How Much Mulch for 200 Square Feet?
Material needed
1.85 cubic yards
200 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 area200 sq ft
- Depth3 in
- MaterialMulch
Material needed1.85 cubic yards
| Volume | 50 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 1.85most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 2 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 25 |
| Approximate weight | 1,481 lb (0.74 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 200 |
| Edging, linear ft | 57 |
Depth compared
Depth is the whole calculation. Two inches will not hold weeds down, and four starts to smother shallow roots.
| Depth | Material needed | Order in half yards |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 1.23 cubic yards | 1.5 cu yd |
| 3 in | 1.85 cubic yards | 2 cu yd |
| 4 in | 2.47 cubic yards | 2.5 cu yd |
| 6 in | 3.7 cubic yards | 4 cu yd |
What else matters here
This calculator asks what the material is because the weight per cubic yard differs: about 800 pounds for mulch, 2,200 for topsoil, 2,800 for gravel and 2,700 for sand. Volume is identical across mulch, topsoil, gravel and sand, and the weight is not.
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 cubic yards of mulch for 200 square feet?
About 1.85 cubic yards at 3 inches deep, which rounds up to 2 in half yard steps.
How much does a yard of mulch weigh?
About 800 pounds, and the weight varies with moisture.
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