Dirt vs. Sand

Main Difference

The main difference between Dirt and Sand is that the Dirt is a unclean matter and granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles, sand particles range in diameter from 0.063 to 2 mm (per ISO 14688).

• Dirt

  Dirt is unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person’s clothes, skin or possessions when they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include:

  dust — a general powder of organic or mineral matter

  filth — foul matter such as excrement

  grime — a black, ingrained dust such as soot

  soil — the mix of clay, sand, and humus which lies on top of bedrock

• Sand

  Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. It is defined by size, being finer than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of soil or soil type; i.e., a soil containing more than 85 percent sand-sized particles by mass.

  The composition of sand varies, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO2), usually in the form of quartz. The second most common type of sand is calcium carbonate, for example, aragonite, which has mostly been created, over the past half billion years, by various forms of life, like coral and shellfish. For example, it is the primary form of sand apparent in areas where reefs have dominated the ecosystem for millions of years like the Caribbean.

  Sand is a non-renewable resource over human timescales, and sand suitable for making concrete is in high demand.