How many bags of mulch in a yard?
Multiply the area by the depth for a volume, then multiply the volume by 250 kg per cubic metre for a weight. At 3 inches deep, 100 square feet of mulch is about 0.91 cubic yards, which weighs about 0.19 US tons. Enter your own measurements below.
Mulch calculator
Use your supplier's density
You need
- Volume
- Weight
- Area
| Order by | Exact | Order, rounded up for anything sold in whole bags |
|---|
Enter your measurements to see what to order.
How many cubic feet in a yard of mulch?
27. A cubic yard is three feet on every side, and three cubed is 27. That is true of any material, because it is a question about the unit rather than about the mulch.
Bags per cubic yard, by bag size
| Bag | Per cubic yard | Order | Per cubic metre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 cu ft bag | 13.5 | 14 | 17.66 |
The order column rounds up, because suppliers do not sell part bags.
What a cubic yard of mulch weighs
About 421 pounds, which is 0.21 US tons. Across the published density range it is 337 to 506 pounds, which is the difference between a load a pickup can take and one it cannot.
Is it cheaper to buy mulch by the bag or by the yard?
Bulk is almost always cheaper per cubic yard, and bags almost always win on small jobs once delivery is counted. The break-even is your own supplier's delivery charge divided by the difference in price per yard, which is why the calculator above takes your price rather than quoting an average.
How much mulch for a given area
At 3 inches deep, the depth Mainland Aggregates recommends.
| Area | Cubic yards | US tons | Cubic metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.91 | 0.19 | 0.7 |
| 200 sq ft | 1.82 | 0.38 | 1.39 |
| 400 sq ft | 3.65 | 0.77 | 2.79 |
| 600 sq ft | 5.47 | 1.15 | 4.18 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 9.11 | 1.92 | 6.97 |
Every figure above is the calculator's own output at 250 kg per cubic metre, with no waste added. Add 10 percent to any of them before ordering.
Why two suppliers deliver different weights for the same order
Published densities for mulch run from 200 to 300 kg per cubic metre. On a 3.65 cubic yard order that is the difference between 0.61 and 0.92 US tons. Dry. Bark near 200 kg per cubic metre can roughly double after heavy rain, which puts a wet load above the top of this band.
3 published figures from 3 suppliers, read 2026-09-20.
| Supplier | Published figure | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Nursery (Shoreline, WA)US | 400-500 pounds per yard | unstated |
| Melcourt Industries LtdUK | Bulk Density 200 - 250 g/l | unstated (producer technical spec |
| Australian Native Landscapes (ANL)AU | Bark 0.3 (Tonnes / Metre) | loose ('Loose Tonnes' column) |
How much extra to order
10 percent. Mulch settles and breaks down, and bags are rarely filled to the brim. Ten percent is the usual allowance.
How many tons in a cubic yard of mulch?
About 0.21 US tons, and one ton is about 4.75 cubic yards.
The mulch calculator handles circles, L-shapes and triangles, and switches to cubic metres and bulk bags.