What it is called, by market
One concept, four markets. Where a name means something else locally, the card says so rather than leaving you to find out on site.
United Kingdom
Same word, different thingsharp sand
also building sand, soft sand, plastering sand, grit sand
Names describe the USE and by implication the particle shape: sharp is angular and coarse for concrete and screeds, soft or building sand is finer and rounder for mortar and rendering.
Australia
Same word, different thingsharp sand
also brickies sand, washed sand, fatty sand
As the UK, use-based names, with local trade words — brickies sand is the mortar sand and is chosen for workability rather than strength.
United Statesyours
Same word, different thingconcrete sand
also masonry sand, C-33 sand, mason sand, play sand
Designations reference a GRADING specification rather than a use, so the same product name means a particle size distribution, not a job it suits.
Canada
Same word, different thingconcrete sand
also masonry sand, bedding sand
As the United States in naming, with provincial specifications setting the gradings — so the designation identifies a spec rather than a product available everywhere.
The governing standard, by market
United States
ASTM C33
Concrete aggregates, including the grading limits for fine aggregate.
United Kingdom
BS EN 12620 / BS EN 13139
Aggregates for concrete, and aggregates for mortar.
Calculators for this
Each works in either measurement system, and the terminology on the page follows whichever market you have selected.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between sharp sand and building sand?
- Particle shape and grading, and therefore what each is good at. Sharp sand is coarser and more angular, so its particles interlock and it produces a stronger, less workable mix — which is why it goes into concrete, screeds and bedding. Building or soft sand is finer and its particles are rounder, which makes a mortar that spreads and holds its shape on a trowel; the same properties make it a poor choice for concrete, because the mix is weaker and needs more water. Using one where the other belongs is a real error rather than a preference: soft sand in a screed gives a weak, dusty floor, and sharp sand in mortar gives a mix a bricklayer cannot work with.
- Why can I not just look up the American equivalent?
- Because the two naming systems answer different questions. A British name tells you what the sand is FOR and leaves you to infer the grading; an American designation tells you the GRADING and leaves you to decide the use. So there is no dictionary entry that maps sharp sand to a single American product — the honest route is to read through the name to the property. Establish what the specification actually needs (coarse and angular, or fine and rounded, and within what grading envelope), then find the local product that meets it. That is the same approach that applies to sub-base designations and mortar classes, and for the same reason.
- Does washed or unwashed matter?
- Substantially, and it is a property neither naming system puts in the name. Unwashed sand carries fines, silt and clay, which increase the water demand of a mix and reduce its strength, and in a concrete they can interfere with the bond between the paste and the aggregate. Washed sand has had those removed. For mortar a small clay content is sometimes tolerated or even valued for workability; for concrete and screed it is a defect, which is why specifications reference a grading standard that limits it rather than naming a product. Where a bulk delivery looks dusty or stains the hand, that is the fines showing, and it is worth establishing what was actually supplied before it goes into a structural mix.