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Mulch calculator: cubic yards and bags for your beds
The short answer
Multiply square feet by depth in inches, divide by 12, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 400 square foot bed at 3 inches takes 3.7 cubic yards, or 50 bags of the 2 cubic foot size. University of Florida gardening experts say a yard covers 108 square feet at 3 inches deep.
Add up your beds, choose a depth, and get cubic yards and bags. If it’s a customer’s yard, add your costs and labor to get a price.
Mulch you need
3.7 cubic yards
400 square feet, 3 inches deep.
- 2 cubic foot bags
- 50
- 3 cubic foot bags
- 34
- Cubic feet
- 100
Price for this job
- Materials (3.7 × $35.00)
- $129.63
- Labor
- $0.00
- Markup
- $25.93
- Price to quote
- $155.56
How it works
Cubic yards = square feet × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27. Bags = cubic feet ÷ the bag size, rounded up to whole bags.
| Depth | Cubic yards |
|---|---|
| 1 inches | 1.54 |
| 2 inches | 3.09 |
| 3 inches | 4.63 |
| 4 inches | 6.17 |
How deep to spread it
University of Florida’s gardening guide (opens in a new tab) recommends 3 inches, and 1 inch around seedlings, small vegetables and herbs. It also gives a handy check: a cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, or 108 square feet at 3 inches.
Oddly shaped beds
Split a bed into rectangles and add them up with the square footage calculator. A rough measure is fine: round up, since extra mulch is easier to use than a second trip.
Common questions
How do I calculate how much mulch I need?
How many square feet does a yard of mulch cover?
How many bags of mulch are in a yard?
Is it cheaper to buy mulch in bags or bulk?
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