Why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Import Sand Despite Their Deserts

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are investing billions in dramatic mega-projects: futuristic cities, man-made islands and record-breaking skyscrapers. The irony is hard to miss. These nations, surrounded by seemingly endless desert, bring in millions of tonnes of sand from abroad every year. The explanation lies in a crucial detail: the shape of every individual grain.

Why desert sand is almost unusable for concrete

From a distance, all sand appears much the same. On construction sites, however, the difference is decisive: desert sand is poorly suited to making concrete or glass. Its origins are the reason.

Powerful winds grind dune particles down over thousands of years. This leaves the grains exceptionally round, smooth and fine. Seen under a microscope, a grain of desert sand resembles a tiny polished ball rather than a sharp-edged fragment.

Desert sand is too round, too smooth and too fine – it does not “bite” into the cement and weakens concrete.

Yet the construction sector requires the opposite:

• angular, rough particles
• a mix of grain sizes
• as few impurities as possible

Only then can the sand interlock with cement and aggregates to create a durable structure. Smooth, rounded grains are more likely to slide over one another. That can result in cracks, instability and a shorter lifespan for buildings.

The situation is similar for glass and highly pure silicon dioxide production, where chemical composition is paramount. Desert sand often contains excessive impurities, including clay, salts and organic residues. As a result, it is rarely suitable for high-purity glass or industrial quartz.

Imports worth millions: sand shipped by freighter to the desert

The outcome is remarkable: Gulf states have sand delivered from rivers, coastal areas and quarries in other countries. The United Arab Emirates in particular is regarded as a major buyer.

An analysis of customs data shows that more than six million tonnes of sand entered the Emirates in 2023. The goods were worth just over US$40.6 million. Adding to the irony, a substantial share came from Saudi Arabia, its neighbour with vast desert areas of its own.

United Arab Emirates (2023)	Countries of origin	Value (US$ million)
Sand imports	–	40.6
–	Saudi Arabia	34.5
–	Egypt	1.39
–	Belgium	0.98
Estimated consumption	–	> 6 million tonnes

Some prestige developments require tens of thousands of tonnes to be brought in from distant countries. Around 45,700 tonnes of sand from Australia alone were used in concrete mixes for Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Man-made islands such as the Palm Islands and “The World” consumed hundreds of thousands of tonnes in total.

Sand as a scarce global resource

Grain shape is not the only reason sand is imported. The world is experiencing something of a sand rush. According to the United Nations, humanity uses around 50 billion tonnes of sand annually – more than any resource other than water.

Sand is primarily used for:

• concrete, mortar and asphalt in construction
• glass for windows, façades and screens
• industrial purposes, such as foundry sand
• land reclamation and man-made islands

Demand continues to rise as urbanisation advances. Coastal cities, expanding suburbs, new roads and ports all depend on sand. This increases pressure on rivers, beaches and dredged lakes. Criminal networks are already involved in some places: so-called sand mafias extract it illegally, including in India and Morocco.

Sand has become an underestimated resource of conflict – inconspicuous, yet contested around the world.

Why Gulf states protect their own coastal sand

In theory, the Emirates could make greater use of its own coastal sand. However, that carries risks. Excessive dredging of beaches and shallow-water areas speeds up coastal erosion. Beaches disappear, reefs die and fish stocks collapse.

Tourism and coastal protection would both be severely affected. The Emirates therefore increasingly rely on imports from countries such as Oman and from more distant suppliers. While costly, this approach protects domestic beaches and coastal ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its appetite for building materials

Saudi Arabia is pursuing particularly ambitious schemes through its “Vision 2030”. The planned mega-city of Neom, including the linear city of “The Line”, epitomises this strategy. Such large-scale developments consume enormous quantities of concrete, glass and specialist construction materials – and therefore sand.

At the same time, the kingdom is seeking to project a more modern and “green” image. Authorities and companies are consequently testing alternatives, including:

• recycled building materials from demolished structures
• manufactured sand made from crushed rock
• more efficient concrete formulations containing less sand

Despite these measures, demand remains immense. As long as new skyscrapers, motorways and high-tech cities are being planned and constructed, the flow of sand into the region will continue.

The silicon dioxide cost trap: premium sand for high-tech and glass

Construction is not the only factor increasing imports. High-purity quartz sand is needed for glass manufacturing, solar panels and specialised industrial processes. According to analyses, the Emirates spend around US$87 million each year on high-quality silicon dioxide products.

This specialist sand generally comes from selected deposits with particularly high quartz content. It undergoes extensive washing, screening and processing. Impurities such as iron or clay must be almost entirely absent, otherwise the quality of the glass or technical products suffers.

For high-tech applications, just “any sand” is no longer sufficient – what is required is “premium quartz” of laboratory quality.

What this sand boom means for other countries

Strong demand from Gulf states intensifies an already strained market. Exporting nations do earn money from shipments, but they also face environmental consequences. Dredging in rivers alters currents, increases flood risks and destroys habitats.

Some countries have introduced sand export bans or restrictions to safeguard their coasts and rivers. This further limits supply and pushes prices upwards. Wealthy nations such as the Emirates and Saudi Arabia can still afford imports, while poorer states find it harder to secure sufficient construction materials.

How alternatives could reduce the pressure

Engineers and researchers are developing ways to curb the demand for sand. These include:

• concrete containing a larger proportion of recycled aggregates
• manufactured sand from crushed rock, precisely graded by particle size
• 3D printing in construction, which saves material
• timber and hybrid structures instead of buildings made entirely from concrete

Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are keen to present themselves as testing grounds for new building materials and construction methods. Where entire cities are designed on drawing boards, new materials can be trialled at scale comparatively quickly, from recycled concrete to specialist desert construction materials.

A common misconception: sand is not all the same

In everyday life, sand seems unremarkable. For industry, though, there are clear categories. Broadly speaking, three types can be distinguished:

• Desert sand: very fine, rounded and shaped by wind – unsuitable for concrete and usually too impure for glass.
• River and dredged-lake sand: more angular, with mixed grain sizes – ideal construction sand.
• Specialist quartz sand grades: very high silicon dioxide content and extensively processed – the basis for glass, silicon and high-tech applications.

Anyone wondering why a country in the middle of a sea of sand imports sand is overlooking this decisive distinction. For a stable bridge or an 800-metre tower, what matters is not how much sand lies nearby, but how each grain performs under load.

This explains why Saudi and Emirati construction sites may be surrounded by dunes while still unloading ships carrying river sand and quartz sand from around the world. Quantity is not the deciding factor; shape, purity and composition are – and these details count against desert sand.