A cubic metre of sand is about 15 builder's wheelbarrows (65 litre heaped barrow). If your barrow is smaller or bigger, the count changes: 20 barrows at 50 L, 17 at 60 L, 13 at 80 L and 10 at 100 L.
That same cubic metre of sand is also 35.31 cubic feet, 0.353 brass, roughly 32 bags of 50 kg, and about 1,600 kg (1.6 tonnes) for dry river sand.
| 1 cubic metre of sand equals | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Wheelbarrows (65 L heaped, standard builder's) | 15.4 |
| Wheelbarrows (80 L contractor) | 12.5 |
| Ghamela / tagari head pans (15 L) | 67 |
| Bags of 50 kg (river sand) | 32 |
| Cubic feet (cft) | 35.31 |
| Brass | 0.353 |
| Cubic yards | 1.308 |
| Litres | 1,000 |
| Weight, dry river sand (1,600 kg/m³) | 1,600 kg = 1.6 t |
| Weight, M-sand (1,750 kg/m³) | 1,750 kg = 1.75 t |
Need the numbers for your own volume rather than exactly 1 m³? Use the sand calculator for quantity and weight, or the brass calculator if your supplier quotes per brass.
Wheelbarrows per cubic metre by barrow size
A "wheelbarrow" is not a standard unit. Volume printed on the tray is the *struck* (level) capacity; loaded on site a barrow is usually heaped, but you also never fill it to the brim with wet sand because it becomes too heavy to push. The practical working load is roughly the rated volume.
| Barrow size (litres) | Barrow size (cft) | Barrows per m³ | Sand per barrow (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 L | 1.77 | 20.0 | 80 |
| 60 L | 2.12 | 16.7 | 96 |
| 65 L (standard builder's) | 2.30 | 15.4 | 104 |
| 80 L (contractor) | 2.83 | 12.5 | 128 |
| 90 L | 3.18 | 11.1 | 144 |
| 100 L | 3.53 | 10.0 | 160 |
| 120 L | 4.24 | 8.3 | 192 |
Weights above use dry river sand at 1,600 kg/m³. Damp sand is 5–10% heavier; a 65 L barrow of wet sand can approach 120 kg, which is close to the limit for one person on a plank.
The formula
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So a 65 L barrow gives 1,000 ÷ 65 = 15.4 barrows per cubic metre. Round up when ordering labour or planning trips — 16 trips, not 15.4.
Going the other way:
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Twelve 80 L barrows = 12 × 80 ÷ 1,000 = 0.96 m³, near enough to a cubic metre.
Wheelbarrows per cubic metre for other materials
The barrow count is the same for every material because it is pure volume — only the weight per barrow changes.
| Material | Bulk density (kg/m³) | 65 L barrow (kg) | Barrows per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|
| River sand | 1,600 | 104 | 9.6 |
| M-sand | 1,750 | 114 | 8.8 |
| 20 mm aggregate | 1,550 | 101 | 9.9 |
| 40 mm aggregate | 1,500 | 98 | 10.2 |
| Cement (loose) | 1,440 | 94 | 10.7 |
| Wet concrete | 2,400 | 156 | 6.4 |
| Topsoil (loose) | 1,300 | 85 | 11.8 |
| Gravel, dry | 1,680 | 109 | 9.2 |
A 65 L barrow of wet concrete weighs about 156 kg — that is a two-person push, and the main reason mixers are sited as close to the pour as possible. For the concrete volume itself, use the concrete calculator, which gives you cement, sand and aggregate for each mix grade.
Bags, brass and cubic feet
Suppliers quote sand in whatever unit suits them, so these are the conversions that keep everyone honest:
| Unit | In cubic metres | Per cubic metre |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic foot (cft) | 0.02832 | 35.31 cft |
| 1 brass (100 cft) | 2.8317 | 0.353 brass |
| 1 cubic yard | 0.7646 | 1.308 yd³ |
| 1 bag, 50 kg river sand | 0.03125 | 32 bags |
| 1 bag, 25 kg river sand | 0.01563 | 64 bags |
| 1 bag, 50 kg cement | 0.0347 | 28.8 bags |
| 1 tractor trolley (~100 cft) | 2.83 | 0.35 trolley |
| 1 tipper, 6-wheel (~300 cft) | 8.50 | 0.12 tipper |
Note that a 50 kg *cement* bag is 0.0347 m³ because loose cement is lighter per litre than sand — 28.8 cement bags fill a cubic metre, but 32 sand bags do. Read more in what is 1 brass.
Worked example: a 3 m × 4 m × 100 mm sand bed
1. Volume = 3 × 4 × 0.1 = 1.2 m³.
2. Add 10% for compaction and spillage → 1.32 m³.
3. Barrows at 65 L = 1.32 × 15.4 = 21 barrows.
4. Weight = 1.32 × 1,600 = 2,112 kg, so order 2.1 tonnes or 0.47 brass.
5. At 3 minutes per barrow round trip, that is roughly one hour of barrow work for one labourer.
Practical notes from site
- Order by weight or m³, move by barrow. Suppliers deliver in tonnes, brass or trolley loads; barrows are only a labour-planning unit.
- Never fill above the tray rim for wet material. A heaped barrow of wet sand or concrete both spills and injures backs.
- Count trips, not decimals. 15.4 barrows means 16 trips, the last one part-full.
- Add 5–10% wastage for anything spread by hand, more if the route is rough or the material is being tipped onto soil.
- Bulking: damp sand can occupy 20–30% more volume than dry sand of the same weight. If you buy by weight and plan by volume, check whether the sand is wet.
Related calculators
- Sand calculator — volume, bags and weight for any area and depth
- Concrete calculator — cement, sand and aggregate by mix grade
- Aggregate calculator — 10/20/40 mm quantities and weight
- Brass calculator — brass to cft, m³, kg and truck loads
- Cement calculator — bags per m³ for any mix