Measure Twice › Landscaping & yard
Mulch Calculator
Enter your garden bed's size and depth to see how much mulch to buy in bulk or bags.
Worked example
- Area length 20 ft
- Area width 10 ft
- Depth 3 in
- Material Bark mulch
Result:
- Bark mulch needed
- 1.85 yd³
- Approximate weight
- 0.57 tonnes
- In 2 ft³ (56.6 L) bags
- 25 bags
- Area covered
- 200 ft²
Price either bulk or bags, not both — leave the other price blank.
Load this example into the calculator
How deep should mulch be?
2–3 in (5–8 cm) is the usual target. That’s enough to suppress weeds and hold moisture without smothering roots. Go to 4 in on paths. Keep mulch a few inches back from tree trunks and the house’s siding.
volume = length × width × depth
bags = volume ÷ 2 ft³ (56.6 L)
One cubic yard of mulch covers about 108 ft² at 3 in deep (roughly 10 m² at 8 cm).
Tips
- Odd-shaped beds: break them into rectangles and add them up, or measure a long curved bed as its length × average width.
- Topping up? Old mulch breaks down, so a top-up of 1–2 in each spring is usually enough.
- Bulk vs bags: a yard of bulk mulch is about 13.5 bags of 2 ft³, and usually much cheaper per yard.
Tools and materials
- Landscape rake at Amazon.ca
Spreads gravel, soil or mulch to an even depth.
- Hand tamper at Amazon.ca
For small areas; rent a plate compactor for bigger ones.
Where to buy in Metro Vancouver
Local suppliers we've checked. Nobody pays to be listed. Call ahead for prices, minimums and delivery to your area.
Bark mulch
- Meadows Landscape Supply in Pitt Meadows
Topsoil, bark mulch, gravel, sand, pavers and wall block, delivered across Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
- North Shore Landscape Supply Centre in North Vancouver
Road base, clear crush, soils and mulch, plus Belgard, Barkman and other wall block. Flat-fee delivery.
- Klassen Landscape Supply in Burnaby
Bulk bark mulch: pick up at the yard or get it delivered, from one yard up.
Related calculators
- Topsoil Calculator
Enter your lawn or garden bed's size and depth to see how much topsoil to order, in bulk or bags.
- Gravel Calculator
Enter the area and depth to see how much gravel, sand, soil or mulch to order, in bulk or bags.
- Sod Calculator
Enter your lawn's size to get the number of sod rolls and the topsoil to go under them.
Last updated October 28, 2026