Washed River Sand

Washed River Sand is a coarse-grained, gritty sand screened and washed from natural river sources. It’s ideal for:
• Paving base preparation and compacted layers
• Lawn topdressing to improve drainage
• Concrete production and pipe bedding
Naturally hard-wearing and free-draining, it compacts cleanly while allowing water flow.
**Available in 20kg bags, bulka bags, or loose tipped. Bulk loose delivery available 6 days a week. Minimum 500kg. Pickup available in any quantity.**

How much do I need?

Washed river sand weighs about 1.5 t/m³. As a guide, 1 tonne lays roughly 13 m² of bedding at 50 mm — ideal under pavers, for bricklaying and rendering.

Buying & delivery

Available in 20 kg bags, 1 t and 1.5 t bulka bags, or loose tipped (from 500 kg). Delivered across Sydney 6 days a week — enter your postcode at checkout for a delivered price, or pick up from our Jamisontown yard.

River sand buyer’s guide

Washed river sand is a coarse, sharp-grained sand won from natural river deposits, then washed to strip out clay and silt. The washing is what you are paying for — it leaves a clean, free-draining sand that screeds flat and compacts evenly instead of turning to slop when it rains.

Where river sand is used

• Bedding sand screeded under pavers and flagstones
• Topdressing lawns to level low spots and improve drainage
• Concrete production and floor screeds
• Pipe, conduit and cable bedding
• Drainage and filtration layers

Choosing the right sand for the job

Not all sands swap in for each other. Brickies sand carries clay so mortar stays workable — good on the trowel, wrong under pavers, where the clay holds water and moves. River sand is the one for bedding, topdressing and concrete. And once your pavers are laid, the joints get swept with kiln dried sand, not bedding sand. For small pours, our concrete mix blends coarse sand and 10mm aggregate ready for cement.

How much to order

River sand runs about 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre. A paver bed is usually screeded at 30–50mm: one tonne gives roughly 13 square metres at 50mm, or around 20 square metres at 30mm. For lawn topdressing at 10–15mm, a tonne spreads over about 45–65 square metres.

What makes a good river sand

Look for a coarse, consistent grain, properly washed so there is no clay or silt clouding it, and free-draining when wet. Fine or dirty sand ruts under pavers and crusts on lawns. Ours is screened and washed at the source, available bagged, in bulka bags or loose tipped from our Jamisontown yard, delivered across Penrith and Sydney.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between river sand and brickies sand?

River sand is coarse, washed and free-draining, which suits paver bedding, lawn topdressing and concrete. Brickies sand contains clay to make mortar workable, so it holds water and moves under load — good for bricklaying, wrong under pavers or on lawns.

Is washed river sand good for lawn topdressing?

Yes. Its coarse, free-draining grain levels low spots without smothering the grass or crusting on top. Spread it 10 to 15 millimetres deep and work it into the leaf with the back of a rake; one tonne covers roughly 45 to 65 square metres.

How thick should bedding sand be under pavers?

A screeded bed of 30 to 50 millimetres of coarse washed sand over a compacted road base layer is the standard approach. At 50 millimetres, one tonne of river sand beds about 13 square metres of paving; at 30 millimetres, closer to 20 square metres.

Can I use washed river sand in concrete?

Yes — coarse washed river sand is a standard fine aggregate for site-mixed concrete and screeds because it is clean and sharp-grained. Blend it with cement and coarse aggregate, or save a step with a pre-blended concrete mix that has the ratio set.