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Sand is frequently used in construction to give materials like concrete, mortar, asphalt, and cement strength, mass, and stability. Sand can be used with lime or cement to make a superior mortar that can be used to plaster walls and to unite bricks or stones. Concrete is made using cement, coarse aggregates, and sand. Sand is additionally combined with lime or cement by construction workers to create screed for flooring.

Sand is in extremely high demand as a result of growing urbanisation and extensive development. Sand scarcity, however, is a problem that many nations face, including India. M-sand, or manufactured sand, has arisen as a sustainable alternative to natural sand because it is no longer sufficient to meet the enormous demand and the environmental effect generated by sand extraction from natural sources. Natural sand is found in riverbeds and coastal locations.

M-sand is a type of synthetic sand that is created by crushing huge, hard stones, primarily boulders or granite, into tiny particles that are subsequently cleaned and finely graded for use as building materials. It is frequently used in construction as a river sand alternative, mostly in the creation of concrete and mortar mixes.

To create manufactured sand, hard stones of various sizes are fed into jaw and cone crushers for size reduction. These crushed stones are then further crushed in a vertical shaft impact (VSI) crusher to achieve sand-like particle sizes. The VSI crusher creates well-shaped, cubical, and angular fine aggregate particles by attrition and a special design. The fine aggregate particles' surface roughness can be somewhat reduced through the attrition process.

After the VSI step, the sand must go through additional screening stages for correct grading, ensuring a better distribution of particle sizes, and a process of meticulous washing to remove dust and flaky particles. The washing plant additionally maintains a wet or partially wet state for the created sand. This contributes to better workability and workability retention by lowering the rate at which manufactured sand absorbs water during the production of concrete.

By replacing the cost of river sand, M-sand improves business economies. It also produces concrete of higher quality when compared to that made with river sand or crushed stone dust, lowers the cost of producing concrete by about 20%, and saves money on water and admixtures. Using washed masonry sand (fine sand) improves the quality of the plastering and prevents cracks. Additionally, M-sand has much better gradation, which results in a substantially lower consumption of cement and water. The strength and durability of the cast are improved with M-sand.