Point load test is one of the quick methods to obtain rock strength. In order to analyze the relationship between point load strength and compressive and tensile strength of typical red sandstones in Hefei area, point load, uniaxial compressive and Brazillian tests were carried out on red sandstones in dry and saturated state. The influence of penetration depth and modified index m on the point load strength of sandstone was discussed, and the conversion relationship between the point load strength and compressive and tensile strength was obtained. The results show that the coefficient of variation is less than 0.3 for both models with and without penetration depth, and the data index of the model without penetration depth is more stable. The value of the correction index has little influence on the corrected point load strength values and I_s(50)C, and 0.45 can be used as the correction index in practical application. The softening coefficients of the two models are similar, and the softening coefficients considering the penetrationdepth are smaller than those without considering the penetration depth. The softening coefficients of point load strength, compressive strength and tensile strength of the same rocks have little difference and good correlation. The obtained point load strength of sandstone and its conversion coefficient range of tensile, compressive and tensile strength can provide reference for engineering application in Hefei area.