Mulch Calculator

Aim for 2 to 3 inches for most beds. Less than 2 inches will not block weeds; more than 4 inches can hold too much moisture against stems and starve roots of oxygen. Around trees, keep mulch 2 to 3 inches deep and pull it back from the trunk so it does not form a volcano against the bark.

Thirteen and a half 2 cubic foot bags make one cubic yard, since a yard is 27 cubic feet. Most people round to 14. If you need more than about 10 bags, pricing a bulk delivery is usually worth the phone call.

A cubic yard of dry shredded mulch weighs roughly 700 to 900 pounds. After heavy rain it can exceed 1,200 pounds, which matters if you are hauling it in a trailer or a half-ton pickup.

Usually not. Mulch breaks down into the soil, so most years you just top up the difference. Rake the old layer to break up any crust, measure what is actually there, and add only enough to reach your target depth. Strip it out if the total is already over 4 inches or if it has matted into a water-repellent layer.

Measure the length and width in feet at the widest points and multiply them. For an irregular bed, break it into rectangles, circles and triangles, calculate each one separately and add the results together. Rounding up slightly is safer than rounding down.

Bulk is almost always cheaper per cubic yard once you need more than about 1 cubic yard — roughly 14 bags. Bags win when you need a small amount, have nowhere to dump a pile, or want to spread the job over several weekends.

A half-ton pickup can usually carry about 1 cubic yard of light material like mulch, but only around half a cubic yard of wet soil or gravel because of the weight. Check the weight figure above against your vehicle's payload rating before you load up.