A great-looking lawn is built from the ground up — and what you top it with matters as much as how you mow it. At Elite Sand & Soil we supply a range of professional-grade top-dressing products built specifically for turf: our Elite Fertilised Top Dressing 8020 Blend, our Elite 80/20 Blend, and Elite USGA Sand for premium and sports turf. Here’s how they work and when to use each.
What is an 80/20 blend?
An 80/20 blend is a professional-grade mix of 80% washed sand and 20% quality soil. That ratio is the sweet spot for turf: the 80% sand ensures drainage and compaction resistance, while the 20% soil improves nutrient and moisture retention. The result is a stable, well-drained base that helps lawns establish quickly and stay resilient — which is why it’s trusted on residential, council, and sports projects alike.
Elite Fertilised Top Dressing 8020 Blend — for lawn recovery
Our Elite Fertilised Top Dressing takes the proven 80/20 structure and enriches it with high-quality organic fertilisers — a premium screened fine sandy loam formulated to revive tired lawns and promote strong turf growth. It’s ideal when you want the levelling and drainage benefits of an 80/20 blend plus a nutrient boost to drive recovery.
- Perfect after renovation — ideal following coring, aeration or dethatching to accelerate turf recovery
- Levels uneven lawns — smooths out bumps, dips and low spots
- Boosts colour and health — organic nutrients encourage vibrant green growth and root development
- Builds up low areas — adds soil body where it’s needed without compacting
- Screened for easy application — fine texture spreads effortlessly
Elite 80/20 Blend — for underlay and topdressing
Our Elite 80/20 Blend is the versatile workhorse — suitable for all turf varieties as both a turf underlay and a topdressing. It offers excellent compaction resistance while keeping enough organic content to support healthy turf root systems, making it a reliable choice for landscapers, turf installers and home gardeners.
Elite USGA Sand — for sports fields, golf greens & premium turf
Where surface performance is everything — golf greens, sports fields, bowling greens and high-traffic premium lawns — the professional choice is a pure, precision-graded top-dressing sand. Our Elite USGA Sand is a clean, angular sand that exceeds USGA specifications and is independently tested by the AGCSA (Australian Golf Course Superintendents’ Association). Because it’s a pure angular sand with no soil to hold moisture, it offers superior drainage to a sand-soil blend — water moves straight through. Applied as a regular light top-dressing it also delivers optimal porosity and a firm, true, consistent surface, ideal for greens and turf that has to stay free-draining and playable year round. For most home lawns the 80/20 Blend or Fertilised Top Dressing above will be the better fit; step up to pure USGA Sand when drainage and surface firmness are the priority.
How much do I need?
As a rule of thumb, one tonne of topdressing material covers approximately 60 square metres at a 10 mm thickness. Both are available in 20kg bags or 1-tonne bulka bags, or loose — loose pickup from 250kg, delivery from 500kg, 6 days a week.
Laying new turf?
Top-dressing is for established lawns. If you’re installing new turf from scratch, start with our Turf Underlay — a consistent sandy loam that compacts well and gives new roots a stable, well-drained base.
Order or ask our team
Not sure which blend suits your project? Our team is happy to help you get it right. Call us on 1300 935 483 or browse the Elite Fertilised Top Dressing and Elite 80/20 Blend in our store.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an 80/20 soil blend?
An 80/20 blend is a professional mix of 80% washed sand and 20% quality soil. The sand provides drainage and compaction resistance while the soil adds nutrient and moisture retention, making it an ideal turf underlay and topdressing.
How much top dressing do I need?
As a rule of thumb, one tonne of topdressing covers about 60 square metres at a 10mm thickness. It's available in 20kg bags or 1-tonne bulka bags, or loose (loose pickup from 250kg, delivery from 500kg).
What's the difference between the 80/20 Blend and the Fertilised Top Dressing?
Both use the 80/20 structure. The Fertilised Top Dressing is enriched with organic fertilisers to revive tired lawns, while the 80/20 Blend is the versatile underlay and topdressing option.
When should I use USGA Sand instead of an 80/20 blend?
Choose Elite USGA Sand for golf greens, sports fields and premium or high-traffic turf where drainage and a firm, true surface matter most — it's a pure angular sand that exceeds USGA specifications. For most home lawns, an 80/20 Blend or Fertilised Top Dressing is the more cost-effective choice.