Home
Mulch Calculator
Enter the area's length, width, and depth, and we'll tell you the cubic yards needed and how many 2 cu ft or 3 cu ft bags of mulch to buy. Use this for garden beds, tree rings, and walkways.
2–3 inches is typical for garden beds; up to 4 inches for new plantings.
Past roughly 1 cubic yard (~14 of the 2 cu ft bags), bulk delivery is usually cheaper than buying bags.
Cubic yards
1.85
50 ft³ at 3 in deep
Add 5–10% for irregular bed shapes and spread loss. Mulch settles 25–50% over a year — plan to top up annually.
Examples
Garden bed 25 × 8 ft × 3 in
≈ 1.85 yd³ · 25 of 2 cu ft bags
Front yard 20 × 12 ft × 2 in
≈ 1.48 yd³ · 20 of 2 cu ft bags
Tree ring 6 × 6 ft × 4 in
≈ 0.44 yd³ · 6 of 2 cu ft bags
How it works
Volume in cubic feet is length × width × (depth ÷ 12). Cubic yards is that divided by 27. Bag count is cubic feet divided by the bag's volume.
Volume · L × W × (D ÷ 12) = ft³
Common bag sizes: 2 cu ft (most retailers) · 3 cu ft (Lowe's, Home Depot bulk).
Frequently asked questions
2–3 inches is the typical recommendation for established garden beds. New plantings can take up to 4 inches, but going deeper than that can suffocate roots and trap moisture against trunks. Refresh existing mulch by topping up to the original depth, not by adding a fresh full layer on top.
About 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft mulch, or 9 bags of 3 cu ft mulch. Past roughly 1 cubic yard (~14 of the 2 cu ft bags), bulk delivery is usually cheaper than bagged.
Yes. Wood-based mulch decomposes and settles by 25–50% over a year. Plan to top up annually rather than overlaying a full fresh layer.
Add 5–10% to your bag count for irregular bed shapes, edges, and the small amount lost during spreading.
Related calculators
Home
Concrete Calculator
Estimate the cubic yards and number of bags of concrete you need for slabs, footings, and columns.
Home
Gravel Calculator
Estimate cubic yards and tons of gravel needed to cover an area at any depth.
Home
Cubic Feet Calculator
Calculate volume in cubic feet from any length, width, and height — supports feet, inches, yards, centimeters, and meters.