Where would we be without building sand. It is used in nearly every part of the construction industry. Popular when making mortar for the building of garden walls and pointing of paving slabs.
This kind of sand is much finer & softer than grit or sharp sand and contains much finer particles than other sand types.
Available to buy in 25 kg and large bulk bags that contain up to 1 tonne of sand but usually around 850kg of sand is contained in a bulk bag
Building sand is used mainly in the making of mortars and renders by combining it with cement and water in varying strengths depending on what the mortar is being used for. A typical sand and cement ratio for the laying of stone, bricks for the building of walls or pointing pavers is 4:1. Some construction projects will call for a cement to sand ratio of 3:1 or 5:1.
Different colours are available
There is more than more than just the one colour of building sand available to buy. The two main colours of sand available for building are red & yellow. There is the availability to buy grey or silver sand although these are often harder to source when looking to buy. You might be thinking does it matter about the colour of the sand? We think it does. Why, you might be thinking. Well the main reason is when the sand is used for pointing of paving slabs or Building of walls. Yellow sand dries pale or light greyish and red sand dries to a light red colour. This is important if you want to compliment your bricks or paving. For example, if pointing natural buff stone or concrete paving slabs then then pointing with red sand will not compliment your paving. Better to use yellow. You could always use a cement dye added to the mortar mix but that adds a cost. Also is often hard to judge how much cement dye to add to the building sand to achieve the colour you want. This often becomes more apparent once the cement mortar has dried.
Best Selling Builders Sand
- MULTI-PURPOSE USE: A fundamental material for general construction, masonry work, and various home improvement and DIY tasks.
- EFFICIENT COVERAGE: One bag provides approximate coverage of 0.25 square meters when applied at a depth of 50mm.
- PROFESSIONAL FINISH: Contributes to achieving smooth, consistent, and professional-grade finishes on walls and other surfaces.
- NATURAL PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS: As a natural material, the sand’s colour may vary, and actual bag weight can differ slightly due to moisture content.
- PREMIUM QUALITY AGGREGATE: A natural, soft sand with a fine, consistent texture, ensuring easy mixing and superior workability for mortar and render.
- Versatile Building Sand – Premium quality building sand ideal for a wide range of jobs including brick laying, paving, flagging, and pointing, ensuring strong, long-lasting results.
- Perfect for Rendering & Cement Work – Fine and consistent grain size makes it an excellent choice as rendering sand, delivering smooth finishes when mixed with cement.
- Ideal for Landscaping & Sub Base Prep – Suitable for sub base construction, lawn maintenance, and drainage projects, offering reliable stability and water management.
- Multi-Purpose Trade & DIY Use – Trusted by professionals and DIYers for projects from brick laying to general building, providing reliable performance every time.
- Clean, Consistent & Easy to Use – High-quality screened sand that mixes easily, spreads evenly, and ensures dependable results across all pointing, paving, and cement applications.
- Versatile Building Sand – Premium quality building sand ideal for a wide range of jobs including brick laying, paving, flagging, and pointing, ensuring strong, long-lasting results.
- Perfect for Rendering & Cement Work – Fine and consistent grain size makes it an excellent choice as rendering sand, delivering smooth finishes when mixed with cement.
- Ideal for Landscaping & Sub Base Prep – Suitable for sub base construction, lawn maintenance, and drainage projects, offering reliable stability and water management.
- Multi-Purpose Trade & DIY Use – Trusted by professionals and DIYers for projects from brick laying to general building, providing reliable performance every time.
- Clean, Consistent & Easy to Use – High-quality screened sand that mixes easily, spreads evenly, and ensures dependable results across all pointing, paving, and cement applications.
Don’t lay paving on building sand
Building sand is not used for the laying of block paving or paving slabs. Unless it is combined with cement and even this mixture can be too soft to lay paving slabs upon. This is because of the fine nature of the sand. If you use soft building sand to lay block paving upon it will eventually lead to the paving sinking.
Building sand will hold a lot of water. It will become saturated which can lead to what is known as liquefaction if used to lay paving upon. This is where the foundation sand fails in its strength. This is because the water held within the sand and the material laid upon the sand will have a tendency to sink into the sand. Especially if the area is to carry the weight of a vehicle.
Grit sand should be used in the construction of a driveway or patio because it has a much greater strength to ‘hold up’ the material laid upon it.
You can buy in 1 tonne or in 25kg easy to handle bags