Beds and borders
Mulch Calculator
Enter the size of your bed and how deep you want the mulch. Three inches is the usual depth for weed control and moisture. Two is fine for a top-up on an established bed.
At a glance
- Usual depth
- 3 in
- Bag size
- 2 cu ft
- Answer in
- cubic yards
100 sq ft at 3 in deep needs:
0.93 cubic yardsof mulch
- ≈ 13 bags (2 cu ft each)
Bulk mulch is sold by the cubic yard; bagged mulch is usually 2 cubic feet a bag (about 13.5 bags to a yard). A yard covers roughly 108 sq ft at 3 inches deep.
Need it delivered? Cedar Creek Landscape Supply sells mulch by the yard across the Triangle.
Order mulchBeds and borders
Buy it by the yard, not by the trip
Bulk mulch and soil land cheaper than bagged once you pass a yard or two, and a delivered pile saves a weekend of hauling. Work out the amount first, then price the delivery.
How this is worked out
No hidden fudge factor. This is the whole calculation.
- Length times width gives the area in square feet.
- Area times the depth in feet, which is your inches divided by 12, gives cubic feet.
- Cubic feet divided by 27 gives cubic yards, because a yard is 3 feet cubed.
- Bag count is the cubic feet divided by 2, the size of a standard bag.
Common questions
- How much mulch do I need?
- Multiply your area's length by its width for square feet, then by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12), and divide by 27 for cubic yards. This calculator does it for you. Enter length, width, and depth.
- How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
- A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so at 2 cubic feet per bag that's about 14 bags per yard.