Fill Sand: Size, Uses, and Cost Per Ton (2026)

Fill sand is unwashed sand dug from a pit and sold with little or no processing, for raising grade and backfilling. It is the cheapest sand a yard sells: about $7 to $10 per ton at the pit, or $16 to $45 per cubic yard at landscape yards, in 2026. It weighs 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard.

What Fill Sand Is

Fill sand is not graded to a spec. It comes out of the bank and goes into the truck, sometimes over a screen to take out stones. It contains silt and some clay, and the mix changes as the pit face moves. That is fine for filling and backfilling, where the sand only has to compact and stay put.

Some regions call it utility sand or bank sand. Some yards sell a screened version as structural fill. Ask whether it has been screened and how much clay is in it.

What It Is Used For

• Raising grade under lawns, slabs and building pads.
• Backfill around foundations, retaining walls and septic tanks.
• Filling holes and old pools.
• Trench backfill over utility lines, where the spec allows unwashed sand.
• Sub-base under slabs and sheds, compacted in lifts.

Where It Does Not Belong

• Not in concrete or mortar. Silt and clay weaken both. Use concrete sand or mason sand.
• Not in sandboxes. It stains and packs hard when wet.
• Not as paver bedding or anywhere that needs to drain fast.
• Not for planting. It holds few nutrients. Use topsoil over it.

Fill Sand vs Fill Dirt

Fill dirt is subsoil with more clay. Fill sand drains better and compacts more evenly, so it is the better choice under slabs and near foundations where water should not sit. Fill dirt is often cheaper and holds a slope better.

How Much to Order

One cubic yard covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches or 54 square feet at 6 inches. Fill sand compacts, so order 15 to 20 percent more than the finished volume. Raising a 20 by 30 foot area by 6 inches needs about 11 cubic yards before compaction, so order about 13, roughly 18 tons.

What to Avoid

Do not use fill sand where the finished surface will be seen or planted. Spread and compact it in 4 to 6 inch lifts; one deep dump settles unevenly.