Most sandbag guides assume two people: one holds the bag open and one shovels. When the water is coming up and you are the only one home, that doesn’t work. Here’s how to fill sandbags by yourself, plus how full to fill them, how to lay them and how many you need, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sandbagging guides.
What you need
- Empty sandbags. The standard size is a 14 x 26 in. woven bag, the kind most hardware stores sell.
- Sand. Many cities and counties set out free sand and bags before a storm, so check with yours first.
- A shovel and work gloves.
- Something to hold the bag open: a sandbag filling stand or a second person.
How to fill sandbags by yourself
- Set the stand on firm, level ground next to the sand pile and close to where the bags will go. A full bag is heavy, so the less you carry it, the better.
- Drop an empty bag into the stand and fold the top of the bag over the frame.
- Shovel sand in, both hands on the shovel, until the bag is half to two-thirds full.
- Lift the bag out, tie it near the top or fold the top under, and set it in place. Lift with your legs, not your back.
- Drop in the next bag and repeat.
How full to fill a sandbag
Fill each bag about half to two-thirds full. That’s roughly 35 to 40 pounds of sand. Bags filled this way flatten out when you lay them down and press against each other. Overfilled bags stay round and leave gaps that water can seep through. If you tie your bags you can fill them a little more, but leave enough neck to tie.
How to lay sandbags
- Clear sticks, rocks and trash from the spot first, and fill any low spots before you run the full length.
- Lay each bag lengthwise, along the direction the water flows, with the tied or open end folded under.
- Stagger the joints like bricks so no seam lines up with the one below it, and press each bag down to flatten it.
- Three bags high is about one foot. For anything taller than one row, build a pyramid: the Corps of Engineers rule is a base three times as wide as the wall is tall.
How many sandbags you need
Bags needed for every 100 feet of wall, from the Corps of Engineers:
| Wall height | Bags per 100 feet |
|---|---|
| 1 foot, single row | 300 |
| 1 foot, pyramid | 600 |
| 2 feet, pyramid | 2,100 |
| 3 feet, pyramid | 4,500 |
For sand, one cubic yard fills about 75 bags at 40 pounds each.
Filling them alone
The TUFTLER sandbag filling stand is a folding steel frame that holds a standard 14 x 26 in. bag open at shovel height. One person fills bags standing up, both hands on the shovel, and it folds flat for the garage between storms.
Filling bags for a crew, a city or a county? See bulk orders.
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sandbagging Techniques; NDSU Extension, Sandbagging for Flood Protection.