ContractorHandbook

How Much Mulch for 600 Square Feet?

Material needed

5.56 cubic yards

600 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 area600 sq ft
  • Depth3 in
  • MaterialMulch

Material needed5.56 cubic yards

Volume150 cu ft
Cubic yards5.56most yards sell in half yard steps
Order in half yards6 cu yd
2 cu ft bags, if bagging it75
Approximate weight4,444 lb (2.22 tons)

The material list this produces

Material, cubic yards6
Landscape fabric, sq ft600
Edging, linear ft98

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 in3.7 cubic yards4 cu yd
3 in5.56 cubic yards6 cu yd
4 in7.41 cubic yards7.5 cu yd
6 in11.11 cubic yards11.5 cu yd

What else matters here

Six yards of bark mulch is a little over 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 600 square feet?

About 5.56 cubic yards at 3 inches deep, which rounds up to 6 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

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