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Peat mulch chart
Put your peat mulch area, depth and waste in: 750 sq ft at 4-inch depth with 10% waste needs 825.00 sq ft — 10.19 cubic yards exact, order 11.
★ CONSTRUCTION · REFERENCE TABLE #480 · PEAT MULCH
Peat Mulch Chart: 750 Sq Ft, 4 Inches, Order 11 Yards
On the defaults — 750 square feet at a 4-inch depth with 10% waste — you need 825.00 square feet of coverage, which is 10.19 cubic yards exact, so order 11 cubic yards. This is reference table #480 — the peat version, where peat moss holds moisture, acidifies soil, and lightens heavy beds — 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 10.19 cubic yards of peat mulch mean?
It means 825.00 square feet of coverage at 4 inches deep: the 750 square feet you measured, plus 10% for settling and spreading loss. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, so at 4 inches one yard covers 81.0 square feet — that is why even a middling bed orders several yards. The exact figure is 10.19 yards; you cannot order a fraction of a yard from most suppliers, so the order rounds up to 11. The extra 0.81 yard is not waste — it is the top-up the beds will need as the peat settles and compresses.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 825.00 sq ft — 750 × 1.10. |
| Coverage per cubic yard | 324 ÷ depth in inches | 81.0 sq ft per yard — 324 ÷ 4. |
| Exact cubic yards | needed area × depth ÷ 324 | 10.19 — 825.00 × 4 ÷ 324. |
| Order | exact cubic yards rounded up | 11 cubic yards — 10.19 rounded up. |
| Area behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 750 sq ft behind 10.19 yards at 4 inches and 10% waste. |
| Depth behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ needed area | 4 inches behind 10.19 yards over 825.00 sq ft. |
| Waste behind a target order | (target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ area − 1) × 100 | 10% behind 10.19 yards over 750 sq ft at 4 inches. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, measure only the beds and borders you will cover: peat 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: peat mulch compresses under rain and foot traffic, and the layer thins over a season — the 10% waste covers spreading loss, and a top-up after the first season keeps beds evenly covered. Third, peat mulch is soft and moisture-holding: peat keeps soil damp and acidifies it, and it breaks down into the soil over time — check the garden’s planting needs, not just the volume, before ordering by the yard.
Worked example
Area 750 square feet, depth 4 inches, waste 10%. Needed area: 750 × 1.10 = 825.00 square feet. Coverage per yard at 4 inches: 324 ÷ 4 = 81.0 square feet. Exact yards: 825.00 ÷ 81.0 = 10.19. Order: 11 cubic yards. The same area at 5 inches would need 12.73 yards (order 13), and at 3 inches it would need 7.64 yards (order 8) — depth drives this chart more than area does, because every extra inch multiplies the whole surface.
Peat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 2 | 165.00 | 1.02 | 2 cubic yards |
| 250 | 3 | 275.00 | 2.55 | 3 cubic yards |
| 150 | 4 | 165.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 350 | 2 | 385.00 | 2.38 | 3 cubic yards |
| 450 | 3 | 495.00 | 4.58 | 5 cubic yards |
| 250 | 4 | 275.00 | 3.40 | 4 cubic yards |
| 550 | 2 | 605.00 | 3.73 | 4 cubic yards |
| 350 | 4 | 385.00 | 4.75 | 5 cubic yards |
| 750 | 2 | 825.00 | 5.09 | 6 cubic yards |
| 550 | 4 | 605.00 | 7.47 | 8 cubic yards |
| 450 | 2 | 495.00 | 3.06 | 4 cubic yards |
| 750 | 3 | 825.00 | 7.64 | 8 cubic yards |
| 900 | 3 | 990.00 | 9.17 | 10 cubic yards |
| 550 | 5 | 605.00 | 9.34 | 10 cubic yards |
| 700 | 4 | 770.00 | 9.51 | 10 cubic yards |
| 1000 | 4 | 1100.00 | 13.58 | 14 cubic yards |
Every branch, checked
At 0% waste, 750 square feet at 4 inches needs 9.26 yards exact — order 10. At 5 inches with 10% waste, the same area needs 12.73 yards exact — order 13. At 950 square feet with 4 inches and 10% waste, the order is 12.90 yards exact — order 13. At 550 square feet with 4 inches and 10% waste, the order is 7.47 yards exact — order 8. Each branch changes exactly one input, so the difference from 10.19 isolates that input.
The reverses, worked backwards
The area behind 10.19 yards is 750 square feet: at 650 square feet the figures are 8.83 yards exact — order 9, and at 850 square feet they are 11.54 yards exact — order 12. The depth behind 10.19 yards is 4 inches: at 3 inches the figures are 7.64 yards exact — order 8, and at 5 inches they are 12.73 yards exact — order 13. The waste behind 10.19 yards is 10%: at 5% the figures are 9.72 yards exact — order 10, and at 15% they are 10.65 yards exact — order 11 — 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 1.36 yards at this depth; a 1-inch step moves it by about 2.55 yards.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a flat 750-square-foot mulched area, a uniform 4-inch installed depth, and 10% waste for settling and uneven ground. Real beds slope, have edging that holds peat, 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 peat mulch as suited to any plant, soil, or bed condition.
Who uses this
A gardener mulching beds for a soft, moisture-holding finish: the beds are measured once, the depth is set by the planting, and the order is the budget line. A landscaper quoting a peat 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 peat mulch acidifies soil — confirm the mulch suits the garden before ordering. This page is a calculation tool, not gardening advice.
Cite this calculator
Peat mulch for 750 sq ft at 4-inch depth with 10% waste: 825.00 sq ft needed, 10.19 cubic yards exact, order 11 yards. Lookup table, branches, reverses. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/peat-mulch-chart/, accessed 30 October 2026 (2026-10-30).
Frequently asked questions
Why order 11 yards when the exact figure is 10.19?
Because suppliers sell whole yards and the peat settles: the 0.81 yard of rounding is the first top-up. Ordering exactly 10.19 is impossible, and ordering 10 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 peat mulch, and measuring them inflates the order by the whole unmulched area.
Is 4 inches deep enough for garden beds?
For peat mulch on beds, 4 inches is a generous installed depth: peat holds moisture and compresses as it settles, so the depth you lay thins over the season. On beds with heavy rain, check the depth each season, because washing and traffic thin the layer faster than sheltered beds do.
Does peat mulch suit garden beds?
It suits beds that want a soft, moisture-holding cover and plants that like acidic soil: peat acidifies as it breaks down, so one install feeds acid-loving plants for a season, but it adds acidity that alkaline-loving plants dislike.
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 peat mulch be topped up?
Check it each season: peat mulch breaks down into the soil, so a bed laid at 4 inches sits lower a year later. Top up each season where peat has thinned rather than adding a fresh full layer on top of the old one.