Sand or salt against ice – what works best?
By Service Plus Stockholm AB5 min read
Short answer
Should you use sand or salt against ice, and what works best in Stockholm's winter climate?
Stone chippings of 2–5 mm are the best choice for most paths, steps and driveways in Stockholm, because they give grip at any temperature and do not damage stone, concrete or plants. Road salt melts ice effectively down to about minus seven degrees and loses its effect below about minus ten, but it damages young concrete, natural stone, metal and flower beds. Grit before the cold arrives when the forecast shows freezing rain, which is when most falls happen, and sweep up the chippings in March–April.
How does salt work against ice?
Road salt, that is sodium chloride, lowers the freezing point of water so the ice melts and new ice does not form. It works well at temperatures around zero and down to about minus seven degrees, but the effect drops off quickly below that and is in practice gone at minus ten and colder. In Stockholm this means salt works for much of December and March but often becomes useless during the cold spells in January and February.
Salt also needs moisture and foot traffic to work. On a quiet path where nobody walks, the salt grains sit on top of the ice without doing anything. Once the ice has melted, the brine runs off, and if it then gets colder the water freezes again, often into a smoother and more slippery surface than before the salting.
What does salt damage?
Salt is cheap and easy to spread, but it has several drawbacks that make it unsuitable for many surfaces around homes.
- Young concrete, less than a year old, suffers frost damage and the surface comes off in flakes.
- Natural stone such as limestone and slate weathers, and the joints between paving slabs are washed out.
- Metal in railings, door frames, cars and bicycles rusts faster.
- Flower beds, hedges and lawn next to the path suffer salt burn when the salt is washed into the soil in spring.
- Dogs' paws and shoes wear, and the salt is carried onto floors in entrances and stairwells.
What is the difference between sand and stone chippings?
Stone chippings are crushed stone of 2–5 mm, with sharp edges that bed into the ice and give grip at any temperature, even well below minus ten. The chippings stay in place for a long time, do not blow away and work equally well on snow and on bare ice. That is why the municipalities in Stockholm County use them on pavements.
Ordinary sand has rounder grains that pack together, blow away and get trodden into the snow. It gives grip for a short while after spreading but needs topping up often, especially in windy weather and when it snows over.
Which anti-slip treatment suits which surface?
The choice depends on the surface material, the temperature and how many people walk there.
- Paths, steps and entrances: stone chippings of 2–5 mm, which give grip immediately and can stay down all winter.
- Driveways used by cars: stone chippings or coarser crushed stone, salt only if the concrete is more than a year old and it is warmer than minus seven.
- Natural stone, paving slabs and wooden decking: chippings only, never salt.
- At changing temperatures around zero: a mixture of chippings and a small proportion of salt, which both gives grip and stops the chippings freezing into the ice.
- Before freezing rain: chippings in advance, before the rain, because salt has no time to work on a bare film of ice that forms within minutes.
Why should you grit before it gets cold?
Most falls happen not in snow but in freezing rain and when a thaw is followed by a rapid drop in temperature, so that meltwater freezes into a thin and almost invisible film of ice. Anyone who waits until the ice is already there will struggle to get the chippings to bed in, and salt has no time to work. Preventive gritting when the forecast shows falling temperatures in the evening is therefore the single most important measure.
In Stockholm the critical moments most often come in December, when the first cold arrives, and in February and March when daytime thaw melts the snow, which then freezes again at night. Follow the forecast and grit in the afternoon if the night is expected to be cold.
The chippings should be swept up in March–April once the risk of night frost is over.
How does Service Plus help with anti-slip treatment?
Service Plus Stockholm AB handles anti-slip treatment of paths, steps, entrances and driveways throughout Greater Stockholm, for homeowners and on winter contracts for housing cooperatives, property companies and joint property associations. Our snow specialist Skottis chooses chippings, salt or a mixture based on the surface material and the weather, grits preventively ahead of cold nights and freezing rain and documents every visit. Sweeping up the chippings in spring is included in the contracts. The scope depends on the size of the surfaces, how many steps and entrances are included and how often they need to be visited. Service Plus provides a free quote and replies to enquiries within 24 hours.
Common follow-up questions
Can you use salt on concrete steps?
Only if the concrete is more than a year old and the surface is sound and undamaged. Salt on young or cracked concrete causes frost damage. On steps, stone chippings of 2–5 mm are a safer choice, since they give grip even when it is colder than minus seven degrees.
How much grit should you spread?
A thin, even layer with a few millimetres between the grains is enough, roughly 1–2 litres per 10 square metres. Too many chippings roll under your shoes and become slippery themselves on bare ice.
What should you do about freezing rain?
Grit with chippings before the rain arrives, when the forecast warns of it. The film of ice forms within minutes and salt has no time to work. If the rain has already fallen, spread chippings immediately, on steps and entrances first.
Do the chippings have to be removed in spring?
Yes, the chippings should be swept up in March–April once the night frost is over. Many municipalities in Stockholm County require the property owner to remove their chippings from the pavement, and leftover chippings block drains and wear down floors and paving slabs.
