Landscaping
Mulch Coverage Calculator
Work out what area a given quantity of mulch covers at a chosen depth.
Result
A cubic yard covers 324 square feet one inch deep, so at three inches it covers 108. That single number is the whole calculation, and it is the one most suppliers quote on the sign. Coverage figures on a bag or a box are laboratory numbers measured on a flat, prepared surface. Real surfaces are rougher, more absorbent and more awkward than that, so the honest allowance is always higher than the label suggests.
Get a Free Business AuditWhat moves the number
- Depth, since coverage and depth trade off directly against each other.
- Material type, because coarse and fine mulches settle differently.
- Whether the figure needs to allow for settling after laying.
Where this one goes wrong
Quoting coverage from a supplier's headline figure without checking the depth it assumes. Suppliers commonly quote coverage at a thin depth, and at a usable depth the same yard covers considerably less.
Questions
About this calculator
Why does supplier coverage differ from mine?
Because of the depth assumed. A coverage figure is meaningless without the depth it was calculated at, and suppliers often quote at a thinner depth than the job needs.
Do different mulches cover differently?
By volume they cover the same, but coarser materials settle more and compact less evenly, so the practical coverage differs from the arithmetic.
How much extra should I order?
Enough to cover settling and uneven beds. Running short means a second delivery charge on a material that is cheap by the yard and expensive to deliver twice.
The formula
coverage per yard = 324 / depth in inches; yards = area / coverage
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How to use this calculator
- Length (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 40 ft.
- Width (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 10 ft.
- Coverage per cubic yard (sq ft) (sq ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 108 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%). Extra for cuts, breakage and offcuts.
- Cost per cubic yard ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $38.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to cubic yards needed, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Length (ft) | 40 ft |
| Width (ft) | 10 ft |
| Coverage per cubic yard (sq ft) | 108 sq ft |
| Waste allowance | 5% |
| Cost per cubic yard | $38 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards needed main result | 4 |
| Area | 400.0 |
| Area including waste | 420.0 |
| Estimated material cost | $152 |
For 400.0 sq ft plus 5% waste you need 4 cubic yards, costing about $152.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only cost per cubic yard, this is what happens to cubic yards needed. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Cost per cubic yard ($) | Cubic yards needed |
|---|---|
| $19 | 4 |
| $28.5 | 4 |
| $38 example above | 4 |
| $57 | 4 |
| $76 | 4 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Length (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 40 ft.
- Width (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 10 ft.
- Coverage per cubic yard (sq ft) (sq ft)
- Measured in sq ft, starting at 108 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%)
- Extra for cuts, breakage and offcuts.
- Cost per cubic yard ($)
- A money amount, starting at $38.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards needed | The headline result. A number. |
| Area | A decimal figure. |
| Area including waste | A decimal figure. |
| Estimated material cost | A money figure. |
Seasonality is not in this
Coverage and material figures assume the area you enter. Slope, access for machinery, existing growth and the time of year all affect both quantity and labour, and none of them appear in a calculation like this.
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.