How Many Square Feet Does a Bag of Mulch Cover?
A standard 2 cubic foot bag of mulch covers 12 square feet at 2 inches deep, or 8 square feet at 3 inches. A 3 cu ft bag covers 18 sq ft at 2 inches or 12 sq ft at 3 inches.
Bag coverage chart
| Depth | 1.5 cu ft bag | 2 cu ft bag | 3 cu ft bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 18 sq ft | 24 sq ft | 36 sq ft |
| 2 in | 9 sq ft | 12 sq ft | 18 sq ft |
| 3 in | 6 sq ft | 8 sq ft | 12 sq ft |
| 4 in | 5 sq ft | 6 sq ft | 9 sq ft |
Coverage (sq ft) = Bag size (cu ft) × 12 ÷ Depth (in)
How many bags of mulch do I need?
| Bed size | 2 cu ft bags at 2 in | 2 cu ft bags at 3 in | 3 cu ft bags at 3 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 sq ft | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 50 sq ft | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| 100 sq ft | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| 150 sq ft | 13 | 19 | 13 |
| 200 sq ft | 17 | 25 | 17 |
| 300 sq ft | 25 | 38 | 25 |
| 500 sq ft | 42 | 63 | 42 |
When bulk beats bags
One cubic yard is 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft. Once you need more than two or three yards, bulk mulch from a landscape yard is usually much cheaper. See how much a yard of mulch covers.
Tips
- Bags are sometimes slightly under-filled or settle in transit; buy one extra.
- Keep mulch a few inches away from stems and trunks.
- For exact numbers by bed size, use the mulch calculator.