How sand

affects mortar

For maximum consistency, strength, and workability,

buy clean and well-graded sand from a single source

By Carolyn Schierhorn In mortar, water and cementi- What is sand?

tious materials form a paste that ASTM C 144, Standard Speci-

T
ypically priced at around
$10 per ton, sand is the least
expensive material used in
masonry construction. Conse-
quently, contractors sometimes
overlook its importance, yawning
sand is sand is sand. But sand
actually deserves considerable at-
tention, for it affects the com-
pressive strength, bond strength,
workability, board life, drying
shrinkage, and appearance of
mortar.
Table 1. Recommended Sand Gradation
Sieve Size Natural Sand
No. 4 (4.75 mm)
No. 8 (2.36 mm)
No. 16 (1.18 mm)
No. 30 (600 m)
No. 50 (300 m)
No. 100 (150 m)
No. 200 (75 m)
Source: Ref. 2
fills the voids between sand par-
fication for Aggregate for Mason-
ticles, coating and lubricating the ry Mortar, allows either natural
particles to create a workable
sand or manufactured sand to be
mix. Sand characteristics affect used in masonry mortar (Ref. 2).
the flow and body mortar needs
Natural sand results from the
in its plastic state. As the paste deterioration of rock or stone
hardens, sand particles become
from weathering, erosion, or
cemented together and contribute chemical reactions with air and
to the structural properties of
water. Larger than clay or silt
hardened mortar. Sand reduces but smaller than pebbles, natu-
shrinkage that occurs in setting
ral sand is mined from pits and
and drying; thus it helps mini- riverbanks, or dredged from the
mize cracks (Ref. 1). b o t t o mo fr i v e r sa n dl a k e s .S e a s h o r e
sand should not be used in ma-
sonry mortar, unless washed
with fresh water to remove salts.
Manufactured sand is pro-
Percent passing
Manufactured Sand duced by crushing stone, gravel,
or blast-furnace slag. The result-
100 100 ing particles are sharper and
more angular than the round,
95 to 100 95 to 100 smooth particles of natural sand.
Manufactured sand is harsher
70 to 100 70 to 100 and more difficult to work with,
observes Albert Isberner, a
40 to 75 40 to 75
Portage, Wis.-based consulting
10 to 35 20 to 40
materials engineer. It doesnt
spread or tool as easily as natu-
2 to 15 10 to 25 ral sand. But manufactured sand
is used in areas where natural
0 to 10 sand isnt available and some-
times when special mortar is
specified.
Gradation requirements
Well-graded sand features a
well-distributed mix of particles
of varying sizes, which minimizes
voids (see illustration). Sand that
is too fine has more surface area
to coat. Coarser sand particles re-
sult in larger voids to fill. As a re-
sult, mortar made with sand that
is too fine or too coarse contains
m o r ew a t e rp e ru n i tv o l u m e ,w h i c h
decreases the mortars strength.
Excessively coarse or fine sand
also makes mortar less workable.
Sand mining and grading com-
panies wash the sand through a
succession of sieve pans to re-
move impurities and obtain par-
ticles in the desired range of
sizes. Table 1 shows the sieve-
analysis limits for mortar sand,
as recommended in ASTM C 144.
Althoughsands t h a tm e e tt h e s e
gradation limits are preferred,
ASTM C 144 allows the use of
other sands, as long as mortar
prepared with it satisfies the
property-specification require-
ments of ASTM C 270, Standard
Specification for Mortar for Unit
Masonry. Laboratory tests must
be conducted according to the
test methods outlined in ASTM
C 270. Masonry specialist John
Melander of the Portland Cement
Association (PCA) says that in
many regions, most sands do not
To minimize void content, the ideal sand contains a mixture of particle sizes.
Coarse sand
Adapted from an illustration in Ref. 1
meet ASTM C 144 gradation lim-
its and must be qualified under
this procedure.
Consequently, sand quality can
vary considerably and still meet
specifications. Contractors may
settle for what is available in an
area or pay transportation costs
to obtain better sand.
For example, most natural pit
sand mined in Michigan is excel-
lent, but southern Michigan has
coarser sand that still meets
ASTM C 144 requirements, says
Joe Schiffer, estimator for Schif-
fer Mason Contractors Inc., a
Holt, Mich.-based firm that works
throughout the state. A lot of
times, if were bidding a big job
down there, well consider truck-
ing sand from a different part of
the state.
Schiffer typically pays $12 a
yard (27 cubic feet) for sand. He
might pay an additional $5 a
yard for sand trucked from an-
other area.
Deleterious substances
Foreign substances in sand are
damaging to mortar and must
not be present in harmful quanti-
ties. Deleterious substances in-
clude clay; lightweight materials
such as coal and lignite; organic
impurities; and silt and powdered
clay. Table 2 describes the impact
Ideal sand
of these substances on mortar
performance and lists the appro-
priate ASTM test for measuring
each substance. ASTM C 144 lim-
its the friable particle (usually
clay) content of sand to a maxi-
mum of 1% and the lightweight
particles to a maximum of 0.5%.
Silt causes many problems in
masonry mortar. Silt weakens
mortar by preventing the cemen-
titious material from bonding to
the sand particles. It also causes
mortar to stick to the trowel, de-
creasing the masons productivi-
ty. And when mortar joints are
tooled, silt creates mud pits and
holes on the surface of the joints.
The mortar will have an unnatu-
ral brownish color (Ref. 3).
If you suspect silt in the sand,
you can perform a simple silta-
tion test to determine if the sand
should be used for masonry mor-
tar (Ref. 4):
1. Put 2 inches of sand in a
quart jar, add water until the jar
is 34 full, and shake the jar vigor
ously until the sand is thoroughly
washed.
2. Let the contents settle for
about 12 hours; the silt will be
deposited in a layer above the
sand.
3. Measure the silt; if it is
more than 18-inch thick, the sand
is not clean enough for mortar.
Fine sand
Mortar appearance
Sand also affects mortar color.
To avoid color variation in mortar
joints, buy all the sand for a job
from the same supplier, urges
Brian Viehmann, plant manager
of All Purpose Sand Co. in
Bridgeton, Mo. In the St. Louis
area, most of the sand is dredged
from the bottom of the Mississip-
pi and Missouri rivers by sand-
processing firms such as All Pur-
pose. But sand also is mined on
the banks of the Meramec River
and in pits.
Sand from the Missouri and
Mississippi rivers has some
dark-colored particles, making it
less desirable for the lighter
shades of mortar, particularly
white mortar, Viehmann ob-
serves. Sand from the Meramec,
a smaller river, has a reddish tint
to it. For white mortar, archi-
tects generally specify silica sand,
which is more expensive than
normal masons sand.
Sands impact on mortar color
is especially important in restora-
tion work on historic masonry. In
a single sample of the original
mortar, sand colors may range
from white to gray to yellow. In
order to match the range of col-
ors, you may need to combine
sand f r o ms e v e r a l s o u r c e s( R e f .5 ) .
Table 2. Deleterious Substances
Material
Clay
Lightweight
materials (coal,
lignite, and
others)
Organic impurities
cause deterioration and discoloration
Silt and powdered
clay
Source: Ref. 1
Sand-processing companies wash sand
through a succession of sieves to ob-
tain different grades of sand.
Measuring sand
Since sand in masonry mortar
generally is proportioned by vol-
ume, its important to realize
that the surface moisture of sand
particles affects their proportion-
al relationship to other mortar
ingredients. That is, the amount
of sand can vary due to moisture
bulking. Thus, sand that is too
wet or too dry may diminish the
mortars quality.
Effect on Mortar ASTM Test
Affects workability, air content, C 142
absorption, shrinkage, durability,
strength, and may cause popouts
Same as above C 123
Affects air content, setting C 40
and hardening, strength, may
Affects workability, air content, C 117
absorption, shrinkage, durability,
and strength
A cubic foot of damp, loose
sandwith a surface-moisture
content of roughly 5%weighs
about 80 pounds. In contrast, a
cubic foot of dry sand weighs
about 100 pounds. According to
the PCA, ASTM C 270 specifica-
tions for mortar are based on the
assumption that sand is damp
and loose, with a surface mois-
ture of about 5%.
Make sure that sand is main-
tained in a damp loose condition.
Cover the sandpile to reduce
evaporation and provide protec-
tion from rain or snow (Ref. 1).
Also consider placing loose
sand on tarps instead of directly
on the ground. This keeps stones
from being picked up with the
sand and makes cleanup easier
(Ref. 3).
Measuring sand by the shovel
can result in inconsistent propor-
tioning of the sand in mortar. For
more accurate measurement, you
can use a cubic-foot measuring
box. The box can be attached by
hinge to a mortar mixer to in-
crease productivity. Alternatively,
use calibrated 5-gallon buckets to
measure the sand (Ref. 6).
Though sand is cheap, it is very
important. Its gradation, purity,
appearance, and moisture con-
tent have tremendous impact on
the properties of mortar.

