Pool filter sand calculator: how much sand does my pool filter need?
300 lb of sand
6 bags of 50 lb · Hayward S244T and Pentair SD 70 · No. 20 silica, 0.45 to 0.55 mm · for a 24 in sand filter tank
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300 lb of sand
6 bags of 50 lb · Hayward S244T and Pentair SD 70 · No. 20 silica, 0.45 to 0.55 mm
Source: Hayward ProSeries High-Rate Sand Filters owner's manual IS210TS RevA, Specifications: sand capacity by model; Pentair Sand Dollar brochure P1-041, read October 31, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
A 24 inch pool sand filter takes 300 lb of No. 20 silica sand, 6 bags of 50 lb: the figure in Hayward's manual for the S244T and in Pentair's brochure for the Sand Dollar SD 70.
A worked example
A Pentair Sand Dollar tank measured at 19 1/2 in across needs 150 lb of sand, 3 bags of 50 lb. 19 1/2 in is the Sand Dollar SD 40 in Pentair's brochure, listed at 150 lb of No. 20 silica sand. No Hayward ProSeries tank is that size: the nearest are the 18 in S180T, also 150 lb, and the 21 in S210T at 200 lb.
How much sand for a Hayward pool filter?
By Hayward's ProSeries manual: S144T 50 lb, S166T 100, S180T 150, S210T 200, S220T 250, S244T 300, S270T 350, S310T2 500 and S360T2 700 lb of No. 20 silica sand. A T2 takes the same as its T, and the sand stays at least 10 in below the top of the tank.
How much sand for a 24 inch pool filter?
300 lb, six 50 lb bags. Hayward's 24 in S244T and Pentair's 24 in Sand Dollar SD 70 both list 300 lb of No. 20 silica sand. A 22 or 22 1/2 in tank takes 250 lb, and a 26 or 27 in tank 350 lb.
What size sand goes in a pool filter?
No. 20 silica sand, grains of 0.45 to 0.55 mm (.018 to .022 in). Hayward's manual calls it No. 20 silica pool sand, and Pentair also asks for a uniformity coefficient of 1.75 or less.
What else it is called
Also searched as how much sand for a pool filter, how much sand for a Hayward pool filter or a pool sand filter size calculator. The T2 versions of the Hayward filters take the same weight of sand as the T in the same table, and the pounds here are the manual's, not a store listing's.
Sand by filter model
| Filter model | Tank diameter | Sand | Bags of 50 lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward S144T | 14 in | 50 lb | 1 |
| Hayward S166T | 16 in | 100 lb | 2 |
| Pentair SD 35 | 16.5 in | 100 lb | 2 |
| Hayward S180T | 18 in | 150 lb | 3 |
| Pentair SD 40 | 19.5 in | 150 lb | 3 |
| Hayward S210T or T2 | 21 in | 200 lb | 4 |
| Hayward S220T or T2 | 22 in | 250 lb | 5 |
| Pentair SD 60 | 22.5 in | 250 lb | 5 |
| Hayward S244T or T2 | 24 in | 300 lb | 6 |
| Pentair SD 70 | 24 in | 300 lb | 6 |
| Pentair SD 80 | 26 in | 350 lb | 7 |
| Hayward S270T or T2 | 27 in | 350 lb | 7 |
| Hayward S310T2 | 31 in | 500 lb | 10 |
| Hayward S360T2 | 36 in | 700 lb | 14 |
No. 20 silica pool filter sand, 0.45 to 0.55 mm. Hayward ProSeries owner's manual IS210TS RevA (the diameter is the number in the model code, matched by the lateral assembly sizes in the same manual) and Pentair Sand Dollar brochure P1-041 (diameter as printed). Hayward keeps the sand at least 10 in below the top of the tank.
Where the numbers come from
- Hayward: ProSeries High-Rate Sand Filters owner's manual, document IS210TS RevA, Specifications table. Filter sand by model: S144T 50 lb, S166T 100, S180T 150, S210T and S210T2 200, S220T and S220T2 250, S244T and S244T2 300, S270T and S270T2 350, S310T2 500 and S360T2 700 lb, 0.45 to 0.55 mm, “also known as No. 20 Silica Pool”. The tank diameter is the number in the model code, which the 16, 18, 21, 22, 24, 27, 31 and 36 in lateral assemblies in the same manual's parts list match. The sand level stays at least 10 in from the top. Read October 31, 2026, and checked again November 1, 2026. Hayward ProSeries manual (PDF)
- Pentair: Sand Dollar top mount filter brochure P1-041: SD 35, 16.50 in, 100 lb; SD 40, 19.50 in, 150 lb; SD 60, 22.50 in, 250 lb; SD 70, 24.00 in, 300 lb; SD 80, 26.00 in, 350 lb; “Use standard #20 silica sand”. Read October 31, 2026. Pentair Sand Dollar brochure (PDF)
- Grade: Pentair's sand filter installation and user's guide, P/N 152006: No. 20 standard silica sand, uniformity coefficient 1.75 or less, .018 to .022 in (.45 to .55 mm), in the amount on the filter's name plate. Read October 31, 2026. Pentair sand filter guide (PDF)
- Bags are the pounds divided by the weight printed on your bag, rounded up. Between two listed tank sizes the page gives both figures and does not interpolate.
Only Hayward ProSeries and Pentair Sand Dollar tanks are listed, the two manuals read for this page. Intex, Bestway and other brands are not in them, and glass or zeolite media are not silica sand, so their pounds are not these.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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