Amazon has put together some great Home Gift Deals – save money and get your shopping done at the comfort of your home! Click here to see deals on Amazon
So, you’re ready to mulch your garden beds? Great idea! Mulching is one of the essential steps in maintaining a healthy garden. Not only does it help to suppress weeds and retain moisture, but it also provides nutrients for your plants.
So, how much does a yard of mulch weigh? It really depends on the type of mulch you use. But you can expect about 550 pounds per cubic yard. The weight of mulch will vary depending on the moisture content inside it.
In this post, we’ll provide you with the answer to all these questions and more. Let’s get started.
How much does a yard of mulch weigh?
Mulching is applying a layer of cover to the surface of the soil. This layer helps with weed control, moisture retention, and fertilization. Mulch is available in many forms, such as organic materials like compost and bark mulches or inorganic materials like stone chips and gravel.
The weight of mulch depends on the mulch material and whether it’s dry or wet. For example, dry mulch can weigh as little as 400 pounds, while wet mulch can weigh up to 1,000 pounds per cubic yard.
Here is a summary of yards of mulch weigh:
| Mulch Material | Mulch Weight ( in a cubic yard) |
|---|---|
| Wood mulch | 550 pounds |
| Rubber mulch | 1,200 pounds |
| Straw mulch | 1,400 pounds |
| Compost mulch | 1,200 pounds |
| River Rock | 1,350 pounds |
| Marble chips | 650 pounds |
| Lava rock | 520 pounds |
How do you calculate how much mulch do you need?
There are numerous products and organic mulch materials to choose from, making it hard to know how much mulch you need. Here are the steps to calculate how much mulch you need for any size garden.
- Estimate the area of your yard or garden (in square feet).
- Multiply this number by the depth of mulch that you want to use (usually 3–4 inches).
- The answer is the number of cubic yards of mulch that you will need.
- Divide this number by 27 (the number of cubic feet in a yard). This will tell you how many bags of mulch you need.
The above steps give you a simple way to calculate the mulch you need in your yard. However, many factors, such as the mulch material type and how deep you want the organic mulch layer, play into these steps.
This will depend on how many inches of moisture you want your soil to retain and how quickly you want it to decompose.
Typically, for every square foot of the garden you want to cover, you will need 1/4 cubic feet of mulch. A 1 cubic yard of mulch will cover around 103 square feet of area.
You can calculate the number of bags you will need depending on the square feet area you want to cover. For example, you will need a four cubic yard bag to cover a 412 square feet lawn area with mulch.
How much does a bag of mulch weigh?
The weight of a bag of mulch depends on the type of mulch it’s made from. For example, a bag of wood chips will weigh more than composted yard waste because wood chips are denser than yard waste.
A bag of mulch can weigh anywhere between 50 pounds to 90 pounds. The amount of bulk material in each bag varies depending on the type of mulch and its composition.
Generally speaking, most bags of garden and landscape weigh around 50 pounds. However, coarser materials like wood chips or bark might weigh as much as 90 pounds per bag.
You can buy one cubic yard of bulk mulch that weighs 550 pounds, and some particular mulch will weigh 400–800 lbs. Most of the time, garden centers sell these mulch bags in cubic yards instead of bags. So if you don’t want to lug around a heavy load, you have the option to purchase mulch by the yard instead.
For professional landscapers, or if you need to cover large yards, you can also buy mulch in bulk that comes in pallets. Each pallet may contain anywhere from 50 to 70 bags of mulch that may weigh anywhere up to 5,000 pounds.
How much do 2 cubic feet of mulch weigh?
A 2 cubic feet of mulch weighs around 30 pounds for semi-dry wood mulch. Whereas, if you’re using a straw mulch, it will weigh about 50 pounds for a 2 cubic feet bag.
The most popular mulch you can buy in most garden centers is wood chips, shredded hardwood, pine straw, corn cob, ground peat moss, cocoa bean hulls, and different stone mulch.
Here is a weighted summary of mulch in a 2 cubic feet bag.
| Mulch Type | Weight (2 cubic feet bag) |
|---|---|
| Wood Mulch | 30 pounds |
| Straw Mulch | 50 pounds |
| Rubber mulch | 90 pounds |
| River stone mulch | 200 pounds |
| Lava rock mulch | 80 pounds |
| Egg rock mulch | 190 pounds |
| Marbles chips mulch | 220 pounds |
How many cubic feet are in a yard of mulch?
There are 27 cubic feet in a yard of mulch. A typical residential project requires 1 yard of wood chip mulch. It excludes any space between boards or gaps in the retaining walls where soil can be seen below.
It also doesn’t account for any other obstacles such as concrete slabs or other obstructions, which affect how much you can apply to each square footage.
Most garden centers sell mulch in 2 cubic foot bags, which means for each yard of lawn area, you will need approximately 14 bags. That will be enough to cover 150 square feet area with 2 inches of layering.
How much does a yard of mulch cost?
The mulch price varies depending on the material, texture, and quality. Wood chips are usually available in bulk from a tree removal company and cost about $15—$25 per yard.
Shredded bark mulch is more expensive at about $$45-$90 per yard. You can find pine needles for as little as $2/pound, which is a much cheaper option if you have a lot of space for this type of mulch.
The above price is for material only, and the application may cost an additional $20 or more per yard. One yard of mulch covers about 108 square feet area at 3 inches deep.
You can buy mulch by the bag for a small yard, which usually comes in two cubic feet bags and costs about $3—$6 per bag.
If you need a bulk load of mulch to be delivered, most landscaping companies and garden stores provide delivery services that may cost anywhere from $30 to $55 per yard weight fee plus a transportation fee of $60 to $120.
How many cubic yards of mulch will a pickup truck hold?
A one-ton pickup truck will hold up to 3 cubic yards of mulch. If you want to cover a larger area with mulch, you can rent a dump truck and load it up with mulch until it’s full.
A dump truck can hold several yards of mulch at once, which will allow you to cover your lawn more quickly. However, be careful not to overload your property.
Here are some truck models and the amount of cubic yard mulch they can haul.
| Truck | Mulch Capacity |
|---|---|
| Small truck (Tacoma, Frontier, Ranger) | 1 cubic yard |
| Medium Size truck (F-150, RAM, GMC) | 2.2 cubic yard |
| Large truck (F-250, GM) | 2.5 – 3 cubic yards |
| Heavy-duty truck (F-350) | 3 cubic yards or more |
| Trailers | Up to 2 cubic yards |
Conclusion
Mulching is one of the essential steps in maintaining a healthy garden bed. Not only does it help to suppress weeds and retain moisture, but it also increases the number of organic materials in your soil that helps to break down pesticides and fertilizers naturally.
The average weight of mulch is about 550 pounds per yard. It’s crucial to find the right type for your use and store it properly to avoid getting moldy or scattered.
Don’t forget to share this post
