Volleyball Court Sand: Type, Depth, Tons and San Antonio Delivery

The right sand for a volleyball court is a washed, naturally weathered, rounded to sub-angular sand, ideally light in color, laid 12 to 24 inches deep over a drained base. Crushed limestone, concrete sand and playground sand all fail in one way or another. In San Antonio, the sand is only part of the job: the base, the drainage and the truck access decide whether the court plays well for years or turns into a crusty mud pit after the first heavy rain.

This guide covers what to buy, how much, what it costs, and how delivery works for a backyard, school, park or commercial court. The last section covers arena footing for horses, since the same questions come up.

TL;DR

• Use washed, naturally weathered, rounded silica-type sand, with particles mostly between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm. Avoid crushed rock and limestone-based products.
• Plan for 12 to 24 inches of depth. Many builders land around 18 inches.
• A full-size court typically takes 150 to 200 tons of sand, and the sand is often not the biggest line item. Excavation, sub-base and drainage are.
• Light-colored sand stays cooler under the Texas sun than tan or iron-rich sand.
• Check gate width and overhead clearance before you order. A dump truck that can’t reach the site raises your cost.

Table of Contents

• What sand works for a volleyball court
• Color matters in a Texas summer
• How deep should the sand be?
• Court size and how many tons you need
• What a sand court costs
• Build the base before the sand arrives
• Delivery: what to check before you order
• Our perspective: buy to the spec, not to the label
• Get your court materials delivered in San Antonio
• What about horse arena sand?
• FAQ
• Sources

What sand works for a volleyball court

Players dive, slide and land on this surface barefoot. That is why the spec is stricter than it is for most landscaping sand.

USA Volleyball’s guidance says sand for a built court should be naturally weathered and rounded, never from a crushed-rock source. Crushed rock has sharp edges that cause cuts, even when it is sand-sized. Its high calcium content can also make the court crust over and harden when wet. That is why experienced builders avoid limestone-based products.

A court construction guide from Austin Courts & Floors gives the same profile:

• Naturally weathered, rounded to sub-angular grains
• Washed to remove silt and clay
• Free of crushed rock, calcium and limestone
• Particles generally in the 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm range for drainage and safety

Gradation matters as much as the material. As a reference point, a public agency specification for beach volleyball sand, the New York State DOT item 203.250100SU, sets sieve limits. All of it passes a No. 16 sieve, 10 to 30 percent passes a No. 100 sieve, and no more than 10 percent passes a No. 200. In plain terms, you want very little dust and silt. Fines pack down, hold water and turn the surface hard.

Sand types compared

We stock and deliver several sands in San Antonio, including manufactured sand, concrete sand and fill sand. They are good products for slabs, pipe bedding, pavers and grading. For the playing surface of a volleyball court, though, the table above is the honest answer: those are not the right sands. We would rather tell you that before the truck shows up.

Color matters in a Texas summer

It is easy to treat sand color as cosmetic. It isn’t here. Lighter, brighter sand, usually white silica, stays cooler in direct sun than darker, tan or iron-rich sand. In San Antonio, where July and August afternoons are brutal, that is the difference between a court people use at 3 p.m. and one they avoid until evening. If your court sits in full sun with no shade structure, put color near the top of your list.

How deep should the sand be?

For a dedicated, built court the standard range is 12 to 24 inches. Many builders settle near 18 inches. A backyard court that sees casual play can go thinner, toward the 12-inch end. A court that hosts leagues, tournaments or heavy daily use deserves 18 inches or more.

USA Volleyball notes that a natural beach can host competition if it is level and the sand is at least nine inches deep and free of rocks, gravel and other hazards. A built court needs more than that because there is no natural beach beneath it.

Depth is not a place to save money. Thin sand packs down, exposes the base, and forces you to top off sooner.

Court size and how many tons you need

The official beach court playing area is 52’6" by 26’3" (16 m by 8 m). Around it you need a free zone. A recreational setup typically needs about 72’ by 46’ in total, while competition courts need up to 90’ by 60’. The net for women’s and mixed play is 7’4 1/8" at the center, per the same USA Volleyball guidance.

Here is a worked example using our own arithmetic:

1. Take a recreational footprint of 72’ x 46’, which is 3,312 square feet.
2. At 12 inches deep, that is 3,312 cubic feet, or about 123 cubic yards.
3. At 18 inches deep, it is about 184 cubic yards.
4. Ask your supplier for the sand’s weight per cubic yard. Dry sand commonly lands around 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard, but it varies with moisture and grading.

That puts a 12-inch full-footprint fill in the area of 160 to 185 tons and an 18-inch fill higher. It lines up with the 150 to 200 tons that the Austin guide cites for a standard court. If you only fill the playing area plus a short border, the number drops. Measure your real footprint before you order, because a 10 percent miss on 180 tons is a lot of sand.

What a sand court costs

As of 2025, a complete professional-grade residential court in Texas runs about $30,000 to $70,000 or more, depending on site conditions, drainage and local material costs. The sand alone, at 150 to 200 tons, ranges from roughly $7,500 to $20,000 depending on quality and transport.

The surprise for most owners is that sand is not the largest line item. Excavation, sub-base and drainage engineering are. That is also where people try to cut corners, and it is where a court fails.

