What is Concrete Sand?

There are a lot of materials, professions, and techniques involved in construction presently. Concrete sand is merely one of many universal supplies generally found on jobsites, but what exactly is it? To begin, concrete sand is in reference to the sandy aggregate that is mixed with things such as cement and water for creating concrete. Due to the ease in which subcontractors and contractors can modify the percentage of cement, water and aggregates, cement mixtures take various forms and are used for a lot of applications.

So, Exactly What is Concrete Sand?

Concrete sand is a term that is generally used in reference to rough washed sand that is a typical component in cement and asphalt mixes. Its granules are larger than masonry sand ones, but a processing and sifting process guarantees that there are no larger stones or pebbles in the sand. This material is typically made of things such as granite, gneiss, and limestone, and it is regularly mined and milled at a quarry prior to it being washed and sifted. Following that, the sand is allocated to contractors, construction supply yards, and other users of the material.

How Does it Differ from Other Aggregates?

There are a lot of kinds of sands, stones, and other materials that are utilized as aggregates in the construction industry, but concrete sand is dissimilar from other materials in a few vital ways. Its smaller granular size in comparison to things like milled stone means that the material is more appropriate for creating more even pavement. Nevertheless, it is larger than white and masonry sand, making it more fitting to being a fill material and drainage than functioning as a finished covering.

How is Concrete Sand Used?

Even though it is typically used in asphalt and paving implementations, concrete sand has a wide range of uses in the construction and landscaping industries. It is usually used as pipe bedding or a paver foundation, and its texture and size make it perfect for retaining pipes, septic systems, and rocks in place, at the same time providing proper drainage. Concrete sand can be utilized for leveling out irregular ground, improve traction on slick roads, or act as a top-dressing for golf courses and lawns. The implementations for this type of material are virtually limitless!

The Growing Demand for Concrete Sand

Because concrete is the most popular construction material across the globe, having the proper type of sand is vital. For countries such as India and China that don’t have easy access to the proper type of sand but that are going through high levels of foundational growth, concrete sand is in continuously short supply.

Construction projects across the world use more than forty billion tons of sand every year. Sand produced by the wind (such as desert sand) creates rounded grains that are too small and too smooth to be used in construction and concrete. The gritty and coarse textured sand construction projects necessitate is only produced in places such riverbeds and seabeds.

The demand for high-quality sand has led to an increase in illegal sand mining activities and “sand smugglers” throughout the world. These sand smugglers import the high-quality sand illegally and then sell it to the highest bidder—usually those countries are devoid of access to their own high-quality sand. The increase in demand for prized concrete sand is probably going to continue to grow as developing nations grow and improve their infrastructures.

Landscaping Materials Scottsdale, Arizona

A & A Materials, Inc., located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers, all purpose sand, including washed concrete sand, aggregates, river rock, rip rap rock, mulch and wood chips for your landscaping or gardening needs. Contact us or call us at 480-990-0557 for more information.