The best filter sand, compared.
Top pick: STEEIRO 1,800 g pool filter balls Best value: Rakiuty 200 g pool filter balls – Lowest shelf price at which the title, a bullet and the dimensions line agree on 200 g, at about £3.99. Updated 16.10.2026.
Filter sand, as a UK pool shop uses the words, is dried silica sold as grade 16/30. You buy the kilograms printed on the filter, not a slogan that a small pack of fibre replaces a sack of sand. The millimetre band beside 16/30 is not the same on every page. Some say 0.4–0.8 mm and others 0.5–1.0 mm, so the bag and the manual decide. The amazon.co.uk listings kept for this page are not silica bags. Glass is a third media, and it is still a granular bed you backwash. If you came for a 16/30 bag, start with the [filter sand buying guide](/hub/pool-care/filter-sand/sub/filter-sand-buying-guide). A marketing line that says a small pack of fibre balls replaces 4 kg, 5 kg, 18 kg, 50 kg or 65 kg of sand is the seller’s sentence. Sand and glass stay in the tank and are backwashed.
Filter sand, as a UK pool shop uses the words, is dried silica sold as grade 16/30. You buy the kilograms printed on the filter, not a slogan that a small pack of fibre replaces a sack of sand.
22 products checked · 64 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 6
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What should decide the pack?
The STEEIRO FPA0929 is the largest pack here, at £13.99, and the title says 1,800 g of fibre balls replaces 65 kg of filter sand. The same bullet also calls the balls 4 lb and the sand equivalent 150 lb, while the dimensions line says 1.82 kg, so the pack-weight lines are close and the two sand lines are not one claim. The title says both blue and white. The star line is 5.0 from five ratings, but only one United Kingdom review is on the listing: a paddling-pool owner who washes them for reuse and says they save money. No diameter is printed. The listing asks about salt water and fish safety and does not answer, and a bullet says non-toxic without a test on the listing. A laundry bag is the stated way to machine-wash them. One written paddling-pool review does not turn the 65 kg line into an in-ground fill weight.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A paddling-pool owner who wants the biggest fibre-ball bag in this set and will wash it in a laundry bag.
Less suitable: An in-ground filter sized from a sand label, or a buyer who needs one colour and one sand-equivalent figure.
Specifications
Common questions
What colour does the STEEIRO title state?
The title says lightweight blue filter balls and also says white. The listing does not resolve that.
How much sand does the listing claim to replace?
The title says 65 kg. The same bullet also says 150 lb, and it describes the balls as both 1,800 g and 4 lb. The dimensions line says 1.82 kg.
Does the listing answer saltwater use?
It asks whether the balls can be used in saltwater pools and does not answer. It also asks the diameter and whether they are safe for fish, and it does not answer those either. A bullet says non-toxic.
The Windspeed listing sells polyester fibre balls at £11.99, and the title says 1,400 g, about 200 balls of about 4.8 cm, equal to 50 kg of sand. The dimensions line says 700 g, so the pack weight is printed twice, and the listing does not say which figure arrived. A bullet claims the balls catch dirt of 3–5 microns, which is a seller sentence, not a test recorded here. Three United Kingdom reviews sit under a 4.8 rating from 16: debris caught over three weeks, about ten minutes in a washing machine with no fabric conditioner, and a full bag in a Bestway 58599 kept through a summer with the reviewer’s chemical care. That wash review also says you need a second pack if the filter should not sit empty, and that the listing advises against backwash. The bullets themselves do not mention backwash. At £11.99 it costs a pound more than the Intex 29045, with weight lines that do not agree.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An owner of a small Bestway-style sand filter who will machine-wash the balls and can keep two packs.
Less suitable: Anyone who must know whether 700 g or 1,400 g will arrive, or who plans to backwash them like sand.
Specifications
Common questions
Which pack weight should you trust on the Windspeed listing?
The title and a bullet say 1,400 g. The dimensions line says 700 g. Both are printed. The listing does not say which one arrived.
What fineness does the listing claim?
A bullet claims the balls filter dirt of 3–5 microns. That is a listing claim, not a test recorded on the listing.
Do the reviews say to backwash them?
The bullets do not mention backwash. One UK review says not to use the backwash setting, and to wash the balls with no fabric conditioner. Another review used a full bag in a Bestway 58599.
The Bomxmon ZXGRTS894 is a fibre-ball pack at £9.99 whose title says 1.54 lb replaces 75 lb of filter sand. The dimensions line says 720 g, which is not the same figure, and neither the bullets nor the technical details give a diameter or a fibre name. Four United Kingdom reviews sit under a 4.8 rating from five: two short ones say they work in a pool filter, one describes a pool that had looked like a pond after a pump problem, and another uses them in a hot-tub skimmer and a pond filter. That pond review also says the balls feel softer than expected, almost like cotton wool, and that it is too early to judge the long-term difference. A review calls them machine washable, while the bullets only say washable and reusable. The printed item dimensions are 5 × 4 × 1.4 cm, a small box beside a 75 lb claim. Five ratings are a thin base next to the Intex line, and this pack is fibre rather than a silica sack.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An owner who wants a few written UK uses in a sand filter, a skimmer or a pond, and who will check the weight on arrival.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs a stated diameter, or anyone treating 75 lb of sand as a measured fill.
