ContractorHandbook

How Much Mulch for 700 Square Feet?

Material needed

6.48 cubic yards

700 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 area700 sq ft
  • Depth3 in
  • MaterialMulch

Material needed6.48 cubic yards

Volume175 cu ft
Cubic yards6.48most yards sell in half yard steps
Order in half yards6.5 cu yd
2 cu ft bags, if bagging it88
Approximate weight5,185 lb (2.59 tons)

The material list this produces

Material, cubic yards6.5
Landscape fabric, sq ft700
Edging, linear ft106

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 in4.32 cubic yards4.5 cu yd
3 in6.48 cubic yards6.5 cu yd
4 in8.64 cubic yards9 cu yd
6 in12.96 cubic yards13 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 much mulch for 700 square feet?

About 6.48 cubic yards at 3 inches deep, or 88 bags at 2 cubic feet each.

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