Mulch, Gravel, Topsoil and Sand Calculator
Area times depth gives cubic feet, divided by 27 gives cubic yards. It also gives the weight, which is what decides whether the material arrives on your trailer or on theirs.
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Worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with and the answer it gives. Change anything above and every number below moves with it.
- Bed area600 sq ft
- Depth3 in
- MaterialMulch
Material needed5.56 cubic yards
| Volume | 150 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 5.56most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 6 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 75 |
| Approximate weight | 4,444 lb (2.22 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 600 |
| Edging, linear ft | 98 |
What this calculator assumes
- Three inches is the usual mulch depth. Two is thin and will not hold weeds down, four starts to smother shallow roots and holds water against trunks.
- Weights are approximate and vary with moisture: mulch about 800 lb per cubic yard, topsoil 2200, gravel 2800, sand 2700.
- Bagged material is sold in 2 cubic foot bags, and there are 13.5 of those in a cubic yard.
Three inches, and the reason for it
Three inches of mulch is the working depth. Two lets light through and the weeds come back inside a season, which is the complaint you get called about. Four and above holds too much water against stems and trunks and starts to suffocate shallow roots.
Mulch volcanoes piled against a trunk are the single most common landscaping mistake in America. Keep mulch a few inches clear of any trunk and the tree lives longer than the warranty.
Weight decides the delivery
A cubic yard of dry bark mulch is roughly 800 pounds. Topsoil is around 2,200, gravel 2,800, and wet mulch can be half again its dry weight after rain.
A half ton pickup will carry a yard of mulch and should not be asked to carry a yard of gravel. Three yards of gravel is over four tons, which is a tandem load and a delivery fee, and it is cheaper than a new set of leaf springs.
Bags or bulk
There are 13.5 two cubic foot bags in a cubic yard. At typical retail prices, bulk is roughly half the cost per yard before delivery, and delivery usually pays for itself somewhere around three yards.
Bags win on small beds, on sites with no truck access, and when the customer wants the driveway kept clean. Bulk wins on everything else.
Questions people ask
How many bags of mulch in a cubic yard?
13.5 bags of the standard 2 cubic foot size. At the common 3 cubic foot size it is 9 bags.
How deep should mulch be?
Three inches for most beds. Two is not enough to hold weeds down and four or more traps moisture against stems and roots.
How much does a yard of mulch weigh?
Roughly 800 pounds dry for bark mulch, and noticeably more after rain. Topsoil is about 2,200 pounds a yard and gravel about 2,800.
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Common sizes, worked out
The same calculator with the numbers already filled in, one page per size, each ending in its own material list.