Contractor Calculator · Landscaping
Mulch Calculator: Cubic Yards, Bags, and Cost
This mulch calculator turns bed square footage and depth into cubic yards, 2 cubic foot bags, and two dated price bands. Set the beds below.
Bidding the job? Estimate it from a photo in about 6 seconds.
2 in refreshes a bed, 3 in rebuilds one, 4 in for coarse nuggets
Bulk from two published yard price lists, Nebraska and Illinois. Bags from 232 store shelf prices in 12 states. Delivery is the published range at one Illinois yard. Local prices vary.
How the mulch calculator works
Bed area times depth gives cubic feet. Cubic feet over 27 gives cubic yards, because a cubic yard is 3 feet cubed. Iowa State University Extension writes it that way.
Clemson Cooperative Extension states it from the other end: a cubic yard covers 324 square feet an inch deep. Coverage halves as depth doubles.
Worked example: a 600 square foot bed at 3 inches
600 square feet at 3 inches is 150 cubic feet, or 5.56 cubic yards. Yards sell whole, so order 6. In bags it is 150 over 2, or 75 bags. On the published bands the bulk load runs $150 to $360 plus $40 to $125 delivery; bagged runs $262 to $322.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of that yard into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds.
Mulch coverage per cubic yard by depth
Pure geometry, checked against two published tables.
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | One 2 cu ft bag covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 24 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 12 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 8 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 6 sq ft |
Sutherlands prints that bag column on most of its bagged mulch listings, and it matches the geometry exactly. A cubic yard is 13.5 bags.
Bags or bulk: what each one costs
Every row is 3 inches deep, material only.
| Bed area | Cubic yards | Order | Bags | Bulk cost | Bagged cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.93 | 1 yd | 13 | $25 to $60 | $45 to $56 |
| 300 sq ft | 2.78 | 3 yd | 38 | $75 to $180 | $133 to $163 |
| 600 sq ft | 5.56 | 6 yd | 75 | $150 to $360 | $262 to $322 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 9.26 | 10 yd | 125 | $250 to $600 | $436 to $536 |
Turn the yardage into a signed quote
Yardage is the easy half. Edging, bed prep, weed fabric, haul, and margin decide the job. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
What a cubic yard of mulch costs at a real supply yard
Two named yards, two states, both published August 28, 2026. Lanoha Nurseries in Omaha, Nebraska lists premium hardwood at $24.99 per cubic yard and dyed at $39.99. Odyssey Landscape Supply outside Chicago, Illinois prices bulk mulch at $45.00 per yard, Nature’s Blanket at $60.00.
A 2.4 times spread on one commodity is why the widget shows a band and names the states. Delivery is the same story: Odyssey publishes $40 to $125 by zip with a $123 minimum, Lanoha delivers free at 4 yards and charges once up to 18. Ask your yard both questions.
Bagged is the other market. Across 232 store shelf prices in 12 states, a 2 cubic foot bag ran $3.49 to $4.29. Bags win only when the truck cannot reach the beds.
Why this mulch calculator rounds up twice
Rounding is spec here, not a display choice. Bags round up to the whole bag, because nobody sells two thirds of one. Bulk rounds up to the whole cubic yard. Both guard the float edge: 432 square feet at 3.5 inches is exactly 63 bags, but the raw division lands on 63.00000000000001, and an unguarded round-up bills a 64th.
What the number does not include
Material only. Bed prep, edging, weed fabric, haul-off, spreading labor, and sod are separate lines. One honest note: Lanoha publishes its coverage as 80 to 100 square feet per yard at 2 inches against a geometric 162, a yard’s allowance for settling and overfill.
Run the mulch estimate in this order
-
Measure every bed, then add them
Length times width, or radius squared times 3.14 for circles.
-
Set the depth first
2 inches to refresh, 3 on a rebuild or over weed fabric, and 4 only with coarse bark nuggets.
-
Convert to yards, then order up
Cubic feet over 27, rounded up.
-
Price bulk and bagged side by side
Add delivery to the bulk number first.
Keep reading
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Mulch. “One cubic yard will cover a 324-square-foot area with an inch of mulch.” 2026-08-28.
- Iowa State University Extension, mulch for a garden bed. Cubic feet over 27 gives cubic yards. 2026-08-28.
- Lanoha Nurseries, Omaha, Nebraska. Premium hardwood $24.99 per cubic yard, dyed $39.99, free delivery at 4 yards. 2026-08-28.
- Odyssey Landscape Supply, greater Chicago. Bulk $45.00 per yard, Nature’s Blanket $60.00, delivery $40 to $125. 2026-08-28.
- Sutherlands, 2 cubic foot bagged mulch. 232 store prices, 12 states, $3.49 to $4.29, plus its bag coverage table. 2026-09-09.
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator, App Store, 4.8. Re-verified 2026-08-28.
Common questions on the mulch calculator
How much mulch do I need for a 600 square foot bed?
At 3 inches, 5.56 cubic yards, so order 6. Or 75 bags of the 2 cubic foot size.
How many square feet does a cubic yard of mulch cover?
324 square feet an inch deep per Clemson Extension, so 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3, 81 at 4.
How many 2 cubic foot bags are in a yard of mulch?
13.5, because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
What does bulk mulch cost per yard?
$24.99 at Lanoha Nurseries in Nebraska, up to $60.00 at Odyssey in Illinois, both August 28, 2026. Delivery is extra.
Is bagged or bulk mulch cheaper?
Bulk wins the low end of both bands at every size shown here. Bagged now wins the high end at every size, since the shelf ceiling dropped from $5.99 to $4.29 a bag. A 600 square foot bed at 3 inches runs $150 to $360 in bulk plus $40 to $125 delivery against $262 to $322 in 2 cubic foot bags.
Can SimplyWise price a landscaping job from a photo?
Yes. It turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Free to try.
Turn the yardage into a signed quote.
Snap a photo, get an itemized branded estimate in about 6 seconds.