Mulch Calculator with Printable Coverage Chart
Figure mulch, compost, or sand for garden beds with a printable coverage chart. Choose a material and depth in the controls below, then download your list.
Coverage chart
Mulch bed shopping list
| Item | Area | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bagged material | 50 cu ft | 25 bags | |
| Loose bulk delivery | 1.9 cu yd | 2 cubic yards |
Assumptions
- Coverage area: 200 sq ft
- Depth: 3 in
- Volume: 50.00 cu ft
- Volume with waste: 50.00 cu ft
- Bag size: 2 cu ft per bag
- Loose bulk sold in half-yard increments
Supplies checklist
- Landscape fabric (optional)
- Edging or border
- Wheelbarrow or garden cart
- Rake for spreading
Estimates only. Check the coverage figure on your product before buying.
The Handy Pages · thehandypages.com
Mulch depth for garden beds
Shredded hardwood mulch breaks down faster than bark nuggets, so refresh color every season even when the measured depth still looks fine.
Keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks and woody stems. A donut shape reduces bark rot compared with volcano piles against the trunk.
Use the coverage chart when you are refreshing several beds with the same depth. Enter one large rectangle in the calculator when beds wrap the house and you only need a single order quantity.
About mulch depth and coverage
Mulch beds usually need 2 to 4 inches depending on whether you are refreshing color or smothering weeds. The worked example covers 200 square feet at 3 inches deep with 2 cu ft bags.
The printable coverage chart lists cubic yards and bag counts from 100 to 1,000 square feet at 2, 3, and 4 inch depths so you can sanity-check a single bed against the chart. Delivery trucks often sell in half-yard steps; bag counts round up to whole bags.
Pick mulch, compost, or sand with the Material control. Estimates only.
Gravel Calculator
Walkway base gravel is often 4 inches deep; driveways may need more. Example: 120 sq ft at 4 inches with 0.5 cu ft bags (typical for stone and pea gravel).
Both bagged and loose bulk lines appear so you can compare pickup versus delivery.
Use controls on this page for your path or pad dimensions.
More bulk presets
Need topsoil? Use the topsoil calculator.
Handy gear for spreading mulch and soil
- Landscape or garden rake for leveling beds and gravel (opens in new tab)
- Heavy-duty work gloves for bags, stone, and rough mulch (opens in new tab)
- Wheelbarrow or yard cart for moving bulk from the pile (opens in new tab)
- Knee pads or a garden kneeler for low bed work (opens in new tab)
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