Mulch Calculator

Mulch weighs about 450–620 lb per cubic yard (shredded wood, as sold). Enter the bed's length, width and depth below to get cubic yards, bags and cost for your flower bed.

Area
+ Add area
Order options No waste · ¼ yd steps · reference price
Know the tons? Supplier quote in tons → yards

Tape readings work: 10' 6", 10 1/2, 10½ or 10.5. Depth takes inches or feet (1 ft). Areas add up. Other material? Use the cubic yard calculator.

Order

1 cubic yard to order

rounded up to the nearest ¼ yd³

Each cube is 1 yd³ (3 × 3 × 3 ft). Solid: exact 0.93 yd³. Order: 1 full cubic yard.

Exact 0.93 yd³ · 25 ft³ · 0.71 m³

At 3 in deep, 1 yd³ covers 108 ft².

Weight
0.23–0.31 tons (shredded wood, as sold)
Bags
13 × 2 cu ft · 9 × 3 cu ft · 17 × 1.5 cu ft
Trucks
1 pickup load (half-ton class)
Cost
$25–$50
Compare with bags

You need 1 cubic yard of mulch ≈ 0.23–0.31 tons (shredded wood, as sold) ≈ 13 bags of 2 cu ft.

Suppliers sell by the ¼, ½ or whole yard, often with a minimum order — round up to your supplier's step.

Order sheet for your supplier 
 
 
    
 
 
 Mulch weight: shredded wood, as sold (NRAES-54 (Cornell), Caterpillar). Cost: reference range, shredded hardwood, before delivery (Lawn Love, ZonedGarden, 2026); local prices vary. 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Mulch depth for beds and trees
  
Mulch goes 2–3 inches deep for most beds and never more than 4 inches (Mississippi State, UF/IFAS and Penn State Extension).
 
Around seedlings, UF/IFAS uses a 1-inch layer. At 3 inches, one cubic yard of mulch covers 108 square feet — the math for any depth is on square feet to cubic yards.
 
 
 
Depthft² per yd³ft² per 2 cu ft bag
 
1 in32424
2 in16212
3 in1088
4 in816
 
 
  
 
  
Mulch bags per yard
  
A cubic yard of mulch is 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft — buy 14, or 9 bags of 3 cu ft. Bags per yard = 27 ÷ the cubic feet on the bag.
 
 
 
Bag sizeExact bags per yd³Bags to buy
 
1.5 cu ft1818
2 cu ft13.514
3 cu ft99
 
 
 
Mulch weighs about 450–620 lb per cubic yard as shredded wood, as sold, or about a quarter ton. Wet mulch weighs more; no published source measures by how much.
 
 
 Mulch: weight, bags and price per cubic yard  
 Material lb per yd³ tons per yd³ Bags $ per yd³ 
   
 Mulch 450–620 0.23–0.31 2 cu ft, 3 cu ft, 1.5 cu ft $25–$50 
  
 
 

Weight basis: mulch shredded wood, as sold.
 Prices are reference ranges from dated cost guides and supplier lists (updated September 2026); local prices vary.   Sources: NRAES-54 (Cornell); Caterpillar; Mississippi State University Extension; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions; Penn State Extension; Lawn Love; ZonedGarden.  
  
 
  
Mulch worked example: 20 × 5 ft flower bed
  
A 20 × 5 ft flower bed mulched 3 inches deep takes 1 cubic yard, or 13 bags of 2 cu ft.
 
     
  1. Area20 ft × 5 ft100 ft²
  2. Volume100 ft² × 3 in ÷ 1225 ft³
  3. Cubic yards25 ft³ ÷ 270.93 yd³
  4. Ordernext ¼ yard up1 yd³
  5. Bags25 ft³ ÷ 2 ft³13 bags of 2 cu ft
    6.  
  
 
  
Mulch calculator FAQ
  
 
Can you put too much mulch around a tree?
Yes, mulch deeper than 4 inches is too much. Penn State Extension keeps mulch around trees 2–4 inches deep.
How much does a yard of mulch cost?
A yard of mulch costs about $25–$50 for shredded hardwood, before delivery (Lawn Love, ZonedGarden, 2026). Delivery is extra and local prices vary.
 
  
  
 
   YardCalc