Unscreened Sand; What it's Good For, & What it's Not

Unscreened sand is a type of fill dirt that has been excavated from sites and is ideal to use for levelling or filling in low areas. This sand has not been broken down or sifted in any way and may have roots, weeds, sticks and rocks in it. You can buy fill soil either screened or unscreened, with screened soil allowing for the removal of large particles of matter that may occur naturally in the mix. Unscreened sand is not recommended for gardening purposes because it has virtually no organic matter in it. 

Its use as a filler material is enhanced by the lack of organic matter, because this matter would otherwise decompose and create pockets of space that would cause settling or potential damage to structures built over the fill.  Therefore, fill dirt or subsoil is always used rather than topsoil in locations that require an area to be filled or the ground level to be raised, especially when subsequent construction over the area will occur.

Just about any project that requires dirt in order to fill in a hole or cavity or to raise or level the ground is a good candidate for fill dirt.  Some of the most common projects that this material is used for include filling holes, levelling off embankments and raising areas on the ground. The dirt can be used for construction and/or landscaping projects both large and small.

Large construction projects may require the use of this type of dirt in bulk for raising ground levels prior to building, filling cavities or dips in the ground that may cause flooding issues, or preparing the ground for large paving projects, such as roadways, sidewalks or even airport runways so that the ground is level under the paving material. 

Smaller projects may include anything from preparing a backyard for a landscaping project, such as raised planting beds, upon which the final layer will be covered with a layer of more nutrient-rich soil to aid in proper growing, to levelling off land around pools and patios, building up the ground around foundations to prevent water drainage issues, or securing the ground around retaining walls.

We have a good deal of locally sourced unscreened sand in the yard at the moment. It is from dig outs around the Sunshine Coast, and is mostly quite clean. 

You can order our unscreened fill here, or call us on 5453 7100 to order. We have a great offer on this product right now. You can get a body load of this product delivered on the Sunshine Coast for $250. As always, some conditions apply.