2016
Sycamore mulch chart
Put your bed area, sycamore mulch depth and waste allowance in: 9200 sq ft at 3 inches with 10% waste needs 10,120.00 sq ft, 93.70 cubic yards exact — order 94 cubic yards.
★ CONSTRUCTION · MULCH · SYCAMORE MULCH CHART
Sycamore Bark Mulch Chart: 9200 Sq Ft, 3 Inches, Order 94
On the defaults — a 9200 square foot bed at 3 inches deep with a 10% waste allowance — you need 10,120.00 square feet of cover, 93.70 cubic yards exact, so order 94 cubic yards. This is the SYCAMORE version — the mulch chart for sycamore, a shredded bark in pale tan tones with a fine, fibrous texture, laid for beds and paths, that breaks down slowly over several seasons.
What does 93.70 cubic yards of sycamore mulch mean?
It means a 9200 square foot bed, once the 10% waste allowance is added, needs 10,120.00 square feet of cover at 3 inches deep — 2,530.00 cubic feet, which is 93.70 cubic yards. Because mulch is sold by the whole yard, you order 94 cubic yards: the exact figure sits 0.30 yards below the next whole yard, so the order carries 0.30 yards of headroom for spillage and uneven ground. At 3 inches, one cubic yard covers 108.0 square feet, so the same bed at 2 inches would need only 62.47 yards, and at 4 inches it would need 124.94 yards.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Area needed | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 10,120.00 sq ft — 9200 × 1.10. |
| Volume in cubic feet | area needed × depth ÷ 12 | 2,530.00 cubic feet — 10,120.00 × 3 ÷ 12. |
| Exact volume | area needed × depth ÷ 324 | 93.70 cubic yards — 10,120.00 × 3 ÷ 324. |
| Order quantity | round exact volume up to a whole yard | 94 cubic yards — the next whole yard above 93.70. |
| Coverage per yard | 324 ÷ depth | 108.0 sq ft per yard — 324 ÷ 3. |
| Area behind a target volume | target volume × 324 ÷ depth ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 9200 sq ft — 93.70 × 324 ÷ 3 ÷ 1.10, rounded. |
| Depth behind a target volume | area needed × depth ÷ 324, solved for depth | 3 inches — the depth that turns 10,120.00 sq ft into 93.70 yards. |
| Waste behind a target volume | target volume × 324 ÷ depth ÷ area − 1, as a percent | 10% — the allowance that turns 9200 sq ft into 10,120.00 sq ft. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, measure the bed honestly: length times width for each bed, added together, with L-shaped beds split into rectangles. A guessed area moves the order by the same percentage as the guess. Second, keep the depth honest: sycamore breaks down slowly, so the layer thins over the season — and the flaky pieces mat together and hold their depth on slopes better than round stones do, though loose pieces at the edges still wander. Third, do not skip the waste allowance on sycamore: even tightly matted flaky pieces leave gaps, and spillage at the edges and uneven ground still eat into the load, so the 10% allowance is the difference between finishing the bed and running short with the truck already gone. The headline order of 92 yards carries 0.30 yards of headroom, which covers ordinary spillage on a bed like this one.
Worked example
Area 9200 sq ft, depth 3 inches, waste 10%. Area needed: 9200 × 1.10 = 10,120.00 sq ft. Exact volume: 10,120.00 × 3 ÷ 324 = 93.70 cubic yards. Order: round 93.70 up to 94 cubic yards. Drop the waste to 0% and the exact volume falls to 85.19 yards, order 86; raise the waste to 5% and it is 89.44 yards, order 90; raise it to 15% and it is 97.96 yards, order 98. Drop the depth to 2 inches and it falls to 62.47 yards, order 63; raise it to 4 inches and it climbs to 124.94 yards, order 125. Depth moves the answer faster than waste does, because every inch adds a full layer across the whole bed.
Sycamore bark mulch lookup table
Every row below applies 10% waste to the area first, then divides by 324: yards = area needed × depth ÷ 324, rounded up to the next whole yard for the order. Find your bed size and depth, read across, and order the last column.
