Concrete Sand Delivery in Memphis, TN

Concrete Sand in Memphis: The Fine Aggregate the Bluff City Runs On

Concrete sand is the gritty fine aggregate behind nearly every slab poured, paver laid, and pipe bedded across the Memphis area. It is a washed, coarse, well-graded sand screened to a 0 to 3/8 range, tan to gray in color, with sharp angular grains that interlock under load and give a concrete batch real structure. In the Mid-South, where hot, muggy summers, heavy thunderstorms, and the silty soils of the Mississippi floodplain all shape how things get built, a clean and consistent sand is what keeps a mix predictable and a base draining.

Memphis sits on the loess bluffs above the river, and much of the surrounding ground is fine, silty, easily eroded soil. That matters for concrete sand because silt does not drain or support load the way a washed, angular sand does. When you set pavers or pour a slab in Cordova, Bartlett, or out toward Germantown, a free-draining concrete sand layer keeps storm runoff moving and gives the surface a stable bed that will not pump or settle after the next downpour.

Why Memphis Builders Use Concrete Sand

Most of the concrete sand we deliver around Memphis is headed for one of four jobs:

• Concrete mixing. As the fine aggregate, it fills the voids between gravel and cement so a batch cures dense and strong. This is the leading use across Shelby County.
• Paver bedding. A one inch screeded layer gives pavers a firm, free-draining bed that resists pumping after the area’s heavy rains.
• Pipe and utility bedding. Its angular grains cradle drain lines, conduit, and water service without sharp rock that can nick a pipe, and it tamps to a stable trench bottom.
• Masonry work. Block, brick, and stone setting use concrete sand in the mortar bed and as a leveling course.

For smoother, tighter mortar joints, masons switch to Mason Sand, which is finer and more uniform. When the job is just raising grade or backfilling, Fill Sand is the economical option. For thicker paver or driveway builds over the area’s soft soils, crews typically compact a layer of Paver Base first and use the concrete sand as the thin setting layer on top.

Local Delivery and Lead Times Across the Memphis Metro

We run bulk dump deliveries throughout the Memphis metro, from downtown and Midtown out to Cordova, Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville, and across into the surrounding suburbs. Most orders arrive in 1 to 2 business days. Order at the six ton level or higher and we can usually schedule same or next day delivery, which keeps a booked pour on track before the next summer storm rolls through.

Tell us about your drop site when you order, especially soft yards after heavy rain, tight access, or overhead lines, and we will send the right truck. We also serve the wider Mid-South region: Little Rock is about 130 miles west, Clarksville roughly 178 miles, with Franklin, Nashville, and Murfreesboro reachable across Tennessee when projects span the state.

How Much Concrete Sand Do You Need?

Concrete sand is sold by the ton, and one ton covers about 100 square feet at a 2 inch depth. At roughly 2,700 pounds per cubic yard, a ton is just under three quarters of a yard. Here is a Memphis example: bedding a 450 square foot paver patio in Cordova at a 1 inch setting depth comes to about 450 divided by 200, so roughly 2.25 tons, which you would round up to 3 to leave a margin.

• A 200 square foot patio at 1 inch bedding: about 1 ton.
• A standard two car driveway base refresh: 3 to 5 tons depending on depth.
• Mixing your own concrete: estimate fine aggregate at roughly 40 to 45 percent of total aggregate volume.

If your number lands between two tiers, round up to the next break. The per ton price falls and you skip a second delivery fee.

Memphis Pricing: Real Numbers

Concrete sand starts from $101 per ton delivered in Memphis. The three tiers are:

• 1 ton minimum: $136 per ton with a $263 delivery fee, arriving in 1 to 2 business days. Best for small repairs and single batches.
• 6 ton minimum: $122 per ton with a reduced $141 delivery fee and same or next day delivery. The everyday choice for patios and driveways.
• 16 ton minimum: $101 per ton with free delivery. The lowest per ton cost, ideal for larger pours, multi-property jobs, or stocking a contractor yard.

Volume pays off. Stepping from the 1 ton tier up to the 16 ton tier cuts the per ton price by $35 and removes the delivery fee entirely, a clear saving on a bigger Memphis job.

Placement and Installation Tips

For paver bedding, screed the concrete sand to a uniform depth over a well-compacted base and avoid over-compacting the setting layer itself before laying pavers. For concrete mixing, keep the pile tarped through the humid Mid-South days and especially before a thunderstorm, so it does not soak up water and throw off your water to cement ratio. When bedding pipe, place the sand in lifts and tamp lightly so the trench bottom stays even and the line sits true.

