Building Sand Delivered

Building sand prices

Delivered on a full 20-tonne load, ex VAT.

Soft sand — per tonne

Building (soft) sandFor mortar — 20-tonne load delivered	£33.50/t
Natural sand 0/2Fine natural sand — 20-tonne load delivered	£27.50/t
Smaller amountsCollect or 2–9t local delivery	Price online or call

All prices ex VAT. Delivered per-tonne prices are for a full 20-tonne load around Hastings & Bexhill; further afield we come back with a firm delivered price within the hour. Small loads on our own lorries are the yard price plus the delivery charge for your zone (£65 / £85 / £100 a trip).

Get an instant price & order 📞 01424 222288

Fine, smooth and workable — makes a mortar that spreads easily
Order enough for the whole job in one go so the colour stays consistent
A full 20t load is the cheapest way to buy it for a site
We don’t sell certified play sand for sandpits

What building sand is for

If it’s going on a trowel between bricks or blocks, this is the sand.

Bricklaying

Mixed with cement (and lime or plasticiser) for mortar on brickwork — walls, extensions, garden walls.

Blockwork

Mortar for block walls, footings and inner leaves on new builds and extensions.

Pointing & repointing

A smooth mix for finishing joints — keep to one batch of sand so the colour matches.

Render

Used on its own or blended with sharp sand, depending on the render mix you’re working to.

Site bulk supply

A 20-tonne heap on site keeps the bricklayers going on housing and extension work.

Natural 0/2 sand

A fine natural sand for general blending, fill and bedding — ask if it suits your particular job.

How much do I need?

As a rough guide, allow about 1 tonne of building sand per 1,000 bricks.

For bricklaying, most builders work on roughly a tonne of sand per 1,000 bricks, mixed at around 4 or 5 parts sand to 1 of cement. Your bricklayer will know their own figure — ask them.

For anything measured by volume (bedding, fill, a heap on site), use the calculator: length × width × depth × 1.6 gives tonnes.

Buy it all at once

Soft sand colour varies from one batch to the next. If the mortar will be on show — pointing, facing brickwork — get the whole job’s worth in one delivery so it all matches.

Sand volume calculator

Length (m)

Width (m)

Depth (mm)

Enter your measurements above.

Based on about 1.6 t/m³. For mortar, use the bricks rule of thumb instead.

Load sizes — from a trailer-load to a 30-tonne artic

Three ways to get it. Pick the one that fits the job.

Collect from our yard

Any amount, loose or in 1-tonne bulk bags (+£5 a bag). We load you with the machine at Whitworth Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 7PZ. Ring or check online for the current yard price on building sand.

2–9 tonnes on our own lorries

Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill, Battle, Rye, Tenterden and Eastbourne. Delivery is per trip: £65 Hastings & Bexhill, £85 Rye & Tenterden, £100 Eastbourne. Minimum delivery 2 tonnes. Tipped loose.

10, 15, 20 & 30 tonne bulk loads

32-tonne 8-wheel tipper (up to 20t) or 44-tonne artic (30t), anywhere in Sussex, Kent, Surrey, London, Essex, Hertfordshire and up towards Cambridge. Instant online price around Hastings & Bexhill; everywhere else a firm delivered price within the hour in working hours.

Worth knowing: loads under 20 tonnes on a tipper carry a part-load charge (£14/t), so a full 20 tonnes is often better value than 12 or 15 — ask us to price both. We need 48 hours’ notice for delivery. Pay online by card or PayPal, or by bank transfer; trade account customers can be invoiced monthly. Before you book, check the lorry sizes & site access — a tipper needs far more height to tip than it does to drive in.

Buying for the trade?

Builders and bricklaying gangs on housing and extension work take 20-tonne loads to site. Open a trade account, get monthly invoicing and call off the next load when the heap gets low.

Trade accounts & bulk quotes → ✉ Email the aggregates team

Landscapers, groundworkers, builders & civils
Monthly invoicing on a trade account
Repeat bulk loads to the same site
Firm delivered quote within the hour
Our own yard & crusher — family firm since 1966

Questions we get asked

What is building sand used for?

Building sand (soft sand) is used to make mortar for bricklaying, blockwork and pointing, and in some render mixes. It’s finer and smoother than sharp sand, which makes the mortar workable.

How much building sand do I need for 1,000 bricks?

As a rough guide, about a tonne of building sand per 1,000 bricks, mixed at around 4 or 5 to 1 with cement. It depends on joint size and how tidy the bricklayer is, so ask them for their figure.

Will the colour match between deliveries?

Not always — soft sand varies from batch to batch. If the mortar will be seen, order enough for the whole job in one delivery.

Is your building sand suitable for a children’s sandpit?

We don’t sell certified play sand. Building sand can stain clothes and isn’t sold for play use — buy washed play sand for sandpits.

What is natural sand 0/2?

A fine natural sand graded from 0 to 2mm. At £27.50/t on a 20-tonne load delivered it’s the cheapest sand we supply. Tell us what you want it for and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s the right one.