| Area (sq ft) | Depth (inches) | Area needed (sq ft, 10% waste) | Exact (cubic yards) | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 2 | 330.00 | 2.04 | 3 cubic yards |
| 300 | 3 | 330.00 | 3.06 | 4 cubic yards |
| 600 | 2 | 660.00 | 4.07 | 5 cubic yards |
| 600 | 3 | 660.00 | 6.11 | 7 cubic yards |
| 800 | 3 | 880.00 | 8.15 | 9 cubic yards |
| 800 | 4 | 880.00 | 10.86 | 11 cubic yards |
| 1100 | 2 | 1,210.00 | 7.47 | 8 cubic yards |
| 1100 | 3 | 1,210.00 | 11.20 | 12 cubic yards |
| 1300 | 2 | 1,430.00 | 8.83 | 9 cubic yards |
| 1500 | 3 | 1,650.00 | 15.28 | 16 cubic yards |
| 1600 | 3 | 1,760.00 | 16.30 | 17 cubic yards |
| 1600 | 4 | 1,760.00 | 21.73 | 22 cubic yards |
| 1800 | 2 | 1,980.00 | 12.22 | 13 cubic yards |
| 2200 | 3 | 2,420.00 | 22.41 | 23 cubic yards |
| 2600 | 3 | 2,860.00 | 26.48 | 27 cubic yards |
| 3200 | 2 | 3,520.00 | 21.73 | 22 cubic yards |
Every branch, checked
A 9200 square foot bed at 3-inch depth with 0% waste gives 85.19 cubic yards exact, order 86 cubic yards. The same bed at 2-inch depth with 10% waste gives 62.47 cubic yards exact, order 63 cubic yards. A 9000 square foot bed at 3-inch depth with 10% waste gives 91.67 cubic yards exact, order 92 cubic yards. A 9400 square foot bed at 3-inch depth with 10% waste gives 95.74 cubic yards exact, order 96 cubic yards. Each branch changes exactly one input, so the difference from 93.70 isolates that input.
The reverses, worked backwards
The area behind 93.70 cubic yards is 9200 sq ft: at 9000 sq ft the figures are 91.67 cubic yards exact, order 92 cubic yards, and at 9400 sq ft they are 95.74 cubic yards exact, order 96 cubic yards. The depth behind 93.70 cubic yards is 3 inches: at 2 inches the figures are 62.47 cubic yards exact, order 63 cubic yards, and at 4 inches they are 124.94 cubic yards exact, order 125 cubic yards — one inch either way moves the order by about 31.2 yards. The waste behind 93.70 cubic yards is 10%: at 5% the figures are 89.44 cubic yards exact, order 90 cubic yards, and at 15% they are 97.96 cubic yards exact, order 98 cubic yards.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a flat 9200 square foot bed, a uniform 3-inch layer, and a 10% waste allowance. Real sycamore beds are rarely flat: paths and tree trunks eat into the area, and loose pieces at the edges wander into the lawn, so measure the planted area only and keep the waste allowance on sloped ground. Zero square feet is the honest edge: 0.00 cubic yards exact, order 0. A depth of zero or below, a negative area, or a negative waste allowance is rejected, because none of them describes a real bed.
Who uses this
A gardener dressing beds and paths with sycamore: the 9200 square foot headline is a large garden bed or a long drive, and the table covers everything from a 300 square foot border to a 3200 square foot yard. A landscaper quoting a sycamore job: the waste column protects the quote, and the order column is the number given to the supplier. A homeowner laying sycamore on a path: the 3-inch rows are the bed depths, and the 2-inch rows are the path depths. A community garden coordinator splitting a bulk delivery: each plot reads its own row, and the orders add up to the truckload.
Accuracy & limitations
The arithmetic is exact for the inputs entered; the judgement is in the inputs. A guessed area, a depth measured before the pieces settle, or a skipped waste allowance will each move the answer by exactly the amount of the error, every load. The model does not include pieces wandering at the edges, delivery minimums, or the gaps between flaky pieces — a supplier may sell only in whole yards or charge extra below a minimum, so confirm the order quantity with the supplier. This page is a calculation tool, not landscaping advice.
Cite this calculator
Sycamore mulch 9200 sq ft at 3-inch depth with 10% waste needs 10,120.00 sq ft, 93.70 cubic yards exact, order 94 yards. Free calculator, plus 16-row table. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/sycamore-bark-mulch-chart/, accessed 31 October 2026 (2026-10-31).
Frequently asked questions
Why does the table apply waste to the area first?
Because waste is lost cover: spillage, scattering and uneven ground mean you need more covered area than the bed measures. Adding 10% to the area, then converting to yards, keeps the waste in the same units as the bed. Applying it after the conversion gives the same number here, but the area-first order keeps the table readable.
How deep should sycamore mulch really be?
Three inches is the standard bed layer on this page, and 2 inches suit paths and top-ups. Sycamore bark breaks down slowly, so a 3-inch spread thins over the season; if pieces scatter, set them back or top up the thin spots.
Does sycamore mulch introduce weed seeds?
Sycamore bark is organic, so a load can carry a few weed seeds; weeds can still root in the dust and debris that collects on top of it, so use fabric underneath and clear the debris. This calculator prices volume only and does not judge the gardening choice.
What if my bed is not a rectangle?
Split it into rectangles, measure each, and add the areas before entering the total. A circle uses radius times radius times 3.14. Guessing one number for an irregular bed is the most common reason orders come up short.
Why order 94 yards when the exact figure is 93.70?
Because mulch is sold by the whole yard, and 93.70 rounds up to 94 — the order carries 0.30 yards of headroom for spillage and uneven ground. That headroom is the buffer the exact figure does not have.
Can I use this chart for other mulch types?
The volume math is the same for any loose mulch — area, depth and waste convert the same way — but settling and coverage differ by material. Sycamore bark settles as it breaks down, so use the sycamore rows for sycamore bark and the matching chart for stone or wood chips.