Washed concrete sand, plaster sand, masonry sand, and clean washed sand. Each grade is produced to its own gradation and its own ASTM reference, then delivered from the closest of our 42 sourced quarries to match your pour schedule or finish phase.
Raw sand out of the pit carries clay, silt, and dust. Washed sand has been rinsed to strip that fine material out and screened to a specific gradation. Also known as C-sand or concrete sand when produced to ASTM C33, it arrives clean, uniform, and predictable, which is what concrete, mortar, plaster, and paver work all require.
The mistake contractors make is treating washed sand like one product. Concrete sand, plaster sand, masonry sand, and clean washed sand each have their own gradation and their own job. The right sand in the right application is the difference between a finish the client signs off on and one that gets redone. Las Vegas contractors searching "washed sand near me" usually need a specific grade matched to a specific pour, not a generic pile.
Same base material, different screening. The spec sheet will tell you which one belongs in the mixer.
ASTM C33 · the workhorse
The spec most batch plants are built around. Coarser than plaster or mason sand, clean-washed, sized to give concrete the aggregate interlock it needs for design strength.
Finer, uniform, finish-grade
Smooth-working sand for finish coats. Concrete sand is too coarse for a plaster finish. Use this when the final surface has to read clean.
Mortar-mix gradation
Finer than concrete sand, slightly coarser than plaster sand. What masons actually want in the mud mixer when laying brick or block.
Premium washed grade
Our cleanest grade. Washed through extra passes to strip clay, silt, and dust. Use it where color and cleanliness matter, or where the sand sits under a finish surface.
A short reference for the day-to-day calls contractors and supers make.
| If You Are Doing… | Use This Sand | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pouring a concrete slab or footing | Concrete Sand | C33 gradation matches the mix design. |
| Stucco scratch and brown coat | Concrete Sand (scratch) / Plaster Sand (brown) | Coarser for the base, finer for the finish coat. |
| Finish stucco or plaster | Plaster Sand | Fine, uniform gradation gives a clean surface read. |
| Brick or block mortar | Masonry Sand | C144 gradation is what masons actually mix. |
| Paver setting bed | Clean Washed Sand | Clean, uniform, sets and stays without silt migration. |
| Pool bedding under shell | Clean Washed Sand | No clay, no silt, no staining. |
| Sand bed under concrete flatwork | Concrete Sand or Clean Washed | Clean cushion under the rebar grid. |
| Play area | Not concrete / plaster / masonry sand | Spec play sand. Construction sands are not rated for play use. |
ASTM C33 is the reference standard for fine aggregate in structural concrete. It defines gradation limits, cleanliness, and durability parameters. When washed concrete sand meets C33, the mix design can rely on it hitting expected strength and workability numbers.
Our concrete sand is produced to meet C33, with in-house sieve analysis and test data available for submittals. If your batch plant or engineer needs a specific report, send the requirement with the quote and the paperwork will match the load.
Driveways, sidewalks, slab-on-grade, footings, commercial pours. Concrete sand is the fine aggregate component of the mix, blended with cement and coarse aggregate to hit the design strength.
Brick walls, block walls, stone veneer, mortar joints. Masonry sand goes in the mud mixer with Type N or Type S cement. Use plaster sand when the finish has to be smooth and tight.
Scratch coat, brown coat, finish coat. Concrete sand goes in the scratch for mechanical key, plaster sand in the brown and finish for workability and a clean surface. Desert sun shows every flaw, so the finish sand has to read clean.
Paver setting beds, pool shell bedding, bedding under flatwork, bedding under buried utilities. Clean washed sand keeps silt and clay out of the finish system.
Color, texture, and fines content vary slightly by quarry source. Here is the range.
Compacted base course under slabs, driveways, and pavement. Goes down before the sand bed and the pour.
ExploreDrainage layers, ready-mix coarse aggregate, and sub-fill for concrete and paver work.
ExplorePaver base aggregate and bedding sand packaged for residential and commercial hardscape phases.
ExploreFine pea gravel for decorative top courses, bedding, and exposed-aggregate concrete finishes.
ExploreTell us the grade, the tonnage, and the week. We will call you back with delivery windows, the nearest quarry, and any submittal paperwork your engineer or batch plant wants to see.