Specifications
Common questions
How much filter sand does Bomxmon claim to replace?
The title and the first bullet claim that 1.54 lb of balls replaces 75 lb of filter sand. The dimensions line says 720 g. Both figures are the listing’s, and they are not the same.
What is the diameter of each ball?
The listing asks that question and does not answer it. No diameter is printed in the bullets or the technical details.
Can they be used in a saltwater pool?
The listing asks and does not answer. One review uses them in a hot-tub skimmer and a pond filter. That is a review, not a saltwater specification.
The Intex 29045 is a 500 g bag of fibre balls at £10.99, and the bullets claim that bag replaces 18 kg of silica sand and also filter glass. Across 1,004 amazon.co.uk ratings it sits at 4.5 stars, with ten United Kingdom review bodies on the listing. Those comments include flow that kept a heater from cutting out, a 30 degree machine wash that left the balls white, and a vacuum-sealed pack that was simple to pour. One buyer says a single bag was more than enough, while another says a larger filter needs washing more often and a third should have ordered more. The material field says Glass while the title and the bullets say fibre balls, so this listing is not glass media. Item weight is 510 g against the 500 g in the title, and no Intex pump model is named on the listing. It is the top pick in this set because it is the only pack with a four-figure review sample, and it is still a fibre-ball pack rather than 16/30 sand.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An above-ground owner who wants the only fibre-ball pack here with a four-figure review count, and who will wash the balls.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs graded 16/30 silica, or a larger filter where one reviewer already found a single bag short.
Specifications
Common questions
Are the Intex 29045 balls made of glass?
The material field says Glass. The title, the item type and the bullets say fibre balls. The listing does not resolve that conflict.
How much silica sand does the listing claim they replace?
The bullets say a 500 g bag is equivalent to 18 kg of silica sand, and that the balls also replace filter glass. That is a listing claim. No pump model is named.
What do the UK reviews say about washing them?
One UK review says a 30 degree machine wash left them white. Another says they suit a smaller filter better than a larger one and need washing more often. Ten UK review bodies are on the listing.
The yunwailc YWJY1085 is a polyester fibre-ball pack at £8.99, and the title says 200 g replaces 5 kg of ordinary filter sand. The dimensions line says 190 g, and the model number YWJY1085 does not match the part number YWJJYQ87. Bullets name high-density polyester and a hand scrub or a machine wash, with no temperature and no cycle. The star line is 4.0 from one rating, and the listing has no review body, so there is no written pool use, wash or fault. The listing asks whether the balls suit every sand filter and does not answer, while also naming household fish tanks. At £8.99 it costs more than twice the £3.99 pack for a similar stated weight, and the extra kilogram in the slogan is still only the seller’s sentence.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants a polyester 200 g listing and will not treat reviews as evidence.
Less suitable: Anyone comparing on written UK experience, or a tank that needs a stated ball diameter.
Specifications
Common questions
How much sand does yunwailc claim to replace?
The title and a bullet say 200 g replaces 5 kg of ordinary filter sand. The dimensions line says the item weighs 190 g.
How does the listing say you clean them?
The bullets say a hand scrub or a machine wash. They do not name a temperature or a cycle.
Do they fit every sand filter?
The listing asks that question and does not answer it. No pump model is named. The part number and the model number do not match.
The Rakiuty GBH-89UGFF is a 200 g pack of fibre balls at £3.99, and the title, a bullet and the dimensions line all state that 200 g. A bullet claims those 200 g stand in for 4 kg of filter sand, which is the seller’s ratio. Two United Kingdom review bodies describe a vacuum-sealed pack poured into a sand-filter pump and washed in a mesh bag for reuse, and one of those reviewers also uses them in larger aquarium filters without shedding. The star line is 3.4 from three ratings, the weakest here, and the third review is not on the listing, so the reason for that average is unwritten. A bullet gives each ball as 20 ± 2 mm, while the dimensions line also prints 1 × 1 × 1 cm, which cannot describe a 200 g pack. One reviewer washes them after about a week. It is the best value in this set because the gram lines agree and the shelf price is the lowest, with a thin and mixed star line as the limit.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small sand-filter pump, when you want the cheapest pack whose gram lines agree and you will wash the balls yourself.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a large review sample, or a filter the 4 kg claim would not cover.
Specifications
Common questions
What size does Rakiuty state for each ball?
A bullet says 20 ± 2 mm. The dimensions line also says 1 × 1 × 1 cm, which is recorded as printed and is not reconciled with a 200 g pack.
How much filter sand does the listing claim to replace?
The title and a bullet say 200 g is equivalent to 4 kg of filter sand. That is the seller’s claim.
What material does the listing name?
A bullet names acrylic, polypropylene and polyester yarn. A review describes a machine wash in a mesh bag. The bullets do not give a wash cycle.
