The right sand for your sandbox
At the beginning we should first state what the perfect sand has to have for properties:
First things first, it must be extremely dimensionally stable! After all, what good is the most beautiful sand if the tunnel keeps collapsing or the sandcastle just won't stand? To achieve this, the grains of sand should be between 0.06 and 0.20 mm.
Free from pollutants and dirt!
No sharp-edged sand, no gravel or stones to reduce the risk of injury.
Free from clay, clay causes unsightly stains and is difficult to clean. The sand should generally be easy to wash off and tap off clothes.
Water-permeable, so that the water does not accumulate but drains quickly downwards.
In order to test the optimal properties of the sand, we recommend a short sand test before you buy it. Form the sand into a ball in your hand. Then carefully let them jump from one hand to the other. If you then rub the sand back and forth in your hand, you can check not only the dimensional stability but also whether the sand is sharp-edged or leaves stains on the skin.
How much sand do you need for your sandpit?
Simply calculate the cubic meters that your sandpit holds. But only consider the size of the inner surface, deduct possible seating areas. Also note that the sandbox is only about 60% full at best.
In the following example, a different depth is calculated than in the previous video!Length (cm / m) x width (cm / m) x digging depth (cm) = cubic centimeter / cubic meter
Example of a sandbox sunk into the ground with a digging depth of 20 cm:
150cm x 150cm x 20cm = 450.00cc
1.5 m x 1.5 m x 0.20 m = 0.45 m³ = approx. 600 kg of sand
You now know how much you need. But depending on the size, it is not that easy to get the required amount. In the hardware store you can usually get 25 kg bags or so-called big packs, which contain 0.5 m³ or 1.0 m³. Alternatively, you can ask the building materials dealer, where you can usually get either loose sand or 1 m³ sacks. In terms of price, shopping in the nearby hardware store is certainly the most attractive. There you can get a sack (25 kg) for 2-3 euros. So you would need about 24 bags for our example calculation for 0.45 m³ (approx. 600 kg).