Silica sand used for water filtration has a sub-round to round shape, making it the perfect filtration media to capture solids suspended in water. Due to the high silica content in the sand, it is also very durable and hard-wearing. That allows it to be precisely graded for efficient filtering. The mesh sizes that are most commonly used for water filtration applications include 8×16, 12×20, and 16×30.

The sand filtration process in water treatment applications is straightforward. The sand is typically laid on top of a supporting layer of gravel. As the water enters the filtration, it passes through the silica sand, removing solids and other debris from the water.