Redline
Free calculator

Yards of mulch, bed by bed.

Square feet of bed times the depth you're spreading, turned into cubic yards for the bulk order, or bags for the small jobs. The same math works for topsoil, loam and compost.

sq ft
Length x width of each bed, added together.
in
Your spec for the job. Topping up an old bed takes less.
cu ft
Printed on the bag. Ignore it if you buy bulk.
Volume150 cu ft
Bulk, in cubic yards5.56 cu yd
Or bags, at the size above75
One yard covers, at this depth108 sq ft

Tell Redline "quote the Ortegas, 5.5 yards of black mulch, edging and install" and it drafts the lines from your own prices.

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How the math works

Turn the depth into feet (3 inches is 0.25 ft), multiply by the bed area for cubic feet, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. 600 sq ft at 3 inches is 150 cu ft, or 5.56 yards.

For bags, divide the cubic feet by the bag size: 150 ÷ 2 = 75 bags. The last line runs it the other way: at 3 inches, one yard covers 108 sq ft, which is handy for sizing up a bed by eye while you walk the property.

600 sq ft of beds at three depths

Bags are 2 cu ft in this example.

JobCubic feetCubic yardsBagsOne yard covers
600 sq ft at 2 in1003.7050162 sq ft
600 sq ft at 3 in1505.5675108 sq ft
600 sq ft at 4 in2007.4110081 sq ft
One 3 x 40 ft bed at 3 in301.1115108 sq ft

What to watch for

  • Measure every bed. Tree rings are circles: 3.14 x radius x radius. A ring 4 ft across is about 12.6 sq ft.
  • Top-dressing isn't a new bed. Refreshing last year's mulch takes less depth. Enter what you'll actually spread.
  • Round to how your yard sells it. If bulk goes by the half or whole yard, 5.56 means ordering 6.
  • Bag sizes differ by brand. Type the size printed on the bag you're buying.
  • Topsoil and compost by the ton? Get the weight per yard from the yard and use the gravel calculator, which converts yards to tons.

Questions contractors ask

How many bags of mulch are in a yard?

27 cubic feet divided by the bag size. With 2 cu ft bags that's 13.5 bags per yard; with 3 cu ft bags, 9.

How deep should mulch go?

That's a call for the plants and the bed, so this calculator doesn't set one. It takes the depth you plan to spread.

Does it work for stone or rubber mulch?

For the volume, yes. Stone is usually sold by the ton, so convert the yards with the gravel calculator.

How does Redline use the yards?

Spring is a pile of small quotes. Say "quote the Ortegas: spring cleanup, edge all beds, 6 yards black mulch installed" and Redline drafts the lines at your prices and saves the quote to the Ortega file. Book the crew day by chat, and when it's done, invoice it with a card pay link on Solo, $29 a month. See landscaping estimates.

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