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Tons and yards of sand for an above-ground pool base, including the cove around the wall.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Mason sand | 4.45 tons |
| Volume | 3.42 yd³ |
| 50 lb bags | 178 bags |
| Bulk cost | $193 – $385 |
| Pool floor area | 452 sq ft |
| Base | 82.9 cu ft (incl. 10%) |
| Cove (6" × 6") | 9.4 cu ft |
| Total volume | 92.4 cu ft · 3.42 yd³ |
| Weight | 4.45 tons (8,894 lb) |
Use washed mason sand, not concrete sand — sharp grains show through and can wear the liner. Level the ground first; the sand is a cushion, not a levelling layer, and more than 2 inches lets feet dig footprints into the floor.
An above-ground pool sits on a 2-inch bed of mason sand with a sloped sand cove around the inside of the wall. This calculator works out the base and the cove for round and oval pools, in tons, cubic yards, and 50 lb bags.
About 3.3 cubic yards, or 4.3 tons of mason sand, for a 2-inch base plus a 6-inch cove around the wall. That is roughly 170 bags, so order it in bulk.
Two inches, spread and tamped over level, compacted ground. Thicker sand beds shift and show footprints. The sand smooths the floor and protects the liner; the ground underneath must already be level.
Washed mason sand. It is fine, soft, and free of stones that could puncture the liner. Avoid concrete sand and fill sand, which contain sharp particles and debris.
A cove is a sloped ramp of sand, about six inches high and six inches deep, built around the inside of the pool wall. It stops the liner being pulled into the gap between the floor and the wall under water pressure.
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