How Much Does Mason Sand Cost Per Ton and Per Yard?

Mason sand is one of the least expensive construction materials by unit weight, but because it is sold in multiple formats — bulk by the ton, bulk by the cubic yard, and bagged by the bag or pallet — and because delivery costs can exceed material costs for small projects, understanding the pricing structure before you order prevents surprises at checkout.

Bulk Mason Sand Price Per Ton

Bulk mason sand delivered from a local quarry or aggregate supplier typically costs between $25 and $50 per ton, not including delivery. The specific price within this range depends on your region, the distance from the source quarry, and whether you are picking up or ordering delivery.

The Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, where natural sand deposits are plentiful and competition between suppliers is high, tend to be at the lower end of this range. The Southwest and Mountain West, where sand must be transported longer distances from natural deposits or processed from harder rock, tend toward the upper end or above it. Prices in rural areas remote from aggregate suppliers may be higher still due to transport costs.

These bulk prices represent the material only. Delivery is typically priced separately and depends on the distance from the supplier’s yard to your project site and the size of the load. Most suppliers have a minimum delivery charge — typically $50 to $100 for short distances — that makes small bulk orders of less than 1 to 2 tons economically marginal compared to buying bagged.

Bulk Mason Sand Price Per Cubic Yard

Many suppliers price mason sand by the cubic yard when selling in smaller bulk quantities, particularly at landscape supply yards that cater to homeowners rather than trade customers. Mason sand weighs approximately 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard depending on moisture content. At bulk ton prices of $25 to $50, a cubic yard of mason sand typically costs $35 to $75 at the supplier’s yard before delivery.

A cubic yard covers approximately 324 square feet at a 1-inch depth — enough for a reasonably sized patio bedding layer in a single order. For smaller patio projects under 100 square feet, the per-cubic-yard price at a landscape supply yard, where smaller quantities are available without minimum load charges, will often be more economical than a full ton delivery from a quarry.

Bagged Mason Sand Price

Bagged mason sand is sold in two standard formats: 50-pound bags and 60-pound bags. Typical retail prices at home improvement stores are $5 to $8 per 50-pound bag and $6 to $9 per 60-pound bag. Pallet quantities (typically 40 to 50 bags) may be available at a small per-bag discount.

At these bag prices, the per-ton cost of bagged mason sand is roughly $200 to $320 per ton — four to eight times the bulk price. For projects requiring more than half a ton of sand, bulk delivery is substantially more economical than bags if a delivery minimum can be met. For small projects — a sandbox, a few square feet of paver repair, or a mortar batch — bagged sand avoids the delivery cost and minimum order size of bulk supply.

Mason Sand Cost vs Concrete Sand and Paver Sand

Mason sand and concrete sand are priced similarly in the bulk market, typically within $5 per ton of each other at any given supplier. The price difference at retail between bags of mason sand and bags of concrete sand is usually negligible. If one type is locally cheaper, the price difference is unlikely to justify substituting a less appropriate material in a critical application.

Products marketed as “paver sand” or “leveling sand” at home improvement stores are typically mason sand or a fine concrete sand in a retail-ready package, priced at a slight premium over the equivalent generic product. The premium reflects marketing and packaging rather than material quality.

Cost Calculation for Common Projects

The quantity calculation that feeds into cost estimation is covered in detail in our mason sand quantity guide, which gives the formula and worked examples for paver bedding, mortar mixing, and sandbox fill. As a quick reference:

A 200 square foot patio requiring a 1-inch bedding layer needs approximately 0.6 cubic yards or 0.8 to 0.9 tons of mason sand. At bulk prices of $35 to $75 per cubic yard, the material cost is $21 to $45. A standard delivery charge of $50 to $100 adds more to the project cost than the material itself for this quantity, making a landscape supply yard pickup — or bagged sand for very small areas — the more economical option.

A standard brick mortar mix uses approximately 3 parts sand to 1 part cement by volume. A 90-pound bag of cement combined with approximately 270 pounds of mason sand produces enough mortar to lay approximately 30 standard bricks in a nominal bed joint. At $6 to $8 per 60-pound bag, the sand cost for this batch is approximately $25 to $35.