Mulch Coverage Chart: Yards by Bed Size and Depth
Sixteen bed sizes at five depths, in cubic yards, with the bag count and the delivered weight underneath.
Mulch is sold two ways and they do not compare easily. Bulk is by the cubic yard, delivered on a truck. Bagged is in 2 cubic foot bags, and it takes 13.5 of them to make one cubic yard.
Depth is what people get wrong. Two to three inches is the right depth for a bed, deep enough to hold moisture and stop weeds, shallow enough that the roots underneath still breathe.
Cubic yards by bed size and depth
| Bed area | 1 in | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in | 6 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 0.15 | 0.31 | 0.46 | 0.62 | 0.93 |
| 100 sq ft | 0.31 | 0.62 | 0.93 | 1.23 | 1.85 |
| 150 sq ft | 0.46 | 0.93 | 1.39 | 1.85 | 2.78 |
| 200 sq ft | 0.62 | 1.23 | 1.85 | 2.47 | 3.7 |
| 300 sq ft | 0.93 | 1.85 | 2.78 | 3.7 | 5.56 |
| 400 sq ft | 1.23 | 2.47 | 3.7 | 4.94 | 7.41 |
| 500 sq ft | 1.54 | 3.09 | 4.63 | 6.17 | 9.26 |
| 600 sq ft | 1.85 | 3.7 | 5.56 | 7.41 | 11.11 |
| 800 sq ft | 2.47 | 4.94 | 7.41 | 9.88 | 14.81 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 3.09 | 6.17 | 9.26 | 12.35 | 18.52 |
| 1,250 sq ft | 3.86 | 7.72 | 11.57 | 15.43 | 23.15 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 4.63 | 9.26 | 13.89 | 18.52 | 27.78 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 6.17 | 12.35 | 18.52 | 24.69 | 37.04 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 7.72 | 15.43 | 23.15 | 30.86 | 46.3 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 9.26 | 18.52 | 27.78 | 37.04 | 55.56 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 15.43 | 30.86 | 46.3 | 61.73 | 92.59 |
Bags and weight at 3 inches deep
| Bed area | Yards at 3 in | 2 cu ft bags | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 0.46 | 7 | 370 lb (0.19 tons) |
| 100 sq ft | 0.93 | 13 | 741 lb (0.37 tons) |
| 150 sq ft | 1.39 | 19 | 1,111 lb (0.56 tons) |
| 200 sq ft | 1.85 | 25 | 1,481 lb (0.74 tons) |
| 300 sq ft | 2.78 | 38 | 2,222 lb (1.11 tons) |
| 400 sq ft | 3.7 | 50 | 2,963 lb (1.48 tons) |
| 500 sq ft | 4.63 | 63 | 3,704 lb (1.85 tons) |
| 600 sq ft | 5.56 | 75 | 4,444 lb (2.22 tons) |
| 800 sq ft | 7.41 | 100 | 5,926 lb (2.96 tons) |
| 1,000 sq ft | 9.26 | 125 | 7,407 lb (3.7 tons) |
| 1,250 sq ft | 11.57 | 157 | 9,259 lb (4.63 tons) |
| 1,500 sq ft | 13.89 | 188 | 11,111 lb (5.56 tons) |
| 2,000 sq ft | 18.52 | 250 | 14,815 lb (7.41 tons) |
| 2,500 sq ft | 23.15 | 313 | 18,519 lb (9.26 tons) |
| 3,000 sq ft | 27.78 | 375 | 22,222 lb (11.11 tons) |
| 5,000 sq ft | 46.3 | 625 | 37,037 lb (18.52 tons) |
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Where bulk beats bags
One cubic yard is 13.5 bags. Bagged mulch usually runs two to three times the price per yard once you have bought that many, and it is 13 trips from the car to the bed.
The crossover is around two or three yards for most homeowners, which is the point where a delivery fee stops mattering. Below a yard, bags win on convenience because a truck will not come out for that.
Three inches, and never against the trunk
Two to three inches of mulch is the working depth. Deeper than four and you start holding water against the crown of the plant and starving the roots of air, which is a slow way to kill the thing you were protecting.
Pull the mulch back a few inches from tree trunks and shrub stems. A mulch volcano piled up the trunk keeps the bark wet, invites rot and rodents, and is the most common landscape mistake there is.
Topping up an existing bed
Mulch decomposes, which is most of the point of it, so an established bed usually needs an inch or an inch and a half a year rather than a full three. Measure what is left before ordering, because beds that get a full three inches every spring build up to six inches of matted material in four years.
Break the old crust with a rake before the new layer goes down. A hard crusted mulch layer sheds water rather than holding it.
Questions people ask
How many bags of mulch in a cubic yard?
13.5 bags at 2 cubic feet each, because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
How much does a yard of mulch cover?
About 162 square feet at 2 inches deep, 108 square feet at 3 inches, and 81 square feet at 4 inches.
How deep should mulch be?
Two to three inches in a bed. An inch or an inch and a half is enough when topping up a bed that already has mulch in it, and more than four inches starts to do harm.
How much does a yard of mulch weigh?
Roughly 800 pounds dry for a hardwood mulch, and a good deal more wet. A pickup with a half ton rating handles about one yard of dry mulch safely, not two.