Calculators / Ground cover
How much mulch do you need?
Measure your beds and pick a depth. You'll get cubic yards for bulk, and the bag count if you're hauling it home yourself.
Order this much
0.7 cubic yards
That's 10 bags at 2 cu ft, or 1 yard if you buy bulk.
- Area
- 80 sq ft
- Depth
- 3 in
- 2 cu ft bags
- 10
- Bulk
- 1 yd
area = 20 ft × 4 ft = 80 sq ft
volume = 80 sq ft × 3 in ÷ 12 = 20 cu ft
yards = 20 ÷ 27 = 0.7 cu yd
bags = 20 ÷ 2 = 10, rounded up
Keep mulch 3 in back from tree trunks and siding. Piled against bark, it rots and invites bugs.
Skip plastic under mulch. If you want a barrier, use woven landscape fabric so water still gets through.
See woven landscape fabric on Amazon (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
How we work it out
Mulch is sold by volume. We take your bed area, multiply by the depth, and turn it into cubic yards and bags.
cubic feet = sq ft × depth in inches ÷ 12
cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Bags get rounded up, since you can't buy half a bag. Bulk gets rounded up to the next half yard, which is how most landscape yards sell it.
Go 2 to 3 in deep on most beds. Past 4 in, water and air have a hard time reaching the roots. For odd-shaped beds, split them into rectangles and circles, work out each one, and add the square feet.
Where the numbers come from
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