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Stone mulch chart
Put your stone mulch area, depth and waste in: 950 sq ft at 3-inch depth with 10% waste needs 1,045.00 sq ft — 9.68 cubic yards exact, order 10.
★ CONSTRUCTION · REFERENCE TABLE #477 · STONE MULCH
Stone Mulch Chart: 950 Sq Ft, 3 Inches, Order 10 Yards
On the defaults — 950 square feet at a 3-inch depth with 10% waste — you need 1,045.00 square feet of coverage, which is 9.68 cubic yards exact, so order 10 cubic yards. This is reference table #477 — the stone version, where heavy stones hold moisture, keep weeds down, and never break down — 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), the black-mulch-chart page is the black version (600 sq ft, 4 inches, order 9 yards), and the cocoa-mulch-chart page is the cocoa version (450 sq ft, 3 inches, order 5 yards).
What does 9.68 cubic yards of stone mulch mean?
It means 1,045.00 square feet of coverage at 3 inches deep: the 950 square feet you measured, plus 10% for settling and spreading loss. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, so at 3 inches one yard covers 108.0 square feet — that is why even a middling bed orders several yards. The exact figure is 9.68 yards; you cannot order a fraction of a yard from most suppliers, so the order rounds up to 10. The extra 0.32 yard is not waste — it is the top-up the beds will need as the stones settle and shift.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 1,045.00 sq ft — 950 × 1.10. |
| Coverage per cubic yard | 324 ÷ depth in inches | 108.0 sq ft per yard — 324 ÷ 3. |
| Exact cubic yards | needed area × depth ÷ 324 | 9.68 — 1,045.00 × 3 ÷ 324. |
| Order | exact cubic yards rounded up | 10 cubic yards — 9.68 rounded up. |
| Area behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 950 sq ft behind 9.68 yards at 3 inches and 10% waste. |
| Depth behind a target order | target yards × 324 ÷ needed area | 3 inches behind 9.68 yards over 1,045.00 sq ft. |
| Waste behind a target order | (target yards × 324 ÷ depth ÷ area − 1) × 100 | 10% behind 9.68 yards over 950 sq ft at 3 inches. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, measure only the beds and borders you will cover: stone 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: stone 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, stone mulch is heavy and permanent: stones keep weeds down and hold moisture, and they never break down, though they hold heat and add weight to beds — check the garden’s planting needs, not just the volume, before ordering by the yard.
Worked example
Area 950 square feet, depth 3 inches, waste 10%. Needed area: 950 × 1.10 = 1,045.00 square feet. Coverage per yard at 3 inches: 324 ÷ 3 = 108.0 square feet. Exact yards: 1,045.00 ÷ 108.0 = 9.68. Order: 10 cubic yards. The same area at 4 inches would need 12.90 yards (order 13), and at 2 inches it would need 6.45 yards (order 7) — depth drives this chart more than area does, because every extra inch multiplies the whole surface.
Stone 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, 950 square feet at 3 inches needs 8.80 yards exact — order 9. At 4 inches with 10% waste, the same area needs 12.90 yards exact — order 13. At 1150 square feet with 3 inches and 10% waste, the order is 11.71 yards exact — order 12. At 750 square feet with 3 inches and 10% waste, the order is 7.64 yards exact — order 8. Each branch changes exactly one input, so the difference from 9.68 isolates that input.
The reverses, worked backwards
The area behind 9.68 yards is 950 square feet: at 850 square feet the figures are 8.66 yards exact — order 9, and at 1050 square feet they are 10.69 yards exact — order 11. The depth behind 9.68 yards is 3 inches: at 2 inches the figures are 6.45 yards exact — order 7, and at 4 inches they are 12.90 yards exact — order 13. The waste behind 9.68 yards is 10%: at 5% the figures are 9.24 yards exact — order 10, and at 15% they are 10.12 yards exact — order 11 — waste moves the exact figure here, and at the upper neighbor it moves the order too, which is why the order alone never tells you the waste. A 100-square-foot step moves the exact figure by about 1.02 yards at this depth; a 1-inch step moves it by about 3.23 yards.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a flat 950-square-foot mulched area, a uniform 3-inch installed depth, and 10% waste for settling and uneven ground. Real beds slope, have edging that holds stones, 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 stone mulch as suited to any plant, soil, or bed condition.
Who uses this
A gardener mulching beds and paths for a permanent finish: the beds are measured once, the depth is set by the planting, and the order is the budget line. A landscaper quoting a stone 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 stone 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
Stone mulch for 950 sq ft at 3-inch depth with 10% waste: 1,045.00 sq ft needed, 9.68 cubic yards exact, order 10 yards. Lookup table, branches, reverses. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/stone-mulch-chart/, accessed 30 October 2026 (2026-10-30).
Frequently asked questions
Why order 10 yards when the exact figure is 9.68?
Because suppliers sell whole yards and the stones shift: the 0.32 yard of rounding is the first top-up. Ordering exactly 9.68 is impossible, and ordering 9 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 stone mulch, and measuring them inflates the order by the whole unmulched area.
Is 3 inches deep enough for garden beds?
For stone mulch on beds, 3 inches is a sound installed depth: stones hold moisture, keep weeds down, and do 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 settling thin the layer faster than sheltered beds do.
Does stone mulch suit garden beds?
It suits beds and paths that want a permanent, low-maintenance cover: stones do not break down, so one install lasts for years, but they add weight, hold heat, and make 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 stone mulch be topped up?
Check it each season: stone mulch barely settles, so a bed laid at 3 inches stays near 3 inches a year later. Top up only where stones have shifted rather than adding a fresh full layer on top of the old one.