Mulch Calculator

Turn your bed size and mulch depth into cubic yards and a bag count, so you order the right amount the first time.

2–3 inches is the common range for garden beds.

How Mulch Math Works

Mulch volume is area × depth. Convert depth from inches to feet first (divide by 12), multiply by square footage to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards, which is how bulk mulch is sold.

Worked example: a 10 × 20 ft bed is 200 sq ft. At 3 inches (0.25 ft) that's 200 × 0.25 = 50 cubic feet, or 50 ÷ 27 ≈ 1.85 cubic yards — about 25 bags at 2 cu ft each.

Depth1 cubic yard covers about
1 inch324 sq ft
2 inches162 sq ft
3 inches108 sq ft
4 inches81 sq ft

The full explanation, including irregular beds and when bulk beats bagged, is in How to Calculate Exactly How Much Mulch You Need.