Anyone who has ordered sand in Pune or Nashik has heard the question: 1 brass in kg is how much? The honest answer is “it depends on what is in the truck”. A brass is a fixed volume, 100 cubic feet, so its weight changes with the material, its moisture and how loosely it is heaped. This cheat sheet puts every common conversion in one place, the way experienced site supervisors keep it in their notebooks.
First, what a brass is and isn't
A brass is a volume: a heap 10 ft long, 10 ft wide and 1 ft high, which makes 100 cubic feet (CFT) or 2.832 cubic metres. It is not a weight and not an area, even though people often say “one brass covers 100 sq ft”. That is true only for a layer exactly one foot deep.
The unit is everyday language in Maharashtra and is heard in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and north Karnataka. In much of north India the same material is sold by the tonne or by the tractor trolley, which is where most confusion starts.
Why does the supplier quote per brass but the weighbridge slip shows tonnes?
Because the quarry or sand depot weighs the truck, while the local trade still prices by volume. Converting between the two needs a bulk density, which is exactly what the tables below give.
1 brass in kg for each material
Weight = volume × bulk density. With 1 brass = 2.832 m³, the figures below use the loose bulk densities that apply to material dumped from a truck. Compacted or very wet material weighs more.
| Material | Loose bulk density | 1 brass in kg | In tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry sand | 1,450 kg/m³ | ≈ 4,106 kg | ≈ 4.1 t |
| River sand (damp) | 1,600 kg/m³ | ≈ 4,531 kg | ≈ 4.5 t |
| M-sand (manufactured sand) | 1,750 kg/m³ | ≈ 4,956 kg | ≈ 5.0 t |
| 20 mm gitti (aggregate) | 1,550 kg/m³ | ≈ 4,390 kg | ≈ 4.4 t |
| Murum / excavated earth | 1,800 kg/m³ | ≈ 5,098 kg | ≈ 5.1 t |
So when a contractor says “a brass of sand is about four and a half tonnes”, that is right for ordinary damp river sand, and a reasonable starting point for estimates.
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1 brass in sq ft at different depths
Area depends on how thick the layer is. Divide 100 by the depth in feet:
| Layer depth | Depth in feet | Area covered by 1 brass |
|---|---|---|
| 12 inches | 1.0 ft | 100 sq ft |
| 9 inches | 0.75 ft | ≈ 133 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 0.5 ft | 200 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 0.333 ft | 300 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 0.25 ft | 400 sq ft |
A plot owner levelling a 1,200 sq ft yard with 6 inches of murum therefore needs 1,200 × 0.5 ÷ 100 = 6 brass, plus about 10–15% because murum settles when rolled and watered.
1 brass in CFT and the reverse conversions
1 brass = 100 CFT = 2.832 m³
CFT → brass = CFT ÷ 100
m³ → brass = m³ ÷ 2.832
tonnes → brass = tonnes ÷ (2.832 × density in t/m³)
(river sand: tonnes ÷ 4.53)Example: a weighbridge slip shows 18 tonnes of river sand. 18 ÷ 4.53 ≈ 3.97 brass, so a bill for 4 brass is fair, while a bill for 5 brass is not.
Checking a delivery in five minutes
- Ask the driver to level the load before tipping. A heaped top looks fuller than it is.
- Measure the inside of the body in feet: length, width and the height of the levelled load.
- Multiply and divide by 100. 14 ft × 7 ft × 2.5 ft = 245 CFT = 2.45 brass.
- Compare with the bill and the transit pass. Legal sand and murum movement comes with a royalty or transit document that states the quantity.
- Note the moisture. Wet sand bulks up by 20–30%, so a brass of soaked sand holds less actual sand than a brass of dry sand.
Is a tractor trolley one brass?
Not necessarily. Trolley bodies vary a lot between villages and fabricators. Measure it the same way: inside length × width × load height in feet, divided by 100. Many small trolleys carry well under one brass.
Mistakes that cost buyers money
- Mixing inches and feet. A 9-inch depth entered as 9 instead of 0.75 makes the answer twelve times too big.
- Comparing a per-brass rate with a per-tonne rate. For river sand, price per tonne ≈ price per brass ÷ 4.5. Without converting, the cheaper quote can look dearer.
- Forgetting settlement. Filling material shrinks after compaction. Order 10–15% extra for plinth and road fills.
- Trusting a heap on the ground. Once dumped, sand spreads and is almost impossible to measure fairly.
Agree the unit (brass, tonne or CFT) in writing or on WhatsApp before the truck leaves the depot. Most delivery disputes start with two people meaning different units.
When to use a calculator instead
For a single conversion, the tables above are enough. For several materials at once, odd depths, or turning a brick count into brass of brickwork, the free brass calculator does the arithmetic instantly and shows each step, which is useful when a client or engineer asks how the number was reached.
Frequently asked questions
How many kg is 1 brass of sand?
About 4,530 kg (4.5 tonnes) for damp river sand. Dry sand is closer to 4,100 kg and M-sand closer to 5,000 kg.
How many CFT are in 1 brass?
Exactly 100 CFT, which is 2.832 cubic metres.
How many sq ft does 1 brass cover?
100 sq ft at 1 ft depth, 200 sq ft at 6 inches and 300 sq ft at 4 inches. Divide 100 by the depth in feet.
How do I convert tonnes to brass?
Divide the tonnes by 2.832 × bulk density in t/m³. For river sand that means dividing by about 4.53.
Is 1 brass the same weight for gitti and sand?
No. 1 brass of 20 mm gitti is about 4.4 tonnes, river sand about 4.5 tonnes and murum about 5.1 tonnes, because their densities differ.
Keep reading
- Brass Calculator: the free tool this guide explains.
- All construction calculators
Sources: 1 ft³ = 0.0283168 m³ (exact SI conversion); loose bulk densities commonly used in Indian quantity surveying.