How Much Mulch for 900 Square Feet?
Material needed
8.33 cubic yards
900 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 area900 sq ft
- Depth3 in
- MaterialMulch
Material needed8.33 cubic yards
| Volume | 225 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 8.33most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 8.5 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 113 |
| Approximate weight | 6,667 lb (3.33 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 8.5 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 900 |
| Edging, linear ft | 120 |
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 | 5.56 cubic yards | 6 cu yd |
| 3 in | 8.33 cubic yards | 8.5 cu yd |
| 4 in | 11.11 cubic yards | 11.5 cu yd |
| 6 in | 16.67 cubic yards | 17 cu yd |
What else matters here
Eight and a half yards is a full small dump truck and around three and a third tons. At this size the question stops being how much to order and becomes where it goes and how many hands are spreading it.
Splitting the delivery into two piles at opposite ends of the property is free and it can cut the barrow distance in half. Most drivers will do it if asked when the order is placed, and almost none will if asked when they arrive.
Bark mulch soaks up water and gains weight. The 3.3 tons here is a dry figure, and a pile that sits through a wet weekend before it is spread can be half again as heavy, which matters for the barrow and for the person pushing it more than it does for the truck.
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 900 square feet?
About 8.33 cubic yards at 3 inches deep, which is roughly 3.3 tons of bark mulch.
Can a delivery be split into two piles?
Usually yes, if you ask when ordering rather than when the truck arrives. Two piles at opposite ends of a property can halve the wheelbarrow distance for nothing.
Does mulch get heavier when it rains?
Considerably. Bark absorbs water, and a pile left out through a wet weekend can weigh half again what it did dry.
The mulch and gravel calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.