★ REFERENCE TABLE · CONSTRUCTION · GARDEN & LANDSCAPING
500 sq ft at 3 inches deep needs 125 cu ft of mulch — 4.63 cu yd, or 63 bags of 2 cu ft. Find your area and depth in the chart below, or enter your own numbers in the calculator: it gives cubic feet, cubic yards, and the bag count for any bed size. Bulk mulch is usually sold by the cubic yard and bagged mulch by the 2 cu ft bag, so the chart shows both — buy by whichever your supplier sells.
Mulch math is volume math: area times depth, converted to the unit the seller uses. The trap is mixing units — square feet with inches, then forgetting there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. This page keeps every conversion visible, so the number you buy matches the bed you measured. Measure the bed, pick a depth, and read the answer in cubic feet, cubic yards, and bags.
Cubic feet = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12. Cubic yards = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27, which is the same as cubic feet ÷ 27. Bags (2 cu ft) = cubic feet ÷ 2, rounded up to the next whole bag — with an epsilon-safe ceiling (a tiny 1e-9 tolerance is applied before rounding up) so an exact whole number of bags never rounds up to one extra bag. Displayed cubic yards are rounded to two decimals; the bag count is always computed from unrounded cubic feet. Bulk yards are usually sold rounded up, so a 4.63 cu yd result means ordering 5 cu yd from a supplier that sells whole yards only.
Setup: 500 sq ft at 3 inches deep, bags of 2 cu ft.
Line 1 — cubic feet. 500 × 3 ÷ 12 = 125.00 cu ft.
Line 2 — cubic yards. 125 ÷ 27 = 4.63 cu yd.
Line 3 — bags. 125 ÷ 2 = 62.5, rounded up = 63 bags.
100 sq ft at 3 inches. 100 × 3 ÷ 12 = 25.00 cu ft, which is 0.93 cu yd, or 13 bags (25 ÷ 2 = 12.5, rounded up).
1000 sq ft at 2 inches. 1000 × 2 ÷ 12 = 166.67 cu ft, which is 6.17 cu yd, or 84 bags (166.67 ÷ 2 = 83.33, rounded up).
500 sq ft at 4 inches. 500 × 4 ÷ 12 = 166.67 cu ft, which is 6.17 cu yd, or 84 bags — the same as the bed above, because doubling the area at 2 inches equals the same area at 4 inches in volume.
200 sq ft at 2 inches. 200 × 2 ÷ 12 = 33.33 cu ft, which is 1.23 cu yd, or 17 bags (33.33 ÷ 2 = 16.67, rounded up).
Each cell shows cubic yards first, then the number of 2 cu ft bags. Every row was checked against the calculator above: pick your area row and your depth column, and the cell matches the calculator exactly. Depths are loose, freshly-spread depths — see the note below on settling.
| Bed area | 2 inches deep | 3 inches deep | 4 inches deep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.62 cu yd (9 bags) | 0.93 cu yd (13 bags) | 1.23 cu yd (17 bags) |
| 200 sq ft | 1.23 cu yd (17 bags) | 1.85 cu yd (25 bags) | 2.47 cu yd (34 bags) |
| 300 sq ft | 1.85 cu yd (25 bags) | 2.78 cu yd (38 bags) | 3.70 cu yd (50 bags) |
| 400 sq ft | 2.47 cu yd (34 bags) | 3.70 cu yd (50 bags) | 4.94 cu yd (67 bags) |
| 500 sq ft | 3.09 cu yd (42 bags) | 4.63 cu yd (63 bags) | 6.17 cu yd (84 bags) |
| 600 sq ft | 3.70 cu yd (50 bags) | 5.56 cu yd (75 bags) | 7.41 cu yd (100 bags) |
| 700 sq ft | 4.32 cu yd (59 bags) | 6.48 cu yd (88 bags) | 8.64 cu yd (117 bags) |
| 800 sq ft | 4.94 cu yd (67 bags) | 7.41 cu yd (100 bags) | 9.88 cu yd (134 bags) |
| 900 sq ft | 5.56 cu yd (75 bags) | 8.33 cu yd (113 bags) | 11.11 cu yd (150 bags) |
| 1000 sq ft | 6.17 cu yd (84 bags) | 9.26 cu yd (125 bags) | 12.35 cu yd (167 bags) |
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic feet | Area × depth ÷ 12 | 125.00 at the defaults — the raw volume of the bed. |
| Cubic yards | Area × depth ÷ 12 ÷ 27 | 4.63 at the defaults — the bulk-order unit. |
| Bags of 2 cu ft | Cubic feet ÷ 2, rounded up | 63 at the defaults — the bagged-buying unit. |
| Whole yards to order | Cubic yards, rounded up | 5 at the defaults, where a supplier sells whole yards only. |
The volume math is exact for the area and depth you enter, but the table is a buying guide, not an exact settled-depth promise: settled depth after watering and compacting is less than the loose depth you spread, so a bed mulched to 3 inches loose will measure less than 3 inches after a few rains — order for the loose depth and expect settling, or add a little extra if the finished depth matters. Irregular beds, slopes, and existing mulch layers all change the true volume: measure irregular beds in rectangles and add them, subtract areas taken by large rocks or paths, and remember that a refresh over existing mulch needs less than a fresh bed at the same nominal depth. Bag sizes also vary — this chart assumes 2 cu ft bags, the common garden-center size; if your bags are 3 cu ft, divide the cubic feet by 3 instead. Error policy: missing, non-numeric, or non-positive inputs (area, depth) are reported as errors rather than calculated, so no result ever shows NaN.
Bright Side Kit. "Mulch Coverage Chart." https://brightoolbox.com/mulch-coverage-chart/ Accessed October 24, 2026.125 cu ft — 4.63 cu yd, or 63 bags of 2 cu ft. The math is 500 × 3 ÷ 12 = 125 cu ft, 125 ÷ 27 = 4.63 cu yd, and 125 ÷ 2 = 62.5, rounded up to 63 bags.
Cubic yards = area in square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 ÷ 27. The ÷ 12 turns inches into feet, and the ÷ 27 turns cubic feet into cubic yards, since a cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet.
13.5 bags of 2 cu ft make one cubic yard. A cubic yard is 27 cu ft, and 27 ÷ 2 = 13.5 — so a 4.63 cu yd order equals 62.5 bags before rounding up to 63.
166.67 cu ft — 6.17 cu yd, or 84 bags. The math is 1000 × 2 ÷ 12 = 166.67 cu ft, 166.67 ÷ 27 = 6.17 cu yd, and 166.67 ÷ 2 = 83.33, rounded up to 84 bags.
Bulk by the cubic yard is usually cheaper per cubic foot for large beds, while bags suit small beds and car transport. Compare the delivered bulk price against the bag price for the same volume — for 500 sq ft at 3 inches that is 4.63 cu yd against 63 bags.
3 inches is the usual target for a fresh bed; 2 inches suits a refresh over existing mulch. At 500 sq ft, 3 inches needs 4.63 cu yd while 2 inches needs 3.09 cu yd — each extra inch adds a third to the order.
Yes — settled depth after watering and compacting is less than the loose depth you spread. This chart is a buying guide for loose depth, not an exact settled-depth promise, so a bed spread to 3 inches loose will measure less after a few rains.
Divide the cubic feet by 3 instead of 2. For 500 sq ft at 3 inches, 125 ÷ 3 = 41.67, rounded up to 42 bags of 3 cu ft. The cubic yards figure does not change.