Sand is usually created when water and/or wind break off small pieces of pre-existing rock. If the particle is “newly” broken off, it tends to have an angular look, but if the particle has traveled by water or wind for a long time it becomes rounded.

Ooids are small rounded sediment particles that form from the concentric precipitation of calcium carbonate around a nucleus. The nucleus can be a sand grain, a shell fragment, a piece of coral or other material. Ooids are usually sand size (0.1 to 2.0 millimeters in diameter).

Most of the time, beaches exposed to high-energy waves have larger sediments than those that are exposed to lower-energy waves. A greater proportion of finer, smaller sand grains may be pushed higher up the beach by waves or by wind, whereas larger, coarser grains are deposited closer to the water.

Beach sand has been broken down predominantly by the action of water whereas desert sand has been broken down by wind. In each case the main contributing factor to the composition of the sand is the source rock which is being broken down.

However, desert sand has little use; the grains are too smooth and fine to bind together, so it is not suitable for the making of for instance concrete. This sand is not used in construction, as its grains are too smooth and fine to bind together for building materials.

M–Sand is the only alternative to river sand. Higher concrete strength compared to river sand used for concreting. Though M Sand uses natural coarse aggregates to form, it causes less damage to the environment as compared to river sand. Better quality control since manufactured in a controlled environment.

You need sand with a very high silica or quartz content, so some desert sand could very well be used to make glass. But you also need to add other ingredients such as borax, washing soda, or a few other things to help it melt.

Sea sand does not have high compressive strength, high tensile strength, so it cannot be used in construction activities. Sea sand contains salts which deteriorates the plastered surface and the slab surface and in the long run cause seepage in the building.

River sand is usually a whitish grey colour and it has rounded particles. The sand is very useful for construction purposes such as plastering. This sand is actually finer than river sand, even though it’s not really suitable for construction purposes since it fails to give the durability for building or for roads.

Let’s look at a few types of sand used in construction!

1. Concrete sand. Concrete Sand is one of the types of sands in India that is made from crushed concrete.
2. Pit sand. Pit sand is a types of sand used in construction that is best used for constructing buildings due to its superior binding property.

When moist and compacted, sand holds together relatively well. Because it doesn’t retain water well, sandy soil can support a home, however, the particles can wash away over time, leaving gaps beneath the foundation. This strength and durability make them good for supporting foundations, as long as the rock is level.

DISADVANTAGES OF M-SAND

• Crushed sand can be of coarser and angular texture. This can lead to more water and cement requirement to achieve the expected workability.
• Manufactured sand can contain larger amounts of micro fine particles than natural sand, This can affect the strength and workability of the concrete.

Basically river sand are used for any plastering work. Generally, in any plastering work plasterers are used natural sand, crushed stone sand or crushed gravel sand.

So, a good plaster sand should be sharp, with a diversity of particle sizes, and clean. The specification for Sand for Plaster shall conform to IS 1542: 1992, which is given below as: Quality of Sand: The sand shall consist of natural sand, crushed stone sand or crushed gravel sand or a combination of any of these.

MANUFACTURED Plaster sand are specifically manufactured to match fine aggregate quality for plaster requirements and are manufactured for plastering applications. Manufactured sand is very good for concrete, brick masonry and a big “no-no” form my end for plastering.

Builder’s Sand, also known as Plasterer’s, Mason, or Bricklayer’s Sand is a finer grade sand with smaller particles. It’s often mixed with water and cement to make mortar for laying bricks/blocks.

Plastering Sand, Grade Standard: IS 1542

The plastering sand, having a considerably low content of clay, is used for landscape and gardening purposes as under pavers and bedding sand for improves drainage.

to those given in IS : 6508-1972* and IS : 4305-1967t shall apply. 2.1 Mortar – Mortar is a homogeneous mixture, produced by intimately mixing cementitious materials, water and inert materials, such as sand, to the required consistency for use in building together with masonry units.

Sand feels gritty when rubbed between the fingers. Silt, by comparison, feels like flour. ISO 14688 grades sands as fine, medium, and coarse with ranges 0.063 mm to 0.2 mm to 0.63 mm to 2.0 mm.

Fineness modulus of sand (fine aggregate) is an index number which represents the mean size of the particles in sand. It is calculated by performing sieve analysis with standard sieves. The cumulative percentage retained on each sieve is added and subtracted by 100 gives the value of fineness modulus.