Uses of Sand in The Construction & Building Industries

sand

Sand is often used as a contraction material within the building and construction industries. It’s usually supplied as back run sand, beach sand, white mason sand, utility sand, filtering sand, septic sand, fill sand (aka sand fill), concrete sand and mason sand. Here we’ll discuss and expand on each of these sand types and their specific uses within the construction and building industries.

Back Run Sand

This is type of sand can either be quite coarse or fine, and is usually used as concrete mix for either fence posts and patios. The colouring is usually a mixture between gold, beige or tan.

White Mason Sand

White mason sand is a specific type of mason sand that is used in specific applications such as mixing with mortar and concrete when laying bricks or white blocks. This sand is favoured for this application as it leaves a nice white mortar line between the bricks.

Mason Sand

Mason sand comes quite coarse, and like white mason sand it is primarily used to mix with concrete and mortar to lay bricks, blocks and stone. Unlike white mason sand, general mason sand comes in a variety of colours brown, white, beige, grey or tan.

Concrete Sand

Concrete sand is quite coarse as it is used for mixing with cement for larger applications. It is also often used in septic systems due to its coarse texture.

Fine Utility Sand

Fine utility sand is usually used as a back fill around utility piping. It is quite fine compared to most other sand we’ve discussed, making it the perfect option for placing around fragile underground pipes. Other applications include being used to back fill trenches and to fill sand bags.

Utility Sand

Utility sand is also quite fine and is primarily used for the exact same applications as fine utility sand.

Beach Sand

Beach sand comes in a variety of colours, ranging from beige, grey, brown and tan. This type of sand is often used when building patios or verandas, playgrounds, sandboxes and sometimes even creating fake beach settings.

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