Anyone with an interest in
sandwhether scientific, practi-
cal, recreational, or histori-
calmay join the International
Sand Collectors Society, wel-
comes its founder, William
Diefenbach, who refers to him-
self as the Grand Dune.
We have a very wide variety of
people as members, he notes.
References
1. Mortar Sand, Trowel Tips, 1992, Port-
land Cement Association, 5420 Old Or-
chard Rd., Skokie, IL 60077.
2. ASTM C 144-91, Standard Specification
for Aggregate for Masonry Mortar, ASTM,
1916 Race St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.
3. R.T. Kreh Sr., Masonry Skills, 1982, Del-
mar Publishers Inc., 2 Computer Dr.-West,
Box 15-015, Albany, NY 12212.
4. Ken Nolan, Masonry and Concrete Con-
struction, 1982, Craftsman Book Co., 6058
Del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92008.
5. Mark London, Masonry: How to Care for
Old and Historic Brick and Stone, 1988,
The Preservation Press, National Trust for
Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts
Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
6. W. C. Panarese, S.H. Kosmatka, and F.A.
Randall Jr., Concrete Masonry Handbook,
1991, Portland Cement Association.

Sand enthusiasts unite

We have oceanographers, people

who examine sand under a mi-
croscope, suppliers of construc-
tion and golf course sand, mining
specialists, people who visit
ocean beaches, grade school
teachers, and even a few artists
who use sand in their work.
Founded in 1960, the Old
Greenwich, Conn.-based organi-
zation has members in Australia,
Canada, South Africa, Denmark,
England, Finland, Germany, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, Is-
rael, and Hong Kong, as well as
the United States.
Members actively exchange
sand samples. In a recent issue
of the organizations newsletter,
The Sandpaper, one member is
mentioned as having over 4,500
samples of different types of
sand, including European sands
hed like to swap.
Although most of the samples
collected would not be appropri-
ate for masonry mortar, contrac-
tors who specialize in historic
preservation might find the Sand
Collectors Society to be a good
source of information on where
to find unusual sands.
D u e sa r e$ 5 a year. F o rm o r ei n-
formation,contact: William

PUBLICATION #M940524
Copyright 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved