Mulch calculator
A 10 ft by 10 ft area covered 2 inches deep needs 0.62 cubic yards of mulch, or 12 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. The calculator uses 500 lb per cubic yard, published as “Wood chips, shredded” by U.S. EPA.
0 uses the published 500 lb/yd³
Optional; 0 leaves cost out
A 10 ft by 10 ft area covered 2 inches deep needs 0.62 cubic yards of mulch, about 0.15 tons at 500 lb per cubic yard, or 12 bags of 1.5 cubic feet.
- Cubic yards
- 0.62
- Cubic feet
- 16.7
- Tons
- 0.15
- Pounds
- 309
- Tons at the published range, same condition
- 0.08–0.15
- Bags of 1.5 cu ft
- 12
- Rounded up to the next half yard
- 1 yd³
How it is calculated
- Area = 10 ft × 10 ft = 100 sq ft.
- Volume = 100 sq ft × 2 in ÷ 12 = 16.67 cu ft.
- Cubic yards = 16.67 ÷ 27 = 0.617 yd³.
- Weight = 0.617 yd³ × 500 lb/yd³ = 309 lb; ÷ 2,000 lb per ton = 0.15 tons.
- Bags = 16.67 cu ft ÷ 1.5 cu ft, rounded up = 12.
How to calculate mulch in cubic yards and bags
The worked numbers use the calculator's defaults: a 10 ft by 10 ft area 2 inches deep, the calculator's default depth for mulch.
Step 1: area in square feet
Rectangle: length × width
Circle: π × diameter² ÷ 4
Triangle: base × height ÷ 2
Example 10 ft × 10 ft = 100 sq ft
Split an irregular area into rectangles, circles and triangles and add their areas.
Step 2: cubic feet from area and depth
Cubic feet = area in sq ft × depth in inches ÷ 12
Example 100 × 2 ÷ 12 = 16.67 cu ft
Step 3: cubic yards from cubic feet
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Example 16.67 ÷ 27 = 0.617 cubic yards
Step 4: bags
Bags = cubic feet ÷ cubic feet per bag, rounded up
Example 16.67 ÷ 1.5 = 12 bags of 1.5 cu ft
Mulch for common areas
| Area, sq ft | 1 inch deep | 2 inches deep | 3 inches deep | 4 inches deep | 6 inches deep | 9 inches deep | 12 inches deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 0.15 yd³ · 3 bags | 0.31 yd³ · 6 bags | 0.46 yd³ · 9 bags | 0.62 yd³ · 12 bags | 0.93 yd³ · 17 bags | 1.39 yd³ · 25 bags | 1.85 yd³ · 34 bags |
| 100 | 0.31 yd³ · 6 bags | 0.62 yd³ · 12 bags | 0.93 yd³ · 17 bags | 1.23 yd³ · 23 bags | 1.85 yd³ · 34 bags | 2.78 yd³ · 50 bags | 3.7 yd³ · 67 bags |
| 200 | 0.62 yd³ · 12 bags | 1.23 yd³ · 23 bags | 1.85 yd³ · 34 bags | 2.47 yd³ · 45 bags | 3.7 yd³ · 67 bags | 5.56 yd³ · 100 bags | 7.41 yd³ · 134 bags |
| 500 | 1.54 yd³ · 28 bags | 3.09 yd³ · 56 bags | 4.63 yd³ · 84 bags | 6.17 yd³ · 112 bags | 9.26 yd³ · 167 bags | 13.89 yd³ · 250 bags | 18.52 yd³ · 334 bags |
| 1,000 | 3.09 yd³ · 56 bags | 6.17 yd³ · 112 bags | 9.26 yd³ · 167 bags | 12.35 yd³ · 223 bags | 18.52 yd³ · 334 bags | 27.78 yd³ · 500 bags | 37.04 yd³ · 667 bags |
Mulch coverage per cubic yard and per ton
One cubic yard of mulch covers 162 sq ft at 2 inches deep; one ton at 500 lb per cubic yard covers 648 sq ft at the same depth. Coverage of 1 to 5 cubic yards at other depths: What a yard of mulch covers.
Recommended mulch depth by use
Published depths for mulch run from 1 inch to 12 inches, depending on the use; each row names its document.
| Use | Depth, in | 1 cubic yard covers, sq ft | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine or hardwood bark | 2–3 | 108–162 | Mississippi State University Extension |
| Wood chips or shredded wood | 2–4 | 81–162 | Mississippi State University Extension |
| Coarse mulch, larger particles | 2–4 | 81–162 | Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Fine or double-shredded mulch | 1–2 | 162–324 | Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Trees and shrubs | 2–3 | 108–162 | Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Playground loose-fill (wood mulch or wood chips), minimum compressed depth | 9 | 36 | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |
| Playground, initial fill to keep 9 inches of wood chips after compression | 12 | 27 | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |
| Heavy use area, bark mulch or tanbark, minimum layer | 6 | 54 | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service |
Mulch weight per cubic yard
Published weights of a cubic yard of mulch run from 243 to 500 lb across 5 values from 4 documents, measured in different conditions. The calculators use 500 lb per cubic yard, published as “Wood chips, shredded” by U.S. EPA, because three publishers (U.S. EPA, Seattle Public Utilities and the U.S. Census Bureau) print the same 500 lb for wood chips; the lower values are green and dry wood chips. One ton of mulch is about 4 cubic yards.
| Pounds per cubic yard | 500 |
|---|---|
| Published as | “Wood chips, shredded”, 500 lb/yd³, U.S. EPA; condition: not stated. No document found prints a weight under the name mulch. |
| Published range, same condition, lb | 243–500 |
| Tons per cubic yard | 0.25 |
| Cubic yards per ton | 4 |
Every published value with its source, and tables of weight by volume and yards by tons: Mulch weight.
Bagged mulch for this area
One cubic yard fills 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet; the 10 by 10 ft example at 2 inches takes 12 of them. Bag counts for every bag size: Bags of mulch in a yard.
Mulch questions
How much mulch do I need?
A 10 ft by 10 ft area covered 2 inches deep needs 0.62 cubic yards of mulch, or 12 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. One cubic yard of mulch covers 162 sq ft at 2 inches deep, so divide the area in square feet by 162 for the cubic yards at that depth.
Why the mulch you need can differ from the result
The weight of mulch changes with the source, the moisture and how tightly it is packed, so published values differ (here from 243 to 500 lb per cubic yard across all conditions). Before ordering, ask the supplier for the weight per yard of their own material and enter it as your own density under More options.