ContractorHandbook

How Much Mulch for 150 Square Feet?

Material needed

1.39 cubic yards

150 square feet at 3 inches deep, bark mulch at roughly 800 lb per cubic yard.

It does not stop at a number.

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bed length, ftdepth, inbed width, ftarea x (depth in inches / 12) / 27 = cubic yards
Three inches is the working depth for mulch, and depth is the input people guess at. Bulk comes by the yard and bags hold two cubic feet, so the same volume answers both questions.

How that number is worked out

These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.

  • Bed area150 sq ft
  • Depth3 in
  • MaterialMulch

Material needed1.39 cubic yards

Volume37.5 cu ft
Cubic yards1.39most yards sell in half yard steps
Order in half yards1.5 cu yd
2 cu ft bags, if bagging it19
Approximate weight1,111 lb (0.56 tons)

The material list this produces

Material, cubic yards1.5
Landscape fabric, sq ft150
Edging, linear ft49

Depth compared

Depth is the whole calculation. Two inches will not hold weeds down, and four starts to smother shallow roots.

DepthMaterial neededOrder in half yards
2 in0.93 cubic yards1 cu yd
3 in1.39 cubic yards1.5 cu yd
4 in1.85 cubic yards2 cu yd
6 in2.78 cubic yards3 cu yd

What this calculator assumes

  • Three inches is the usual mulch depth. Two is thin and will not hold weeds down, four starts to smother shallow roots and holds water against trunks.
  • Weights are approximate and vary with moisture: mulch about 800 lb per cubic yard, topsoil 2200, gravel 2800, sand 2700.
  • Bagged material is sold in 2 cubic foot bags, and there are 13.5 of those in a cubic yard.

Questions people ask

How many bags of mulch for 150 square feet?

About 19 bags at 2 cubic feet each for a 3 inch depth, or 1.39 cubic yards in bulk.

How much does the mulch weigh?

At about 800 pounds a cubic yard, 1.39 cubic yards of mulch is about 1,100 pounds, and it varies with moisture.

Different numbers?

The mulch and gravel calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes

7 more sizes are answered on the mulch and gravel calculator page