How Many Cubic Feet in a Yard of Mulch?
A mulch garden uses mulch as the soil medium instead of natural earth or potting soil. Mulch gardens are very attractive and easy to maintain, but there are some basic things you should know about them before you create one in your yard or your garden. First, let’s answer the question, how many cubic feet in a yard of mulch? That way, you can make sure you buy enough to fill up the entire space where you want to create your mulch garden. Read on to learn more!
Mulch is good
Mulching helps retain moisture, suppresses weeds and improves soil health. But when you pick up mulch at your local home improvement store or nursery, you may be surprised to learn that it comes in so many different sizes and weights.
What are all these numbers on bags of mulch, and how do they compare with each other? In other words, how many cubic feet are there in a yard of mulch? Read on for an easy-to-understand breakdown!
The basic definition of a cubic foot is one foot long, one foot wide and one foot tall. To convert that to yards, you’ll need to do some basic math.
A cubic foot (ft3) is equal to 1728 cubic inches. Divide that number by 12 to get inches, then divide that again by 36 (because there are 3 feet in one yard). Your result will give you how many inches are in a cubic yard—3 feet x 3 feet x 1 foot = 27 cubic feet.
Why is mulch beneficial
You may wonder why it is worth it to spend money on mulch, when you can easily grab some at your local gardening center for free.
When mulching your garden, there are several benefits. First, mulching provides extra organic matter for your soil that will help retain nutrients. Second, it helps keep weeds from growing. Third, it enriches the soil with nitrogen and phosphorus which are necessary for healthy plant growth and development.
There are several different types of mulches to consider. For example, sawdust can be used as mulch if it is treated first with an insecticide and fungicide.
Straw also works well as mulch, but you may want to lay it down thickly (four inches or more) so that it does not show through when you plant new flowers and plants on top. Garden centers often sell different brands of synthetic mulches for use around your garden beds or vegetable patches.
In addition to providing benefits, mulching also helps your plants look neat and tidy. This can be particularly important if you are planning on inviting friends over to view your garden. A well-maintained garden will make your home look nice and add aesthetic value.
What kind of mulch should I buy
Before purchasing any mulch, you should consider two questions: how much do I need and what kind is best for my needs.
To calculate how many cubic feet of mulch you need to cover your garden or property, you’ll first have to know what depth and quality (i.e., cost) mulch you are interested in buying. Depth refers to how tall your pile will be; high-quality mulches are generally thicker than their lower-quality counterparts.
If you want to buy your mulch locally, most garden centers or landscaping retailers will give you an estimate based on how much space you want to cover and how thick you plan for it to be. Otherwise, if you’re looking online, there are several resources available.
Just be sure to find out if you need bags, bulk, or pick-up for your mulch before you buy. Typically, pick-up is more expensive than bagged mulch but it can also save you money on shipping costs. Bulk mulches are sold in 40 pound bags, while shredded mulches are typically small chips around an inch wide.
Where should I place my mulch
You might think that you need to get down on your hands and knees, hold a measuring tape up to where you want to apply mulch, and start counting how many feet it is in order to determine how much mulch you’ll need. It’s actually easier than that.
There are three factors to consider when figuring out how much mulch you’ll need. The first is your home’s cubic feet per foot area. The second is whether or not your mulch will be used for landscaping, or for covering concrete around your pool, driveway, and other areas. The third factor is whether you’re using bagged, loose, or composted mulches for each application.
When you consider all three factors, calculating how much mulch you’ll need is fairly simple. You simply divide your square footage by your cubic feet per foot area, and then multiply that figure by either two if you’re covering concrete with loose mulch, or four if you’re using bags.
How much should I buy at once
If you’re working with mulch that ranges from 2 inches to 4 inches deep, you can generally expect one yard to fill one cubic yard. So if you have 10 feet of mulched beds and want them 3 feet deep, multiply 3 times 10 for 30 cubic feet. Multiply that by 6 for 120 cubic feet total.
Mulch will shrink as it’s raked and compacted, so buy enough to account for that loss. To ensure you have enough to fill one cubic yard, buy 50 percent more than you think you need.
Some brands shrink more than others. For example, pine bark nuggets are notorious for losing 50 percent or more volume when they’re raked and packed, compared to fir bark mulch that might lose 20 percent.
