Bags of Sand for a 8x14 Patio
How many bags of sand for a 8x14 patio: at 2 inches deep you need about 18.7 cubic feet, which is 38 bags of the common 0.5 cubic foot size. If your store sells sand in 50-pound bags instead, figure about 38 bags, since sand weighs roughly 100 pounds per cubic foot.
Volume and tonnage calculator →Bag count by depth
| Depth | Cubic feet | 0.5 cu ft bags | 50 lb bags (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 9.3 | 19 | 19 |
| 2 in | 18.7 | 38 | 38 |
| 3 in | 28.0 | 56 | 56 |
| 4 in | 37.3 | 75 | 75 |
How to figure it
- Area: 8 × 14 = 112 sq ft.
- Volume: 112 × (2 ÷ 12) = 18.7 cu ft.
- Bags: 18.7 ÷ 0.5 = 38 bags (round up).
Bags or bulk?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 18.7 cubic feet is 0.69 yards, about 0.9 tons. Under a yard, bags save a delivery fee and are easy to haul in a car or pickup. Compare the bag price × 38 against a bulk quote for 1.0 tons delivered.
About sand
Sand weight changes a lot with moisture. Damp sand can weigh noticeably more per yard than dry sand, so a ton of wet sand covers less area than the same ton dry.
Before you spread for a patio
- Dig and level. Remove sod and set the base slightly below the surrounding grade.
- Edge it. Steel, plastic or stone edging keeps material in place.
- Spread in layers. Rake to depth, then tamp or wet and compact.
- Buy a few extra. Grab 5 to 10 percent more bags for settling and touch-ups.
The volume and tonnage calculator handles other sizes and depths.
Good and poor uses for sand
Best suited to:
- Paver and flagstone bedding
- Leveling under above-ground pools (with the right product)
- Filling joints and backfilling pipe
Poor fit for:
- Driveway bases, since sand shifts under load
- Steep areas exposed to runoff
- Thick layers under pavers, which settle unevenly
Quick reference numbers
- Per inch over 100 sq ft: about 0.42 tons of sand (0.31 cubic yards).
- Per inch over 1,000 sq ft: about 4.2 tons.
- Another size for comparison: a 10x20 area at 3 inches takes about 2.5 tons.
- Weight used here: about 1.35 tons per cubic yard.
Common estimating mistakes
- Forgetting that compaction shrinks loose material. A loose 4-inch spread of a dense-graded stone may finish closer to 3 inches after rolling.
- Ordering exactly the math. Uneven ground and spillage nearly always need a little more than the flat calculation.
- Assuming every supplier uses the same weight. Two yards selling the same product name can quote different tons per yard.
- Mixing up cubic yards and tons. Yards are volume, tons are weight; convert with the product’s weight per yard.
Questions people ask
How many bags of sand for a 8x14 patio?
About 38 bags of 0.5 cubic feet at 2 inches deep.
How many 50 lb bags of sand for 8x14?
About 38 bags at 2 inches.
How many 0.5 cubic foot bags are in a cubic yard?
54 bags.
How many cubic feet is a 8x14 patio at 2 inches?
About 18.7 cubic feet.
When does bulk make more sense?
Usually once the job passes about a cubic yard, or when you would need more than a few car trips.
Related guides
- How Much Does a Ton of Sand Cover?
- Tons to Cubic Yards for Gravel: Conversion Chart
- How Much Does a Ton of Gravel Cover? Depth Chart
- Bags of Sand for a 8x10 Patio
- Bags of Sand for a 8x12 Patio
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