Build the base before the sand arrives

A court built by dumping sand on grass or dirt will not last. According to Austin Courts & Floors, without a proper gravel and fabric sub-base and a 1 percent drainage slope, the court becomes a drainage problem. USA Volleyball’s guidance adds that a non-beach court needs full excavation, a specialized sub-base and an engineered drainage system, such as a French drain or center spine. A simple dump-and-level approach fails within a season.

San Antonio adds a few local wrinkles. Heavy storms can drop a lot of water in a short time, and much of the area has clay soil that drains slowly. Both make drainage design more important, not less.

A typical sequence looks like this:

1. Lay out and stake the court with the free zone included.
2. Excavate to the depth of the sand plus the base, and remove the spoil.
3. Grade the subgrade to a gentle slope toward your drain path.
4. Install drainage, then a geotextile fabric.
5. Place a gravel layer over the fabric. Our washed and crushed gravel and pea gravel are the kind of material used in drainage layers, but confirm the gradation with your court designer.
6. Install a second fabric layer if your designer specifies one, then deliver and spread the sand.
7. Set posts and the border.

For general guidance on compaction targets and timing deliveries around geotechnical work, see our site preparation guide for contractors.

Getting rid of the dirt

Excavating a court produces a lot of soil. A 12 to 24 inch dig over a few thousand square feet adds up to dozens of truckloads. We offer dump truck haul off at $275 per truck load. Plan that into the budget so spoil does not pile up in the yard while you wait for sand.

Delivery: what to check before you order

Most people focus on the sand and overlook truck access. If a standard dump truck cannot get to the build site, costs and labor hours climb because of secondary handling or smaller equipment. Before you order bulk delivery:

• Measure the gate. Know the narrowest opening from the street to the site.
• Look up. Check for low branches, power lines and roof overhangs.
• Check the ground. A loaded truck is heavy. Soft lawns, septic fields and fresh irrigation lines get damaged.
• Pick a dump zone. Choose where each load will be tipped and how it will be moved to the court.
• Think about weather. Wet sand weighs more and a rainy day makes delivery messy.
• Schedule in loads. 150 to 200 tons takes many truckloads. A steady schedule keeps the crew working. Our jobsite delivery scheduling playbook walks through how to plan that.

Our perspective: buy to the spec, not to the label

We are a hauler and bulk materials supplier, so we see how these orders go wrong. Someone calls for “sand” for a court and wants the cheapest delivered ton. Then the court arrives hard, dusty or sharp.

Our advice is simple. Write down the spec first: washed, naturally weathered, rounded or sub-angular, light-colored, low in fines, no crushed rock or limestone. Get a gradation sheet from whoever is supplying the material. Then talk to us about the hauling, the volume, the dump zone and the schedule. If a product we carry fits your spec, we will say so. If it does not, we will say that too, and we can still haul your excavation spoil, deliver your base gravel and handle site prep support.

The mistakes we see most often are ordering before the base is ready, underestimating tonnage, and discovering on delivery day that the truck cannot get through the gate. All three are cheap to prevent with a plan on paper.

— BRIAN

Get your court materials delivered in San Antonio

We deliver bulk materials and dump truck hauling across Greater San Antonio, with online booking and per-load pricing. See our sand delivery page for what we carry, read how sand delivery pricing works, or send us your site details through our services page and we will quote the hauling, the base gravel and the spoil removal.

What about horse arena sand?

The same principles carry over to arena footing, with different priorities. A riding arena needs a stable, consistent surface, so it is also built on a drained base. Washed sand with controlled fines is the usual starting point, and sharp, crushed material is a poor choice because it is abrasive. Horse arenas are often sand mixed with other materials, and the right blend depends on the discipline, the horse and the weather. Ask your trainer or arena builder for the target spec before you buy, and bring us the tonnage, the access route and the delivery window. We will handle the hauling.

FAQ

What kind of sand should I use for a volleyball court?

Use washed, naturally weathered, rounded or sub-angular sand with particles mostly between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm. It should be free of silt, clay, crushed rock and limestone. Lighter colors stay cooler in the sun.

How deep should volleyball court sand be?

The standard range is 12 to 24 inches, and 18 inches is a common choice. Thinner sand can work for a casual backyard court. Heavier use calls for more depth.

How expensive is a sand volleyball court?

In Texas, a complete professional-grade residential court is estimated at $30,000 to $70,000 or more as of 2025. The sand itself is often $7,500 to $20,000, and the rest is excavation, base and drainage. Your site conditions can move that number a lot.

How much sand do I need?

A standard court usually takes 150 to 200 tons. Calculate your footprint times your depth in cubic yards, then ask the supplier for the sand’s weight per cubic yard to convert to tons.

Can I use concrete sand or play sand?

We don’t recommend either for the playing surface. Concrete sand is angular and can hold fines, and play sand is often too fine and packs down. Both can have other uses on the site, such as grading or bedding.

Sources

• How to Build a Sand Volleyball Court, Austin Courts & Floors
• How To Build a Beach Court, USA Volleyball
• The Story Behind The Sand, AVP
• Item 203.250100SU Beach Volleyball Sand, New York State DOT

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• Sand Delivery In San Antonio, TX
• Concrete Sand
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