Recycled Materials

Recycled Sand

Recycled sand is the fine stuff left over when crushed concrete, brick, or old asphalt gets processed. Once the bigger chunks are pulled out for road base, the leftover grit and dust (pieces smaller than about 1/4 inch) gets sold as sand. It looks and pours a lot like a gritty natural sand, but you'll usually see bits of old mortar or brick mixed in.

The "recycled" part just means the sand came from a demolition site instead of a pit or a riverbed. That makes it cheaper than fresh masonry or concrete sand, and it's a common pick for backfill, pipe bedding, and other jobs where you don't need the strict grading of new sand. Ask your supplier what the feed was. A load made from clean concrete crushings behaves differently than one with brick or asphalt in the mix.

named grade in this family

What people use it for

Backfill around foundations and wallsPipe and utility trench beddingSub-base drainage layer under slabsFill for low spots and gradingNon-structural concrete and flowable fillBase sand under pavers when spec doesn't require virgin sand

How to choose within recycled sand

Base under something else

Reclaimed concrete or asphalt millings work great as base under a driveway or slab. The layer above hides what's underneath.

When the top layer is visible

Recycled base compacts to grey or dusty tan, not the clean look of fresh crushed stone. Fine under a surface course, off if it's the finish.

Check the source

Reclaimed loads vary by demo site. A supplier who can tell you where the feedstock came from is a better bet than the cheapest yard in town.

All recycled sand grades

Recycled Sand (Recycled, Sand, Multicolor)

Concrete productionRoad basePipe bedding

Other recycled materials families

Recycled Aggregate

Reference

Recycled rock is old concrete and asphalt that's been crushed down and screened to size.

35 grades→

Screenings

Reference

Screenings are the fine leftovers from crushing rock.

5 grades→

Recycled Materials 57 Stone

Reference

Recycled #57 stone is old concrete that's been crushed and screened down to pieces between about 1 inch and 1/4 inch.

3 grades→

Recycled Brick

Reference

Recycled brick is old clay brick crushed down into chunks and chips.

2 grades→

Recycled Materials Asphalt Aggregate

Reference

Recycled asphalt is old road pavement that's been ground back down into gravel-sized pieces.

2 grades→

Recycled Concrete Aggregate

Reference

Recycled concrete is old concrete that's been crushed and screened into usable sizes.

1 grade→

Recycled Materials 1 Stone

Reference

#1 recycled stone is crushed old concrete screened to a large size, roughly 1½ to 3½ inches across.

1 grade→

Recycled Materials 4 Stone

Reference

#4 recycled concrete is old concrete that's been crushed and screened to pieces between about 3/4 inch and 1½ inches.

1 grade→

Recycled Materials 610 Stone

Reference

Recycled 610 stone is old concrete that's been crushed and screened down to a spread of sizes from about 1 inch to fines.

1 grade→

Recycled Materials 8 Stone

Reference

#8 recycled stone is crushed recycled concrete screened between about 3/8 inch and 1/8 inch.

1 grade→

Recycled Materials Aggregate Base Course

Reference

Recycled base is crushed-up old concrete — sidewalks, curbs, broken slabs, foundations — run through a crusher and screened down to a mix…

1 grade→

Recycled Materials Concrete Aggregate

Reference

Recycled concrete is old concrete that's been crushed and screened back into usable rock.

1 grade→

Browse all recycled materials families →