There are artificial types of sand with expanded clay, slag and quartz impurities

Construction sand: how many cubes per ton

The specific gravity of sand per 1 cubic meter of volume is calculated by the formula:

m = V*p, where

m – mass of the material;

V – volume;

p is the density level.

Using this formula, you can find out from the table how many cubes of sand there are in a ton, and what is its specific gravity within the generally accepted unit of volume. For 1 cubic meter, the weight of the material is equal to its density, and the bulk density can usually be found from suppliers engaged in sales and delivery.

To calculate the weight of sand, you need to know its volume and density

Useful advice! Another indicator affects the weight – the humidity level. Most often it is 6-7%. If the material is wet, this value increases to 20%. The specified difference must be added to the mass of sand.

Filling capacity of ZIL and KAMAZ dump truck: how many cubes of sand in the body

Despite the large tonnage of KAMAZ, all buyers still want to know how many cubes of sand in the car body, since this particular weight measure is the generally accepted value used in all calculations.

KAMAZ usually accounts for 12 cubic meters of sand. How much ZIL can accommodate in its body is also a useful value, since many suppliers deliver construction materials in smaller sizes. In this case, the capacity is 3 m3. MAZ is used to deliver 6 m3.

The KAMAZ body can hold up to 18.5 tons of sand

It is very important to find out in advance, when ordering sand, how much a cube of bulk material you need costs, and how much it contains kg.

The average price of river sand is 8000 rubles/cubic meter, quarry sand is 500 rubles/cubic meter. How much sand costs with delivery depends on the supplier, the volume of sand and the distance. The average prices for the service within the same city and region are 2000-3000 rubles.