How Much Mulch for 800 Square Feet?
Material needed
7.41 cubic yards
800 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 area800 sq ft
- Depth3 in
- MaterialMulch
Material needed7.41 cubic yards
| Volume | 200 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 7.41most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 7.5 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 100 |
| Approximate weight | 5,926 lb (2.96 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 7.5 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 800 |
| Edging, linear ft | 114 |
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 | 4.94 cubic yards | 5 cu yd |
| 3 in | 7.41 cubic yards | 7.5 cu yd |
| 4 in | 9.88 cubic yards | 10 cu yd |
| 6 in | 14.81 cubic yards | 15 cu yd |
What else matters here
A hundred bags. That number is the clearest argument this calculator makes: the same material is seven and a half yards in bulk, one delivery, tipped where you point.
A hundred bags is also two full pallets, which most stores will not load into a car and many will not deliver without a fee of their own. By the time that is arranged, bulk has usually won on convenience as well as on price.
The one case for bags at this volume is access. If the beds are behind a house with no gate wide enough for a barrow, or up a flight of steps, bags that one person can carry may genuinely beat a pile that cannot be moved to where it is needed.
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 800 square feet?
Exactly 100 bags at 2 cubic feet each for a 3 inch depth, or 7.41 cubic yards in bulk.
How many yards of mulch for 800 square feet?
About 7.41 cubic yards at 3 inches, normally ordered as 7.5 or 8.
Is there ever a reason to buy 100 bags instead of bulk?
Access. If a wheelbarrow cannot reach the beds, bags one person can carry through a house or up steps can beat a pile sitting on the driveway.
The mulch and gravel calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.