How Many Bags of Mulch in a Yard? Bag Counts for 100 to 1,000 sq ft

Your bed needs "about a yard" of mulch, but the store sells it in 2-cubic-foot bags. A cubic yard of mulch is 27 cubic feet: 13.5 of the common 2-cubic-foot bags, so buy 14, or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet. One yard covers 162 square feet at 2 inches deep, or 108 square feet at 3 inches.

Don't go deeper to be safe. The University of Maryland Extension says mulch should be three inches or less, and warns that deeper mulch can rob roots of water and encourage shallow roots. So the charts below stop at 3 inches, show how to buy only the difference when you top up an old bed, and how many cart trips a 300 sq ft bed takes.

Free calculator: our free mulch calculator turns bed size and depth into cubic yards and bags, for 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 cu ft bags. No sign-up.

Bags of mulch per cubic yard

1 cu ft bags — 27 bags per yard

1.5 cu ft bags — 18 bags per yard

2 cu ft bags — 13.5 bags per yard (buy 14)

3 cu ft bags — 9 bags per yard

One 2 cu ft bag covers 12 sq ft at 2 inches, or 8 sq ft at 3 inches.

How many bags of mulch for your bed

Bag counts are rounded up to whole bags.

100 sq ft, 2 in — 16.7 cu ft; 0.62 cu yd; 9 bags (2 cu ft) or 6 bags (3 cu ft)

100 sq ft, 3 in — 25 cu ft; 0.93 cu yd; 13 bags or 9 bags

200 sq ft, 2 in — 33.3 cu ft; 1.23 cu yd; 17 bags or 12 bags

200 sq ft, 3 in — 50 cu ft; 1.85 cu yd; 25 bags or 17 bags

300 sq ft, 2 in — 50 cu ft; 1.85 cu yd; 25 bags or 17 bags

300 sq ft, 3 in — 75 cu ft; 2.78 cu yd; 38 bags or 25 bags

500 sq ft, 2 in — 83.3 cu ft; 3.09 cu yd; 42 bags or 28 bags

500 sq ft, 3 in — 125 cu ft; 4.63 cu yd; 63 bags or 42 bags

1,000 sq ft, 2 in — 166.7 cu ft; 6.17 cu yd; 84 bags or 56 bags

1,000 sq ft, 3 in — 250 cu ft; 9.26 cu yd; 125 bags or 84 bags

Topping up an old bed? Measure how deep the old mulch still is and only buy the difference. An inch of top-up over 300 sq ft is 25 cu ft: 13 bags.

How to measure a bed for mulch

Rectangles: length × width. A 4 × 25 ft strip along the house is 100 sq ft.

Circles around a tree: 3.14 × radius × radius. A ring 6 ft across (3 ft radius) is about 28 sq ft. At 2 inches that is 4.7 cu ft: 3 bags of 2 cu ft.

Odd shapes: split the bed into rectangles and add them up, or enter the total square footage in the calculator.

Depth in inches to cubic feet: square feet × depth ÷ 12. Divide by 27 for cubic yards.

Free mulch this fall: shredded leaves

Fall leaves can stand in for bagged mulch. University of Illinois Extension says a 2-inch layer of shredded leaves on a landscape bed turns into a soft brown leaf mulch by spring, and that shredded leaves break down faster and are less likely to blow away. Our guide on how to turn fall leaves into free mulch covers the steps.

A cart and a leaf shredder for mulching (#ad)

As an Amazon Associate, Curb Calc earns from qualifying purchases.

Gorilla Carts 4 Cu Ft Poly Dump Cart — a 4 cu ft poly tub with a 600 lb rating, 10-inch pneumatic tires and a quick-release dump, per the maker. Two 2 cu ft bags of mulch fill the tub, so a 300 sq ft bed at 2 inches (25 bags) is about 13 trips. See it on Amazon

WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher — a 13 amp electric leaf mulcher that the maker says shreds up to 53 gallons of leaves a minute and cuts leaves down by up to 11 to 1 into a bag underneath. See it on Amazon

Mulch bags FAQ

How many 2 cubic foot bags of mulch make a yard? 13.5. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so buy 14 bags.

How many bags of mulch do I need for 500 square feet? At 2 inches, 83.3 cu ft: 42 bags of 2 cu ft or 28 bags of 3 cu ft. At 3 inches, 63 or 42 bags.

How many bags of mulch do I need for 200 square feet? At 2 inches, 17 bags of 2 cu ft. At 3 inches, 25 bags.

How deep should mulch be? The University of Maryland Extension says three inches or less, and warns that deeper mulch can rob roots of water and encourage shallow roots.

Is bulk mulch cheaper than bags? Compare the bag price × 13.5 (2 cu ft bags) with the delivered price of one cubic yard. The calculator shows both side by side when you enter prices.

Free calculator: enter your bed size, depth and bag size in the free mulch calculator and compare bags with bulk.

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Sources: University of Maryland Extension, Home Landscape Best Management Practices; University of Illinois Extension, Don't Bag Your Fall Leaves, Use Them.