Mulch Calculator
A mulch calculator tells you how much mulch a bed needs. It takes the bed size and the spread depth, and returns the volume in cubic yards and bags, plus the cost for bulk or bagged. Type your bed size below and set the depth. Everything runs in your browser, with no signup.
Updated for 2026Your bed
How much one cubic yard of mulch covers
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. The area it covers depends on the depth. Tap a row to set that depth.
| Depth | Area per cubic yard | Bags per yard | Use |
|---|
How the mulch volume is calculated
Mulch is sold by volume. Multiply the bed area by the depth, with the depth converted from inches to feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards:
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, and a standard bag of mulch holds 2 cubic feet, so a cubic yard is about 13.5 bags. Bulk mulch delivered by the cubic yard is usually cheaper than bags once you need more than a handful, but bags are easier to handle for a small bed.
- Bed20 ft × 10 ft
- Area (20 × 10)200 ft²
- Depth3 in (0.25 ft)
- Volume (200 × 0.25)50 ft³
- Cubic yards (50 ÷ 27)1.85 yd³
- Bags (50 ÷ 2)25 bags
- Bulk cost (1.85 × $35)$65
- Bagged cost (25 × $4)$100
Frequently asked questions
How much mulch do I need?
How much does a cubic yard of mulch cover?
How many bags is a cubic yard?
How deep should mulch be?
Does this calculator store my numbers?
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