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Gravel mulch chart
Put your gravel mulch area, depth and waste in: 1000 sq ft at 2-inch depth with 10% waste needs 1,100.00 sq ft — 6.79 cubic yards exact, order 7.
★ CONSTRUCTION · REFERENCE TABLE #478 · GRAVEL MULCH
Gravel Mulch Chart: 1000 Sq Ft, 2 Inches, Order 7 Yards
On the defaults — 1000 square feet at a 2-inch depth with 10% waste — you need 1,100.00 square feet of coverage, which is 6.79 cubic yards exact, so order 7 cubic yards. This is reference table #478 — the gravel version, where loose gravel drains well, keeps weeds down, and never breaks down — the stone-mulch-chart page is the stone version (950 sq ft, 3 inches, order 10 yards), the wood-chip-mulch-chart page is the wood chip version (900 sq ft, 2 inches, order 7 yards), the bamboo-mulch-chart page is the bamboo version (850 sq ft, 4 inches, order 12 yards), and the black-mulch-chart page is the black version (600 sq ft, 4 inches, order 9 yards).
What does 6.79 cubic yards of gravel mulch mean?
It means 1,100.00 square feet of coverage at 2 inches deep: the 1000 square feet you measured, plus 10% for settling and spreading loss. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, so at 2 inches one yard covers 162.0 square feet — that is why even a middling bed orders several yards. The exact figure is 6.79 yards; you cannot order a fraction of a yard from most suppliers, so the order rounds up to 7. The extra 0.21 yard is not waste — it is the top-up the beds will need as the gravel settles and shifts.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 1,100.00 sq ft — 1000 × 1.10. |
| Coverage per cubic yard | 324 ÷ depth in inches | 162.0 sq ft per yard — 324 ÷ 2. |
| Exact cubic yards | needed area × depth ÷ 324 | 6.79 — 1,100.00 × 2 ÷ 324. |
| Order | exact cubic yards rounded up | 7 cubic yards — 6.79 rounded up. |
| Area behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 1000 sq ft behind 6.79 yards at 2 inches and 10% waste. |
| Depth behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ needed area | 2 inches behind 6.79 yards over 1,100.00 sq ft. |
| Waste behind a target order | (target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ area − 1) × 100 | 10% behind 6.79 yards over 1000 sq ft at 2 inches. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, measure only the beds and borders you will cover: gravel mulch on lawn or bare soil is not mulch, it is litter, and measuring the whole garden overstates the order. Second, depth is installed depth, not settled depth: gravel mulch shifts under foot traffic, and rain washes fines from the layer over a season — the 10% waste covers spreading loss, and a top-up after the first season keeps beds evenly covered. Third, gravel mulch is loose and hard-wearing: gravel keeps weeds down and drains well, and it never breaks down, though it holds heat and adds weight to beds — check the garden’s planting needs, not just the volume, before ordering by the yard.
Worked example
Area 1000 square feet, depth 2 inches, waste 10%. Needed area: 1000 × 1.10 = 1,100.00 square feet. Coverage per yard at 2 inches: 324 ÷ 2 = 162.0 square feet. Exact yards: 1,100.00 ÷ 162.0 = 6.79. Order: 7 cubic yards. The same area at 3 inches would need 10.19 yards (order 11), and at 1 inch it would need 3.40 yards (order 4) — depth drives this chart more than area does, because every extra inch multiplies the whole surface.
Gravel mulch lookup table
Every row below is the same formula at 10% waste: needed area is area × 1.10, exact cubic yards are needed area × depth ÷ 324, and the order is the exact figure rounded up. Rows vary in both area and depth, so a shallow small bed and a deep large one can both be read off directly. Find your row, or use the calculator above for any size the table does not list.
| Area (sq ft) | Depth (inches) | Needed area (sq ft) | Exact cubic yards | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2 | 110.00 | 0.68 | 1 cubic yard |
| 200 | 2 | 220.00 | 1.36 | 2 cubic yards |
| 100 | 3 | 110.00 | 1.02 | 2 cubic yards |
| 200 | 3 | 220.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 300 | 2 | 330.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 400 | 2 | 440.00 | 2.72 | 3 cubic yards |
| 300 | 3 | 330.00 | 3.06 | 4 cubic yards |
| 400 | 3 | 440.00 | 4.07 | 5 cubic yards |
| 650 | 2 | 715.00 | 4.41 | 5 cubic yards |
| 650 | 3 | 715.00 | 6.62 | 7 cubic yards |
| 500 | 2 | 550.00 | 3.40 | 4 cubic yards |
| 650 | 4 | 715.00 | 8.83 | 9 cubic yards |
| 1000 | 2 | 1100.00 | 6.79 | 7 cubic yards |
| 650 | 5 | 715.00 | 11.03 | 12 cubic yards |
| 600 | 3 | 660.00 | 6.11 | 7 cubic yards |
| 800 | 2 | 880.00 | 5.43 | 6 cubic yards |
Every branch, checked
At 0% waste, 1000 square feet at 2 inches needs 6.17 yards exact — order 7. At 3 inches with 10% waste, the same area needs 10.19 yards exact — order 11. At 1200 square feet with 2 inches and 10% waste, the order is 8.15 yards exact — order 9. At 800 square feet with 2 inches and 10% waste, the order is 5.43 yards exact — order 6. Each branch changes exactly one input, so the difference from 6.79 isolates that input.
