M-Sand, or Manufactured Sand, is fine aggregate made by crushing hard granite stone into sand-sized particles. It was developed as a sustainable, consistent alternative to natural river sand, whose extraction is increasingly restricted in India for environmental reasons.
Compared with river sand, M-Sand has a more angular, uniform particle shape and can be produced to a controlled grading, which gives good, predictable concrete and mortar. It generally contains less silt and organic impurity than river sand, though it can need slightly more water or admixture for the same workability because of its angularity.
M-Sand is used in concrete, plastering and masonry. For estimating purposes its bulk density is similar to natural sand (around 1550 kg/m³), so the same volume-based quantity calculations apply. As with all sand, allow for bulking when it is damp — moist sand occupies more volume than dry sand, which can mislead a purely volumetric measurement on site.