Types of Sand Used in Construction for Stronger Buildings

As the name suggests, Natural sand or River sand is found on the banks of rivers and streams. It is white-greyish and is a sand of fine-grained variant. Primarily used in masonry and concrete work, natural sand is also suitable for a range of other areas, including bricklaying, plastering, RCC, etc.

River sand for construction is made of eroded rocks, minerals, and organic materials brought down by the river over its course. Its grains are naturally fine and uniformly rounded in texture. On average, it contains 5% to 20% silt. It traps moisture naturally and thus needs comparatively less water during convergent scale.

Large-scale sand mining has significantly impacted river sand reserves and is becoming an environmental issue. Therefore, the use of natural sand today is strictly regulated. Some states have even implemented bans on it.

Plastering sand, or P-sand,  is a type of processed sand used primarily for the more refined aspects of construction, such as plastering and finishing.

According to the Indian Standards Code, P-sand is very fine-grained, with particle sizes ranging between 0.15 mm and 2.36 mm. It has a much smoother and more uniform texture than plain manufactured sand.

P-sand consumes little water and is very workable, making it perfect for plastering works. However, its very nature makes it less suitable for other uses, such as structural concrete.

This type of sand is made by crushing concrete and filtering it to remove large chunks and rocks. It is a coarse-grained sand suitable for various applications, including building construction, base layers, pavements, highways, walkways, etc.

Concrete sand is versatile since its grains are smaller than M-sand but larger than white sand. Builders can use it to build walkways and pavements that need soft sand or as a filling material in building foundations that need rigid sand.

When mixed with cement and water, concrete sand forms a nice solid mass to fill up any gaps in the final concrete. The result is a solid, strong foundation for a structurally stable construction.

Pit sand is another type of coarse-grained sand primarily used in building construction. It occurs naturally at depths about 2 metres below ground level and is collected by digging deep pits; hence, it is called pit sand.

Pit sand grains are coarse and sharply angular in shape. These grains interlock in the concrete mix, which lends this sand strong binding properties. It is used to make PCC (plain cement concrete ). It generally contains iron oxide and is thus slightly orange-red in colour.

Moreover, it lacks salt particles or impurities and does not react with air moisture. Thus, concrete mixes with Pit sand are structurally strong and stable.

As the name suggests, Fill sand is a type of sand used mainly as a filler in building construction. It is coarse-textured and can be compacted easily, making it perfect for making base layers for further construction.

Fill sand contains a mixture of different sizes of grains made from eroded, larger rock particles. Since it compacts very well, Fill sand is an ideal base material for construction activities like foundation building, pavement laying, or filling up large excavated holes.

It also has excellent drainage properties, making it perfect for work involving water reservoirs and septic tanks.

Moram sand is one of the fine-grained artificial sand types made from hard stones like granite. It is reddish in colour. This type of sand is commonly used to prepare pavements, mortar mixes with concrete, and masonry work due to its fine texture.

Utility sand is a uniform-grained sand that is commonly used in construction. Similar to fill sand, it is used as a filler for building foundations, pavements, etc.

This sand is made out of high-quality industrial quartz. It supports mechanical stress very well due to its easily compact nature. Its non-reactive property allows it to be used in toxic chemical construction projects. Utility sand imparts strength and stability to the building when used for foundation laying.

India has about 6 types of sand that are used in construction work, including river sand, pit sand, concrete sand, fill sand, and manufactured sand.

It depends on the nature of the construction activity in question. Some types of sand, like concrete sand and river sand, can be used for multiple purposes. On the other hand, some types of sand are of special utility. For example, fill sand is used mostly as a filler or base layer for further construction.

Several procedures are used to check the construction sand quality of different types of sand. Depending on the need, sand quality can be tested by sieve analysis, moisture content, compressive strength, specific gravity, bulk density, and permeability. A couple of other tests, such as soundness, organic content analysis, and shape and texture tests, are also performed.