The reverses, worked backwards
The area behind 6.79 yards is 1000 square feet: at 900 square feet the figures are 6.11 yards exact — order 7, and at 1100 square feet they are 7.47 yards exact — order 8. The depth behind 6.79 yards is 2 inches: at 1 inch the figures are 3.40 yards exact — order 4, and at 3 inches they are 10.19 yards exact — order 11. The waste behind 6.79 yards is 10%: at 5% the figures are 6.48 yards exact — order 7, and at 15% they are 7.10 yards exact — order 8 — waste moves the exact figure here without changing the order at either neighbor, which is why the order alone never tells you the waste. A 100-square-foot step moves the exact figure by about 0.68 yards at this depth; a 1-inch step moves it by about 3.40 yards.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a flat 1000-square-foot mulched area, a uniform 2-inch installed depth, and 10% waste for settling and uneven ground. Real beds slope, have edging that holds gravel, and lose material to wind and foot traffic — open, sloped beds deserve more waste, and sheltered beds with edging deserve less. Zero area is the honest edge: 0.00 yards, order 0. Negative area, zero depth, and negative waste are rejected. This chart prices volume only: it does not certify gravel mulch as suited to any plant, soil, or bed condition.
Who uses this
A gardener mulching beds and paths for a hard-wearing finish: the beds are measured once, the depth is set by the planting, and the order is the budget line. A landscaper quoting a gravel mulch install: the lookup table prices common sizes on the spot, and the calculator handles the odd shape. A homeowner covering a new border under trees: the border area, not the whole yard, is the area to enter. A groundskeeper topping up beds: the same formula prices the top-up if the area and the missing depth are measured first.
Accuracy & limitations
The arithmetic is exact for the inputs entered; the judgement is in the area and the depth. An area measured at the whole garden instead of the beds overstates the order badly, and an installed depth that later settles is not the depth plants enjoy. The model does not account for edging, drainage, weed fabric, delivery minimums, or how gravel mulch holds heat in full sun — confirm the mulch suits the garden before ordering. This page is a calculation tool, not gardening advice.
Cite this calculator
Gravel mulch for 1000 sq ft at 2-inch depth with 10% waste: 1,100.00 sq ft needed, 6.79 cubic yards exact, order 7 yards. Lookup table, branches, reverses. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/gravel-mulch-chart/, accessed 30 October 2026 (2026-10-30).
Frequently asked questions
Why order 7 yards when the exact figure is 6.79?
Because suppliers sell whole yards and the gravel shifts: the 0.21 yard of rounding is the first top-up. Ordering exactly 6.79 is impossible, and ordering 6 leaves the beds short before the season even starts.
Should I measure the whole garden or just the beds?
Just the beds and borders you will cover. Lawn, patios, and bare soil you leave unmulched need no gravel mulch, and measuring them inflates the order by the whole unmulched area.
Is 2 inches deep enough for garden beds?
For gravel mulch on beds and paths, 2 inches is a sound installed depth: gravel drains well, keeps weeds down, and does not break down, so the depth you lay is the depth that lasts. On beds with heavy rain, check the depth each season, because washing and traffic thin the layer faster than sheltered beds do.
Does gravel mulch suit garden beds?
It suits beds and paths that want a hard-wearing, low-maintenance cover: gravel does not break down, so one install lasts for years, but it adds weight, holds heat, and makes later digging harder than shredded mulches.
What if my bed is not a rectangle?
Break it into rectangles and add the areas, or measure the longest length times the longest width and accept a small overestimate. For an L-shaped bed, two rectangles are exact; a single bounding rectangle overstates the order, which is safer than understating it.
How often should gravel mulch be topped up?
Check it each season: gravel mulch barely settles, so a bed laid at 2 inches stays near 2 inches a year later. Top up only where gravel has shifted rather than adding a fresh full layer on top of the old one.