ContractorHandbook

How Much Mulch for 500 Square Feet?

Material needed

4.63 cubic yards

500 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 area500 sq ft
  • Depth3 in
  • MaterialMulch

Material needed4.63 cubic yards

Volume125 cu ft
Cubic yards4.63most yards sell in half yard steps
Order in half yards5 cu yd
2 cu ft bags, if bagging it63
Approximate weight3,704 lb (1.85 tons)

The material list this produces

Material, cubic yards5
Landscape fabric, sq ft500
Edging, linear ft90

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 in3.09 cubic yards3.5 cu yd
3 in4.63 cubic yards5 cu yd
4 in6.17 cubic yards6.5 cu yd
6 in9.26 cubic yards9.5 cu yd

What else matters here

Five yards of bark mulch is about two tons.

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 yards of mulch for 500 square feet?

About 4.63 cubic yards at 3 inches deep, which rounds up to 5 in half yard steps.

Different numbers?

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

Other common sizes

4x4 raised bed0.49 cubic yards4x8 raised bed0.99 cubic yards6x12 raised bed2.22 cubic yards150 sq ft bed1.39 cubic yards200 sq ft bed1.85 cubic yards350 sq ft bed3.24 cubic yards450 sq ft bed4.17 cubic yardsGravel, 500 sq ft4.63 cubic yards600 sq ft bed5.56 cubic yards700 sq ft bed6.48 cubic yards800 sq ft bed7.41 cubic yards1,000 sq ft bed9.26 cubic yards

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

Contractor Handbook · https://contractorhandbook.com/calculators/mulch-calculator/500-square-feet/