Mulch Calculator
Cubic yards of mulch for a bed at a given depth, how many 2 or 3 cu ft bags that is, and what bulk versus bagged will cost — with a coverage-by-depth table.
Mulch Calculator: with the default inputs, mulch needed is 0.93 yd³.
For curved or irregular beds, use the average length and width or split the bed into rectangles.
3 in for shredded bark or wood chips; 2 in for fine mulch or when topping up; 1–2 in around annuals.
- Cubic feet
- 25
- Bags
- 13
- Area covered
- 100 ft²
- Cost in bags
- $0.00
- Cost in bulk
- $0.00Bulk yards are usually sold in half-yard increments; this prices the exact amount.
Assumptions
- Mulch is assumed to be spread at a uniform depth with no settling allowance; wood chips settle 10–20% over a season.
- Bag volumes are as labeled; bagged mulch is often slightly compressed.
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 2 cu ft bag covers | 3 cu ft bag covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 | 24 | 36 |
| 2 in | 162 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 in | 108 | 8 | 12 |
| 4 in | 81 | 6 | 9 |
Square feet. 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 13.5 two-cubic-foot bags or 9 three-cubic-foot bags.
How this is worked out
The formula
Volume (ft³) = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 Cubic yards = ft³ ÷ 27 Bags = ft³ ÷ bag size (2 or 3 ft³), rounded up Coverage of 1 yd³ = 324 ÷ depth in inches (sq ft)
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Bed length
- For curved or irregular beds, use the average length and width or split the bed into rectangles.in ft, in, yd, m, cm · 0 or more · defaults to 20
- Bed width
- A number.in ft, in, yd, m, cm · 0 or more · defaults to 5
- Depth
- 3 in for shredded bark or wood chips; 2 in for fine mulch or when topping up; 1–2 in around annuals.in in, cm, mm · 0 or more · defaults to 3
- Bag size
- Choose one of 3 options.2 cu ft (standard bag) · 3 cu ft (large bag) · 1.5 cu ft (small / bagged compost)
- Number of beds this size
- A number.from 1 to 1000 · whole numbers only · defaults to 1
- Price per bag(under More options)
- Leave 0 to skip.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Bulk price per cubic yard(under More options)
- Delivered bulk price; leave 0 to skip.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
What you get back
- Mulch neededmain answer
- Cubic feet
- Bags
- Area covered
- Cost in bags
- Cost in bulk
- Bulk yards are usually sold in half-yard increments; this prices the exact amount.
What this assumes
- Mulch is assumed to be spread at a uniform depth with no settling allowance; wood chips settle 10–20% over a season.
- Bag volumes are as labeled; bagged mulch is often slightly compressed.
About this calculator
Mulch math is simple — area times depth — but the depth is where most people go wrong, either buying half of what they need or burying their shrubs. Enter the bed dimensions and a depth, and the calculator gives cubic yards for a bulk order, the equivalent bag count, and a side-by-side cost.
Picking a depth
- New beds, shredded hardwood or bark: 3 in. This is the number arborists and extension services recommend for weed suppression and moisture retention.
- Wood chips or pine straw: 3–4 in, because they settle more.
- Fine mulch, compost or cocoa hulls: 2 in. Fine material mats and sheds water if it's too deep.
- Annual top-up: 1–2 in over existing mulch after raking it loose. Don't stack fresh mulch on old — total depth should stay around 3 in.
- Around trees: keep mulch 3–6 in away from the trunk. A "mulch volcano" against the bark invites rot and rodents.
Measuring odd-shaped beds
Most beds aren't rectangles. Pace off the longest dimension and the average width, or break a curved bed into two or three rectangles and add them with the Number of beds field set to 1 each (run it a few times). Being within 10% is plenty; mulch spreads.
Bags versus bulk
A cubic yard is 13.5 standard 2 cu ft bags. Below about a yard, bags are convenient and the price gap is small. Above two yards, bulk from a landscape supplier is usually cheaper per yard even with a delivery fee, and there's no pile of plastic afterwards. Many suppliers sell in half-yard increments; the calculator prices the exact volume so you can compare.
Reading the results
Mulch needed is the net volume; switch the unit to see it in cubic feet or cubic meters. Bags are rounded up. The coverage table is a quick check — one yard at 3 in covers about 108 sq ft, roughly a 10 × 11 ft bed.
Frequently asked questions
▸How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
13.5 bags of 2 cu ft, or 9 bags of 3 cu ft. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
▸How much area does a 2 cu ft bag of mulch cover?
8 sq ft at 3 in deep, 12 sq ft at 2 in, or 24 sq ft at 1 in. A 3 cu ft bag covers 12, 18 and 36 sq ft respectively.
▸How deep should mulch be?
About 3 in for most shredded bark and wood mulches, 2 in for fine mulch or compost. More than 4 in suffocates roots and holds too much moisture against stems.
▸How much does a cubic yard of mulch weigh?
Roughly 400–800 lb dry, and up to 1,000 lb wet, depending on the material. A yard fits in a pickup bed; two yards is a heavy load for a half-ton truck.
▸Is bulk mulch cheaper than bags?
Usually, once you're over a yard or two. Bulk hardwood mulch commonly runs $30–60 per yard plus delivery, versus $3–6 per 2 cu ft bag ($40–80 per yard equivalent).
Put this calculator on your own site
A working mulch, free for any site, with no ads and no sign-up. It resizes to fit wherever you paste it and updates itself as this page improves.
Paste this anywhere. It works on any site, carries no ads, never expires, and always shows the current version.
Mulch Calculator by CalculateItNow
The page's own title. The clearest description of what the link leads to.
The credit line sits outside the widget on purpose, so it is a real link on your page rather than one buried in a frame. Please keep it — it is what pays for CalculateItNow staying free and ad-free. The script only resizes the widget to fit its contents; drop it and the widget still works.
Browse every calculator widget·How to add it to WordPress, Squarespace or Wix
Related calculators
The questions people ask next to a mulch.
Cubic yards and tons of gravel, crushed stone, sand or topsoil for an area at a given depth, with material densities, 0.5 cu ft bag counts and cost per ton.
Square feet of a rectangle, circle, triangle or L-shaped room from your measurements, converted to square yards, meters and acres, with cost per square foot.
Cubic yards of concrete for slabs, footings, round columns and stairs, plus 60-lb and 80-lb bag counts (Quikrete yields), weight and cost — with the math shown.
Convert liters, milliliters, US cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, gallons and cubic feet at once — with the kitchen and US-vs-UK tables.
Area of a rectangle, square, triangle, circle, trapezoid, parallelogram or ellipse in any unit, with the formula for each shape worked out step by step.