How much mulch do I need?
Cubic yards = length × width × depth (ft) ÷ 27
Bags = cubic feet ÷ bag size
A 20 × 4 ft bed at 3 inches is 20 cubic feet, about 0.74 cubic yards, or 11 bags of 2 cubic feet with 10% extra. One cubic yard equals 13.5 two-cubic-foot bags or 9 three-cubic-foot bags.
How deep should mulch be?
- Garden beds: 2 to 3 inches. More can starve shallow roots of air.
- Topping up last year's mulch: 1 inch.
- Paths: 3 to 4 inches.
- Playgrounds: 6 to 12 inches of certified wood chips for fall protection.
Starting a new bed? Add soil first with the topsoil calculator.
Typical depths and coverage for mulch
How deep to lay mulch depends on the job, so treat these depths as common starting points and defer to your plans or the product label. Coverage is how much ground one cubic yard of mulch, or one ton, spreads at that depth.
| Project | Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 1 ton covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refreshing an old bed | 1 in | 324 sq ft | 1,080 sq ft |
| Standard flower bed | 2 in | 162 sq ft | 540 sq ft |
| New bed or around shrubs | 3 in | 108 sq ft | 360 sq ft |
| Around a tree (keep clear of trunk) | 3 in | 108 sq ft | 360 sq ft |
| Path | 3 in | 108 sq ft | 360 sq ft |
Three worked mulch jobs
Each job below adds 10% to the mulch volume for settling and spills, and converts to tons at 0.3 tons per cubic yard.
| Job | Size | Cubic yards | With 10% extra | Tons to order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower bed | 20 × 4 ft at 2 in | 0.49 | 0.54 | 0.2 |
| Shrub border | 40 × 5 ft at 3 in | 1.85 | 2.04 | 0.6 |
| Large landscape | 40 × 25 ft at 3 in | 9.26 | 10.19 | 3.1 |
Before you order mulch
- Mulch is sold by the bag or by the cubic yard. See the bags per cubic yard chart to convert.
- Keep mulch a few inches from tree trunks and house walls. Piling it against them holds moisture.
- Fresh mulch settles and fades, and the depth drops. Many people top it up each year rather than replace it.
- A cubic yard of mulch weighs only about 600 lb, so one pickup bed can carry a yard.
How many bags of mulch are in a yard?
A cubic yard of mulch equals 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet. Covering 100 sq ft at 3 inches deep takes 25 cubic feet: 13 two-cubic-foot bags, or 0.93 cubic yards in bulk.
Frequently asked questions
How many bags of mulch are in a yard?
13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet.
How much area does a yard of mulch cover?
About 108 sq ft at 3 inches deep, or 162 sq ft at 2 inches.
Is bulk mulch cheaper than bags?
Usually above 2 to 3 cubic yards, once the delivery fee is spread over the load.
How do I calculate how much mulch I need?
Multiply the bed area in square feet by the depth in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 100 sq ft bed 3 inches deep needs 0.93 cubic yards, or about 13 bags of 2 cubic foot mulch.
How much bark mulch do I need for 1,000 square feet?
At 2 inches deep you need 6.17 cubic yards, and at 3 inches 9.26 cubic yards, before extra.
Reference charts
- Material Weight Chart
- How Much Is a Cubic Yard
- How to Calculate Cubic Yards
- Bags of Mulch per Cubic Yard
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