Guides / Materials · Updated
How many bags of mulch in a yard
Straight math. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, and the bag says how many cubic feet are in it.
Short answer
A yard of mulch is 27 cu ft. That's 13.5 bags of the common 2 cu ft size, so buy 14. With 3 cu ft bags it's 9 bags. One yard covers 108 sq ft at 3 in deep.
Bags per cubic yard
| Bag size | Bags in a yard | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 cu ft Most common | 13.5 | 14 |
| 3 cu ft | 9 | 9 |
| 1.5 cu ft | 18 | 18 |
Bags in a yard = 27 ÷ the bag size in cubic feet. You can't buy half a bag, so round up.
How far a yard goes
Depth is what changes your count. The same yard covers half as much at 4 in as it does at 2 in.
| Depth | One yard covers | 2 cu ft bags per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 5 |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 9 |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 13 |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 17 |
Square feet covered = 27 × 12 ÷ depth in inches. Bags per 100 sq ft are rounded up.
How deep to go
Go 2 to 3 in on most beds. 3 in is plenty for a new bed on bare dirt. Under 2 in is fine to freshen up last year's mulch, but it won't stop weeds.
Don't go past 4 in. Any deeper and water and air have a hard time getting to the roots. Keep it 3 in back from tree trunks and siding, too. Piled against bark, it rots and brings bugs.
Bags or bulk
Most landscape yards sell bulk by the half yard. Around 3 yards and up, bulk usually costs less than the bags. Ask about the delivery fee before you decide.
At 3 yards you'd be hauling 41 bags of 2 cu ft. That's a lot of trips in a pickup, and a lot of plastic to throw out.
Before you buy
Measure every bed and add up the square feet. Odd shapes split into rectangles and circles. Then you know the yards before you get to the store.