Mulch and Soil Calculator
Enter the length and width of the bed and how deep you want the layer. The calculator gives the volume in cubic yards and the number of bags to buy.
Type a number and the answer appears straight away.
Mulch or soil needed1.85 cubic yards25 bags of 2 cu ft
- Cubic feet
- 50
- Area covered
- 200 sq ft
- Liters
- 1,416
Once you need more than about 2 cubic yards, a bulk delivery is usually easier than bags.
The math behind it: Mulch and Soil
cubic feet = length x width x depth in inches / 12; cubic yards = cubic feet / 27
A bed 20 ft by 10 ft covered 3 inches deep needs 50 cubic feet, which is 1.85 cubic yards or 25 bags of 2 cubic feet. One cubic yard covers 108 square feet at a depth of 3 inches.
Common questions
How much mulch do I need?
Multiply the area of the bed in square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 12 for cubic feet. A 200 square foot bed at 3 inches needs 50 cubic feet.
How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet, because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
How deep should mulch be?
2 to 3 inches for most beds. Less lets weeds through, and more than 4 inches can keep water and air from reaching the roots.
You might also need
Checked and updated: