Mulch calculator in yards
Bulk mulch is often ordered by cubic yard. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, covering 108 ft² at 3 inches before extra allowance. A “yard” here means cubic yard of material, not a linear yard.
PLAN COVERAGE BEFORE SHOPPING
Mulch coverage calculator: area and depth
Mulch coverage is a volume question. For a rectangular bed, multiply length × width × mulch depth. For a circular area, use π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × depth. If you already know the square feet, choose Known area and enter the area and depth directly. Subtract spaces you do not want covered before using that area.
For measurements in feet and depth in inches: cubic feet = square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12. Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. The tool accepts mixed units and converts them before calculating.
Mulch bag calculator
Bag count = order volume ÷ stated bag volume, rounded up to whole bags. Enter the volume printed on the bag. The 2 ft³ starting example is a common package size, not the volume of every product.
Mulch cost calculator
Bulk total = cubic yards, cubic feet or cubic meters × quoted unit price + bulk delivery. Bagged total = whole bags × bag price + the bagged-order delivery fee. Prices are your inputs; no national price or seasonal promotion is assumed.
WORKED EXAMPLE
A 20 ft × 10 ft bed, 3 inches deep
Area = 200 ft². Depth = 0.25 ft. Volume = 50 ft³ = 1.852 yd³. With 2 ft³ bags and no extra allowance, order 25 bags. Each bag covers 8 ft² at that depth.
At an example $4 per bag with no bag delivery fee, bags cost $100.00. At $40 per cubic yard plus $25 bulk delivery, bulk costs $99.07. These prices are illustrative inputs, not current store quotes. With 10% extra, volume is 55 ft³ and the count rounds up to 28 bags.
How many bags of mulch do I need?
Use the bag’s volume, not its weight. A mulch calculator for bags needs the same geometric volume as a bulk order, then accounts for whole packages. For a 3 ft³ package, the example above needs 17 bags instead of 25. Whole-bag rounding can leave some unused material; the results show it separately.
Choosing mulch depth
The initial 3-inch depth is an example. University of Minnesota Extension discusses 2–4 inches for garden mulch and keeping mulch away from stems and trunks. Follow guidance for your plants, existing layer, site and product rather than automatically adding another full layer. This quantity calculator does not approve playground impact protection or fire clearance.
Can I use this mulch calculator with square feet?
Yes. Choose Known area, enter square feet, square yards or square meters, then enter depth. Area alone cannot determine volume without depth.
Can I calculate circle mulch coverage?
Choose Circle and enter the diameter and depth. For a tree ring, use Known area after subtracting the inner mulch-free space; the full-circle mode does not automatically subtract a trunk opening.
Does this work for bark mulch or rubber mulch?
The geometric volume formula works when you supply the intended coverage area, depth and package volume. Wood, bark, rubber and playground products have different requirements. Do not use a garden-depth example as a rubber mulch or playground safety specification.
Does the price include mulch installation?
It includes only the entered material price and delivery fee. Spreading labor, equipment, tax and unentered fees are excluded. It is not an installed-price quote.
What if I have several beds?
The quantity field repeats identical areas. For beds with different dimensions, calculate each separately and add the volumes. Avoid counting overlaps twice. Bag rounding applies to the combined order you enter, not each separate run.
Sources, units and assumptions
The 2 ft³ cedar-bark package at Lowe’s is evidence of that example package volume only. We do not use its price or endorsement, and this site is not affiliated with the retailer. Product labels take priority.
Unit conversions use NIST conversion factors. Sources reviewed October 9, 2026. Internal calculations keep full precision, bag counts round up and money displays to cents. Extra material is a user-selected ordering allowance, not a compaction model. Weight is not estimated from an invented mulch density.