Other resources if you need more information
Another way to get started is to call your local landscaping company or trucking business and ask for a quote.
The more information you can provide—including how much you’d like, what kind of mulch, if it will be delivered or dumped on site—the better they’ll be able to assist you. If that seems too complicated, try your local nursery instead. They may offer help when it comes to estimating volume, especially if they sell landscape mulches themselves.
As for how much mulch you’ll need, it will depend on two things: how large your project is and what type of landscaping mulches you choose. However, there are some basic guidelines you can follow when calculating cubic feet.
One cubic foot is equal to 12 inches cubed—which means that an average dump truck load will cover about 400 square feet. To determine how many truckloads you need for your project, take your total square footage and divide by 400.
For example, if you want to cover 1,500 square feet with 3⁄4-inch pine bark mulch:
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3⁄4 inch mulch covers 0.25 cubic feet per inch. So 1,500 x .25 = 375 cubic feet.
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375 / 400 = .96 truckloads at 12 inches cubed per cubic foot. .96 x 2 (two dump trucks) = 1.92 truckloads.
Summary
At first glance, it may seem like a cubic yard of mulch is nearly identical to a cubic foot. However, although both measure volume, there are big differences between them. One is for estimating large amounts of material and one is for estimation small amounts. Here’s how many cubic feet there are in one yard of mulch: A commercial or industrial application will require approximately 12 square yards per cubic yard when spreading wood chips or shredded bark over an area 1-foot deep.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 2 cubic toes luggage equal a yard?
Most bagged mulch is bought in 2 cubic foot luggage. So, for each thirteen.5 luggage, you need one cubic backyard.
How do I calculate cubic yards of mulch?
Keep in mind that mulch is sold by means of the cubic yard. One cubic yard of the material covers a 324-rectangular-foot area an inch deep. So, to determine your total, multiply your rectangular photos by way of the intensity in inches preferred, then divide by using 324. Here’s your system: Square footage x desired intensity / 324 = cubic yards wished.
How many 1.5 baggage of mulch are in a yard?
Most baggage of mulch maintain 2 cubic ft. So there are 13-half luggage of mulch in a backyard. An organic mulch, inclusive of bark mulch and pine straw, offers many advantages to plants and soil.
How huge is a yard of mulch?
One cubic backyard of mulch covers one hundred square feet at 3 inches deep. To decide how many cubic yards of mulch to reserve, use the calculator furnished in this web page. You can also use a fashionable equation where you find the total square photos of the beds you want to cover.
How deep need to my mulch be?
A 1- to two-inch layer of exceptional mulch must be enough, at the same time as a coarser cloth ought to be three to 4 inches deep. Too much of both type can suffocate your plants. In regions wherein you definitely want to maintain whatever from growing, you may lay it on as thick as you want.
How do I parent out what number of baggage of mulch I want?
To calculate the wide variety of bags you want to buy, multiply your region in square toes by means of the intensity of mulch required (also in ft) and then divide it with the aid of the bag size (in cubic toes). If your preferred intensity is in inches, divide it by 12 first to get the depth in toes.
How an awful lot does a cubic foot of mulch cover?
Compost Mulch
A 1 cubic foot bag of compost covers 12 rectangular toes applied at a thickness of one inch and six rectangular toes applied at a thickness of two inches.
How many yards of mulch will healthy in a pickup truck?
A normal size choose-up will hold 3 cubic yards of mulch (a full load). Two cubic yards is set frame level full. When picking up soils, sands and gravels, one cubic backyard is all that is encouraged on a pick out-up truck.
How many square toes does a backyard of mulch cowl at 2 inches deep?
One cubic backyard of mulch covers 324 square toes at 1 inch deep, 162 square toes at 2 inches deep, or 108 square feet at 3 inches deep.
Will Lowes supply bagged mulch?
Because for a $79 shipping fee, Lowe’s will shipping the 2 hundred luggage we want on pallets and then choose up the pallets for no extra transport/pickup rate. We have a gadget for getting the mulch completed quickly.
Conclusion
When you purchase mulch, you have to pay attention to how many cubic feet are contained in one yard. This is important because you don’t want to over-order and end up with more mulch than you need. If possible, measure out your area and try not to buy too much at once. Otherwise, you may have some leftover for future use—if necessary.