As a general rule, sand is classified as such if its particles range from 2mm at largest down to 0.06mm at their smallest.

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Biogenic/ Bio-organic Sand: Sand who’s makeup is largely from coral, shells and the skeletons of marine lifeIt’s primarily used in making concrete as due to the shape of the grains, it binds extremely well to form a tough and solid surface, but due to the size and shape of particles, not that smooth. Olivine Sand: Not suitable for use in construction applications due to the fact that it’s unstable, but is used for creating casts and moulds for steel

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Typically, sand and other similar materials such as gravel/grit or silt (commonly found on river beds and river banks) is classified by the size of its grains. Sand itself sits between gravel and silt with its grains being smaller than those that make up gravel but larger than those that make up silt. As the grains are smaller and smoother, this results in a much smoother overall finish hence the reason builders sand is used in screeding and plastering applications. As we have mentioned, if it’s of prime importance that your mortar does match the colour of the existing mortar then you can add certain dyes and tints that will help you colour-match it. In the majority of cases, the sand on offer will be a yellowy orangey colour just as you may imagine it to be.Top up the jug to the 150ml mark with some more of the salt water solution you previously mixed and then cover the top of the jug and give it a good shake up to mix it all up.

Sand 15kg - Orange Coloured Sand 15kg - Orange

One of the primary ingredients of sand is silica. This is a naturally occurring material that is found in nearly a quarter of the Earth’s crust. Keeping with the theme of the name describing where a given type of sand is sourced from, jointing sand or beach sand is collected mostly from beaches and areas around coastlines. I wonder if I need a different cement, to include lime not snowcrete, a different colour sand? If anyone can help I'd be grateful. Using the right type of sand for the particular job you are doing is hugely important as using the wrong grade can be disastrous.

As the name suggests (e.g. river sand) this sand-type is normally collected from the beds and banks of rivers or from around more inland water sources as, again, the presence of salts and other organic matter needs to be kept to a minimum to ensure that atmospheric moisture is not absorbed that could then cause damp issues. The reason for this is down to where the sand has come from. Sand produced in one area of the country may have a slightly higher iron-oxide content, giving it a reddy orange appearance, where as sand from another area of the country may feature more coral or shell content giving it a whiter appearance.

Different Types of Sand and What They Should be Used for Different Types of Sand and What They Should be Used for

Next, it’s a waiting game! The jug should be left for at least 3 hours for everything to settle. Once settled, all you need to do then is measure the layer of silt that has settled on top of the sand. After another trip to the builders merchant you then discover the only builders sand they have is a red colour which results in your mortar being two different colours, leaving you in the quandary of whether to just use it as it is or try and colour match it using a mortar tone or other colouring method. We briefly mentioned above that the silt content of pretty much any sand used in construction should not be greater than 4%. Before we get into exactly what types of sand there are and how each should be used, it would be a good idea to find out what sand actually is and where it comes from. To add to the confusion of not only having various different types of sand, each different type of sand can have up to 10 different names depending on the area of the country you’re in and what trade you’re involved in.Over time, and through the action of the wind, waves and erosion, quartz and feldspar combine (along with other materials such as bone, shell, coral, glass and as many should now be aware, plastic) and forms sand on beaches, river beds and around lakes and other shorelines. Now that you know a little more about where sand comes from and why its colour can vary so much it’s time to look at the different types of sand and how they should be used. Sharp Sand (aka Coarse Sand or Pit Sand)