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.
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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
| Volume | 37.5 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 1.39most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 1.5 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 19 |
| Approximate weight | 1,111 lb (0.56 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 150 |
| Edging, linear ft | 49 |
Depth compared
Depth is the whole calculation. Two inches will not suppress weeds, six inches will suffocate roots.
| Depth | Material needed | Order in half yards |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 0.93 cubic yards | 1 cu yd |
| 3 in | 1.39 cubic yards | 1.5 cu yd |
| 4 in | 1.85 cubic yards | 2 cu yd |
| 6 in | 2.78 cubic yards | 3 cu yd |
What else matters here
One and a half yards is the awkward size. It is more than most people want to carry in bags and less than many bulk yards will deliver, because a lot of them set a two yard minimum or charge the full delivery fee regardless.
Call and ask before assuming bulk is cheaper here. Nineteen bags at retail against one and a half yards plus a flat delivery fee is a genuinely close race, and it swings on the fee rather than on the mulch.
If you have a pickup this settles itself. A yard and a half of bark rides comfortably in a half ton bed at around 1,100 pounds, and most yards will load it for nothing.
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.
Will bulk yards deliver 1.5 yards?
Many will, but plenty set a two yard minimum and almost all charge the same flat delivery fee whatever the volume. Ask before you compare prices.
How much does 1.5 yards of mulch weigh?
Around 1,100 pounds dry for bark mulch, which a half ton pickup handles without complaint. Wet mulch can be half again as heavy.
The mulch and gravel calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.