Figure out exactly how many cubic yards of mulch, topsoil, compost, gravel, or sand you need. Enter your bed size and depth — you'll get the amount to order, plus the bag equivalent, approximate weight, and coverage.
💡 2–3 in to refresh beds, 3–4 in for weed suppression and moisture.
At 3" deep, one cubic yard covers about 108 sq ft.
Ready to order? Skip the phone tag — get instant delivery pricing by ZIP.
See it on a live ordering page →Bulk material is sold by the cubic yard (27 cubic feet). To convert a flat area into a volume, you just account for how deep you're spreading it:
Yards deliver in half-yard increments, so it's normal to round up. A little extra beats a second delivery fee for the half-yard you came up short.
| Material & use | Depth | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch (beds) | 2–3 in | Refreshing established landscape beds |
| Mulch (weed control) | 3–4 in | New beds, moisture retention |
| Topsoil (lawn) | 1–2 in | Top-dressing or leveling a lawn |
| Topsoil (garden) | 4–6 in | Building up new planting beds |
| Gravel (path) | 2–3 in | Walkways, decorative stone |
| Gravel (driveway) | 4 in | Driveways and heavy traffic |
Multiply the bed's length by its width in feet to get square feet, multiply by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12), then divide by 27. For example, a 20 ft × 10 ft bed at 3 inches deep is 200 × 0.25 ÷ 27 ≈ 1.85 cubic yards, so you'd order 2 cubic yards.
Cubic yards = (square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. The calculator above does this automatically and rounds up to the nearest half yard, which is how supply yards sell bulk material.
One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it equals about 13.5 bags of the common 2-cubic-foot size (or roughly 20 bags of 1.5 cubic feet). Buying in bulk by the yard is almost always cheaper than bagged once you need more than about 8–10 bags.
A cubic yard of wood mulch weighs roughly 600–1,000 lbs depending on moisture. Topsoil is heavier at about 1,800–2,200 lbs, compost a bit less, and gravel or stone around 2,600–3,000 lbs per cubic yard. Check that your vehicle and the delivery access can handle the load.
Apply mulch 2–3 inches deep to refresh existing beds and 3–4 inches for new beds or strong weed suppression. Avoid piling it against plant stems or tree trunks. For topsoil, 1–2 inches top-dresses a lawn while 4–6 inches suits new garden beds.
It depends on depth: coverage (sq ft) = 324 ÷ depth in inches. One cubic yard covers about 108 sq ft at 3 inches deep, 162 sq ft at 2 inches, or 324 sq ft spread just 1 inch thick.
See how ordering works on a real YardCart page — pick your material, enter a ZIP, and get instant delivery pricing. No calls, no "we'll get back to you."
Try the live demo →Every YardCart ordering page includes this yardage calculator built in, wired straight to your real products and delivery pricing. Your customers size the job and order the exact amount in one place — 24/7, with no per-order fees to you.