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Mulch & Soil Calculator
Computes bed volume from area × depth in inches, reports cubic feet and yards, and optionally bags from bag size. Landscape estimating only.
Limitation: Educational landscape volume estimate only.
How to Estimate Mulch or Soil
Treat each bed as a rectangle, pick a depth, then choose bag size or leave 0 for bulk yards.
Enter bed length and width in feet.
Irregular beds
Split curves into smaller rectangles and sum the volumes, or use average width for a first pass.
What Cubic Yards Means
The primary result is cubic yards of material at the depth you chose—before settling.
Worked Mulch & Soil Examples
20×10 bed, 3 in mulch
Inputs
Cubic yards
200 sq ft × 0.25 ft = 50 cu ft ≈ 1.852 cu yd; 25 bags of 2 cu ft.
Border bed, bulk only
Inputs
Cubic yards
120 × 0.25 = 30 cu ft ≈ 1.111 cu yd.
Depth drives volume
Doubling depth doubles volume. A 2-inch mulch layer uses two-thirds the material of a 3-inch layer on the same footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about this calculation?
Try the CalculatorMulch and Soil Volume Formulas
Same prism volume used for concrete beds—depth is just shallower.
Formula
Area
length × width
Cubic feet
area × (depth ÷ 12)
Cubic yards
cu ft ÷ 27
Bags
ceil(cu ft ÷ bag size)
Scientific Background
Assumptions: rectangular bed and uniform depth. Limitations: no slope, compaction, or moisture correction.
Sources & review
Mulch & Soil Calculator documents the references behind its formulas and assumptions. Always treat results as educational estimates, not personalized professional advice.
Last reviewed
July 22, 2026
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