Prices explained
What decides the price of cable sand
The sand itself is usually the smaller part of the price. Getting it to your site is the bigger part, and that depends on how far it travels and how it is delivered. That is why we price every job to its postcode instead of showing one price per tonne.
Last checked 2 October 2026.
What goes into a delivered price
The sand
The price of the sand at the quarry. Tested sand for spec work, cement-bound sand and gravel and sand mix each cost a little differently.
Aggregates tax
A government tax on quarried sand and stone: £2.16 a tonne from 1 April 2026, both the UK Aggregates Levy and the Scottish Aggregates Tax.
Haulage
Getting it to your site. Sand is heavy, so this is usually the biggest part of the price, and it grows with the distance from the quarry.
Bags and crane
Bulk bags add the bag itself and a crane lorry to lift them off. Loose loads have neither.
VAT
Added at the standard rate for most buyers.
How to get the best price per tonne
Full loads
A full tipper or artic spreads the haulage over more tonnes, so the price per tonne drops a long way.
Loose rather than bagged
If the site can take a tipped load, loose is cheaper than the same tonnage in bulk bags.
Artics where you can
An artic carries about 28 to 30 tonnes, the lowest haulage cost per tonne, if the site can take one.
The right amount
Ordering short means a second delivery and a second haulage charge. Use the calculator, with a little extra.
Tell us the access
Width limits, soft ground or a long walk from the road change the lorry and the price. Telling us up front avoids surprises.
Work out the tonnage with the cable sand calculator. Load sizes and options are on the delivery page.
Questions
How much does cable sand cost?
It depends mostly on where it is going. The sand is the smaller part; haulage from the quarry to your site is usually the bigger part, so the same sand costs more the further it travels. That is why we price every job to its postcode.
Why do you not show a price per tonne?
Because one price would be wrong for almost everyone. Haulage changes so much with distance and load size that a flat price would be too high for nearby jobs and too low for distant ones. Send the postcode and we give you a real price.
Is tested cable sand dearer than standard?
Sand to ENA TS 97-1 with test results can cost a little more than standard cable sand. Many jobs, such as most fibre and street lighting work, only need standard sand, so tell us what your spec asks for.
What is the Aggregates Levy?
A government tax on sand, gravel and rock dug from the ground: £2.16 a tonne from 1 April 2026. In Scotland it is the Scottish Aggregates Tax, at the same rate from the same date. It is part of the price of quarried sand.
Is there a minimum order or a small-load charge?
The minimum is one bulk bag, or 10 tonnes for a loose tipper load. There is no separate small-load charge, but small loads cost more per tonne, because the haulage is shared over fewer tonnes, so we price each job as it is.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Aggregates Levy rates and allowances. England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- mygov.scot, Scottish Aggregates Tax. Scotland, from 1 April 2026.
Get a price
A real price for your postcode
Tell us how much, the site postcode and when, and we price the sand and the haulage to your site.