Mulching a 200 ft² bed, 3 in deep, 0% waste.
200 × 0.25 = 50 ft³, or 1.852 yd³. That's 25 bags of 2 ft³ mulch, or 17 bags of 3 ft³ (16.67, rounded up). At this size a bulk delivery of 2 yards is often simpler.
Mulch & Gravel Calculator
Find how much mulch, gravel or stone you need in cubic yards, bags or tons.
Results
- Area
- 200 ft²
- Cubic feet (with waste)
- 50 ft³
- Cubic yards
- 1.852 yd³
- Tons
- Bags
- 25 bags of 2 ft³
- One yard covers
- 108 ft²
Cost comparison
Enter the area and how deep you want the material. You'll get cubic yards for a bulk delivery, bags if you're buying at the store, and tons for stone that's sold by weight, whether you're topping up flower beds or laying a gravel driveway.
How to use it
- Pick a shape: rectangle, circle, triangle, or type in the total area if you already know it.
- Enter the measurements in feet and the depth in inches.
- Choose a material. The density preset matters only for tons, so it's important for stone and soil and doesn't matter for mulch.
- Pick a bag size. Mulch usually comes in 2 or 3 ft³ bags, and bagged stone in 0.5 ft³ bags.
- Set waste: 0% is the default for mulch and 10% for gravel. Read the yards, bags and tons.
Measuring odd-shaped beds
Few beds are perfect rectangles. Break yours into simple shapes, such as a rectangle plus a half-circle or two triangles, run each one and add them up. Or pace the bed out on graph paper and count squares to get a total area, then use the "enter area" option. For a curved bed along a path, measuring the length down the middle and an average width is usually close enough.
How deep should it be?
The tool defaults to 3 in for mulch beds and gravel paths and 4 to 6 in for driveways. Depth drives everything: going from 2 in to 3 in of mulch needs 50% more material. If you're topping up old mulch, measure what's left and only add the difference.
How it works
Volume is the area times the depth, divided by 27 for cubic yards. Tons multiply that by the material's density, and bags divide the cubic feet by the bag size.
- Area: rectangle = length × width, circle = π × (diameter ÷ 2)², triangle = ½ × base × height.
- Cubic feet = area × (depth in inches ÷ 12) × (1 + waste). Bags = cubic feet ÷ bag size, rounded up.
- One cubic yard covers 324 ÷ depth in inches, in square feet.
Worked examples
A round bed around a tree.
10 ft across, 3 in deep, 0% waste: π × 5² = 78.54 ft², which needs 19.63 ft³ (0.727 yd³) of mulch, or 10 bags of 2 ft³.
A triangular corner bed.
A 12 ft base and 8 ft depth from the corner gives ½ × 12 × 8 = 48 ft². At 3 in with 0% waste that's 12 ft³ (0.444 yd³), or 6 bags of 2 ft³.
A gravel pad.
20 × 10 ft at 4 in deep with 0% waste: 66.67 ft³, 2.469 yd³. At #57 stone's typical 1.40 tons per yard, that's 3.457 tons. With the gravel default of 10% waste, it's 73.33 ft³, 2.716 yd³ and 3.802 tons.
A gravel driveway.
60 × 12 ft of crusher run at 4 in with 10% waste: 264 ft³, 9.778 yd³ and, at 1.50 tons per yard, about 14.667 tons. That's several truckloads, so ask your supplier how much each delivery carries.
Coverage chart: what one cubic yard covers
| Depth | Coverage per yd³ |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 ft² |
| 2 in | 162 ft² |
| 3 in | 108 ft² |
| 4 in | 81 ft² |
| 5 in | 64.8 ft² |
| 6 in | 54 ft² |
One cubic yard equals 13.5 bags of 2 ft³, 9 bags of 3 ft³, or 54 bags of 0.5 ft³.
Typical densities used by the tool
| Material | Tons per yd³ |
|---|---|
| Crushed stone #57, pea gravel, driveway gravel | 1.40 |
| Crusher run / road base | 1.50 |
| River rock | 1.35 |
| Screened topsoil | 1.10 |
| Shredded mulch | 0.30 (mulch is shown by volume, not tons) |
These are typical figures from supplier tables. Real weight changes with moisture, stone size and how compacted it is, often by 10% or more, so confirm with your supplier before ordering by the ton. The calculator also works in loose volume. A compacted driveway base needs more material than the loose number suggests.
FAQ
How many bags of mulch do I need?
Multiply the bed area by the depth in feet, then divide by the bag size. A 200 ft² bed at 3 in needs 50 ft³: 25 bags of 2 ft³ or 17 bags of 3 ft³.
How many square feet does a yard of mulch cover?
108 ft² at 3 in deep, 162 ft² at 2 in and 81 ft² at 4 in. The rule is 324 ÷ depth in inches.
How many tons of gravel do I need?
Find cubic yards first, then multiply by the stone's density. A 20 × 10 ft area at 4 in is 2.469 yd³, about 3.46 tons of #57 stone at 1.40 tons per yard.
How much gravel do I need for a driveway?
Measure length and width, choose a depth (often 4 to 6 in) and add around 10% waste. A 60 × 12 ft driveway at 4 in takes about 9.8 yd³, or roughly 14.7 tons of crusher run.
How do I figure mulch for a circle?
Use π × radius². A 10 ft circle is 78.54 ft², which needs 0.727 yd³ at 3 in.
Is it cheaper to buy mulch in bags or bulk?
It depends on local prices, so enter your per-bag and per-yard prices to compare. Bulk often wins on larger jobs, but delivery fees can change that.