Seasonal Notes for Tennessee

Memphis has a long building season, but the heat and rain drive the rhythm. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions for pours and paver work, while midsummer brings serious heat that can flash-set concrete if you do not manage the cure with timing and water. Heavy summer thunderstorms are the bigger logistics factor: schedule deliveries and pours around the forecast, and keep stockpiles tarped so runoff does not saturate the sand. Memphis winters are mild compared with the North, so freeze-thaw is a minor concern, but proper drainage from a clean concrete sand base still protects flatwork through the wet months.

Choosing the Right Sand for a Memphis Job

A question we field constantly from Memphis builders is which sand belongs in which job, and it comes down to grain size and cleanliness. Concrete sand is coarse, angular, and washed, which makes it structural and free-draining at the same time, and that is why it is the default fine aggregate for both concrete batching and paver bedding across Shelby County. Over the area’s fine, silty loess, that drainage is what keeps storm runoff from undermining a base that would otherwise wash and settle.

Here is how the related materials line up for a typical Mid-South project. Mason Sand is finer and more uniform, the right pick when you want clean, tight mortar joints on a brick or block wall. Fill Sand is the economical bulk material for raising grade or backfilling a low spot before any structural work goes on top. Paver Base, a crushed and graded rock, is the compacted load-bearing layer you put down first under a thick paver or driveway build, with concrete sand placed as the thin leveling course on top. Over soft Memphis soils, a properly compacted base under your sand setting layer is what keeps a Bartlett or Germantown patio from rippling and settling after the rainy months.

Ordering and Site Prep Around Memphis

When you place an order, have three numbers handy: the square footage, the placement depth, and your access details. From those we will confirm the tonnage and the right tier. For a typical Shelby County backyard we often recommend the six ton tier, since it lands the price at $122 per ton, drops the delivery fee well below the single ton rate, and still leaves margin over what a patio or driveway repair needs. Jobs that clear 16 tons hit the $101 per ton rate with free delivery, which is where contractors and multi-property owners see the savings build up across a busy season.

Before the truck arrives, pick a firm, level drop spot that keeps the wheelbarrow run short, and after a thunderstorm make sure the chosen path has not gone soft. A tarp under and over the pile keeps the sand clean and dry through the humid stretches and the next downpour, so the material stays workable for your pour or paver lay whenever you are ready to work.

About Concrete Sand

About Concrete Sand

Concrete sand is a coarse, washed, well-graded sand screened to a 0 to 3/8 inch range and used as the fine aggregate in concrete, mortar, and bedding applications. Its grains are angular and sharp rather than rounded, which gives it the interlock and structural strength that finer play or fill sands lack. The color runs tan to gray, so it blends cleanly into concrete and mortar mixes.

Because it is washed, concrete sand carries very little silt or clay, so it drains freely and mixes to a predictable consistency. That makes it the standard fine aggregate for batching concrete, where it fills the voids between coarse rock and cement paste to produce a dense, durable cure. It is equally useful as a one inch setting bed under pavers and natural stone, as bedding around drain pipe and utility lines, and as the sand component in masonry mortar for block and brick.

At roughly 2,700 pounds per cubic yard, concrete sand is a dense, heavy material, and it is sold by the ton. One ton covers about 100 square feet at a 2 inch depth, which makes coverage easy to estimate on most projects. It compacts to a firm, stable layer while still draining well, a balance that makes it more versatile than softer sands.

Concrete sand is coarser than Mason Sand, which is preferred for smooth mortar joints, and it is cleaner and more structural than Fill Sand, which is used mainly to raise grade. For thick paver or driveway builds it is typically combined with a compacted Paver Base beneath the thin sand setting layer. Stored under cover and kept dry, it stays workable and ready for the next pour.

What Concrete Sand costs in Memphis

Around Memphis, concrete sand is quoted by the ton with delivery layered in based on distance from the closest yard. Pricing in Memphis starts at $101 per ton on full-truck loads, which works out to roughly $136 per cubic yard at the typical density of 2700 lb per yard. Plan on roughly 80 sq ft of coverage per ton at 3 inches deep, which puts a single-car driveway in the 4 to 8 ton bracket.

How crews use Concrete Sand in Memphis

Memphis contractors keep concrete sand on the order sheet for a short list of standard installs. Top of the list is pipe bedding, where the material is rolled out in tight urban lots and infill builds and screeded to grade. Right behind that is base course gravel, common in dense neighborhoods where curb access is short and often paired with edging or fabric below the lift. Memphis sits at about 628,127 residents, which means we see steady weekday traffic from landscape crews and weekend pickups from owner-builders.

Delivery day in Memphis

Delivery in Memphis runs out of the nearest pit; you get a two hour arrival window the evening prior and a call when the driver leaves the scale. Plan for 12 ft of clear path for a tandem and 14 ft for a tri-axle, plus a level area at the dump point so the bed lifts straight. Standard lead time on this lane is Mon-Sat, with same-day windows held open for orders that hit the desk before 11 AM and clear payment.

Delivered pricing in Memphis

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