Mulch Calculator
One cubic yard of mulch covers about 100 square feet at 3 inches deep, which is 13.5 of the common 2-cubic-foot bags — so 14 bags to buy.
Work out what you need
Measure the area, set the depth, and this converts it to cubic yards, what it weighs on the truck, how many bags that replaces, and roughly what it should cost delivered.
Weight is quoted as a band because moisture moves it more than grade does — mulch after heavy rain runs to about 200% of its dry weight. The delivered range starts from a published $25–55 per cubic yard and is scaled by how your region's material prices compare with the national average, so treat it as a sanity check and not a quote.
Get a real price from yards near youHow much a cubic yard of mulch covers
| Depth | One cubic yard covers |
|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 sq ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft |
Two to three inches is what arborists recommend — enough to hold moisture and suppress weeds, not so much that rain stops reaching the roots underneath.
Bags of mulch in a yard
| Bag size | Bags per cubic yard | To buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 cu ft | 18 | 18 |
| 2 cu ft | 13.5 | 14 |
| 3 cu ft | 9 | 9 |
A 2-cubic-foot bag weighs roughly 30–59 lb, and a cubic yard 400–800 lb — a quarter the weight of soil, which is why a pickup can carry two or three yards of mulch but only half a yard of topsoil.
Bulk or bagged?
Loose mulch is usually under half the bagged price for the same volume, and a yard weighs only 400–800 lb dry, so a pickup manages two or three yards.
The arithmetic is worth doing before a sale: at $2 a bag, the 13.5 bags in a yard cost about $27 — close to a yard loose before delivery. At a normal shelf price, bulk wins as soon as the job is bigger than a yard. Bagged versus bulk mulch goes through it in detail.
Mulch questions
How many bags of mulch are in a yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it is 13.5 of the common 2-cubic-foot bags, 18 of the 1.5-cubic-foot size and 9 of the 3-cubic-foot size. Round up when you buy — nobody sells half a bag.
How much does a bag of mulch weigh?
A 2-cubic-foot bag weighs roughly 30–59 lb. Dry bark sits at the bottom of that range and wet hardwood at the top: mulch roughly doubles in weight when it is soaked.
How many bags of mulch are on a pallet?
Usually 60 to 75 two-cubic-foot bags, though it varies by store — roughly 4.5 to 5.5 cubic yards, which is about one small bulk delivery.
Is bulk mulch cheaper than bags?
Loose mulch is typically $25–55 a cubic yard delivered. At $2 a bag — the price of a 5-for-$10 sale — 13.5 bags is $27, about the same as a yard loose before delivery. At a normal shelf price, loose wins once you need more than a yard or so.
How deep should mulch be?
Two to three inches on beds. Less and weeds come through; more than three or four and rain stops reaching the roots underneath. Never pile it against a trunk or stem.