Six fibre-ball packs on amazon.co.uk were scored from the listing facts in this set on 15 October 2026. Stars, review volume, listing agreement, UK review use, and shelf price were set at 50, 20, 15, 10 and 5 points. Claimed kilograms of sand are seller sentences and score nothing. Deductions come off the total when the material field contradicts the title, the dimensions line is about half the title weight, a 200 g pack prints a 1 cm cube, the model and part numbers disagree, the title states two colours, or the sand-equivalent line states two incompatible figures. This is not a lab test, not a PWTAG approval, and not a judgement of 16/30 silica. This set contains no silica bag.
Stars
50%The amazon.co.uk rating times 10, so 4.5 becomes 45. The maximum is 50.
Review volume
20%1,000 or more ratings score 20. A count from 10 to 99 scores 8. Under 10 scores 2. The maximum is 20.
Listing agreement
15%Up to 15 points. Weight lines that agree score 8, lines that are close score 5, and a clash scores 0. A named fibre that the material field does not contradict scores 4. A stated ball size scores 3.
UK review use
10%Up to 10 points. Several pool-filter comments score 8. One or two short uses score 5. No review body scores 0. A written limit, such as a larger pool, a second pack, softness, or a weekly wash, subtracts 2. The subtotal cannot fall below 0.
Shelf price
5%Up to 5 points. Under £5 scores 5. From £5 to £10 scores 3. From £10 to £12 scores 2. Over £12 scores 1.
Start with the media family, then the grade on the manual, then the kilograms on the tank. A replacement ratio on a fibre-ball title is not a fill weight. The notes below follow that order for these six listings and for the 16/30 bag they are not.
What UK shops call filter sand is dried silica, usually grade 16/30 in a 25 kg bag. You buy the kilograms printed on the filter. A marketing line that says a small pack of fibre balls replaces 4 kg, 5 kg, 18 kg, 50 kg or 65 kg of sand is the seller’s sentence. The six amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison are all fibre balls, from about £3.99 to about £13.99. This set contained no silica bag. Sand and glass stay in the tank and are backwashed. Fibre balls are taken out and washed.
Every ASIN on this page is a fibre-ball pack. A title that mentions filter sand is describing a claimed equivalent, not the contents of the bag. If the manual says 16/30 silica, these listings are the wrong media.
A 25 kg bag is a purchase unit. PoolStore’s examples run from 50 kg to 425 kg. Filling above the mark, or stopping at one bag because it was the shop unit, is a different error from buying the wrong grade.
These six listings claim 4 kg, 5 kg, 75 lb, 18 kg, 50 kg, and both 65 kg and 150 lb. They do not share one ratio. A clear backwash sight glass on balls is not proof the bed is clean, because balls are washed out of the tank.
Decide the media family before the brand. Sand and glass stay in the tank and are backwashed. Fibre balls are lifted out and washed. UK shops specify 16/30 silica for an ordinary sand bed. Confirm the millimetres on the bag, because 0.4–0.8 mm and 0.5–1.0 mm both appear next to that grade. Holcim’s 8/16 at 1–2 mm is coarser and is not the fine bed. Bestway’s note is about 0.45–0.85 mm, with the sand between the marks. The fill is the figure on the tank, not the figure in a slogan.
Read the title weight and the dimensions line as two prints. Rakiuty is the pack where the title, a bullet and the dimensions line all say 200 g. Intex is close: 500 g in the title and 510 g as the item weight, with a material field that says Glass against a fibre-ball name. Windspeed prints 1,400 g and 700 g. Bomxmon prints 1.54 lb and 720 g. yunwailc prints 200 g and 190 g, and the model number does not match the part number.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want the only fibre-ball pack in this set with a four-figure review count, and you will wash the balls. The Intex 29045 is about £10.99, at 4.5 from 1,004 ratings, with ten United Kingdom review bodies. The material field says Glass while the name says fibre balls. One review says a larger filter needs washing more often.
You have a small sand-filter pump and you want the cheapest pack whose title, a bullet and the dimensions line all say 200 g. Rakiuty is about £3.99. The star line is 3.4 from three ratings, and the 4 kg sand line is a seller claim. The dimensions line also prints 1 × 1 × 1 cm.
You will machine-wash polyester balls and you can keep a second pack so the filter is not empty on wash day. Windspeed is about £11.99, at 4.8 from 16 ratings. One review filled a Bestway 58599 with the bag. The title says 1,400 g and the dimensions line says 700 g.
In this set of six amazon.co.uk listings, the top pick is the Intex 29045 fibre balls. It is 4.5 from 1,004 ratings at about £10.99, with ten United Kingdom review bodies, and it is still fibre balls rather than 16/30 sand. The material field says Glass while the name says fibre balls, and the 18 kg silica line is a listing claim. The best value is the Rakiuty 200 g pack at about £3.99, because the gram lines agree and the shelf price is the lowest. The star line there is 3.4 from three ratings. None of these six is a bag of filter sand.
Rakiuty 200 g pool filter balls
Lowest shelf price at which the title, a bullet and the dimensions line agree on 200 g, at about £3.99.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings used for this comparison, checked on 15 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores use the listings and the public UK sources named below. We did not run a lab test.
