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Mulch Calculator
Overview
Calculate how much mulch you need before you make your trip out to the store to buy some. Quickly calculate a breakdown of the various quantities of mulch from dimensions or from an area.
Mulch is usually made with bark chips but sometimes also straw, rubber, hardwood or gravel. It serves as the perfect top layer for flowerbeds as it keeps moisture in, deters weeds from sprouting up, and can provide a clean looking finish for your garden.
How Much Mulch
Before you calculate how much mulch you need given your own dimensions or area here's a chart that gives you a rough idea of how much land one bag of mulch can cover. It breaks down the coverage for standard US bag sizes for mulch with depths from 1 to 4 inches:
Desired Depth |
1 ft3 bag |
2 ft3 bag |
3 ft3 bag |
1 in |
324 ft2 |
24 ft2 |
36 ft2 |
2 in |
162 ft2 |
12 ft2 |
18 ft2 |
3 in |
108 ft2 |
8 ft2 |
12 ft2 |
4 in |
81 ft2 |
6 ft2 |
9 ft2 |
Calculating Mulch Coverage
It is a good idea to have a good general understanding of about how much area you will need to cover before you purchase mulch. Here is a quick guide on measuring and calculating mulch coverage.
It is easier to work with the name units of measurement. Start by measuring the length and width of the area or areas you want to cover if its an irregular shape. To calculate the total area multiple the length by the width for each rectangular area than add these areas together to get your total coverage area. For circular or round areas, you can treat it like a square and calculate their area and add them accordingly.
You will also need to consider the depth of the mulch. If you intend for the mulch to mostly serve a decorative purpose than 2 inches should suffice. However, if you are trying to block sunlight from reaching nuisant weeds, or to retain mositure in a arid climate then you want 4 inches of depth. If you are not sure what you want to do you can use 3 inches.
Finally take your total area of coverage and multiple it by your intended depth of mulch. This will yield the volume of mulch you will need. For a more detailed breakdown you can enter these measurements into our mulch calculator.
Disclaimer
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