Why a yard of mulch is 27 cubic feet
“Yard” in landscape supply always means a cubic yard. Picture a box 1 yard on every side. A yard is 3 feet, so the box is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet.
cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
cubic feet = cubic yards × 27
bags = cubic feet ÷ bag size
Yards to cubic feet and bags
| Cubic yards | Cubic feet | 2 cu ft bags | 3 cu ft bags | 1.5 cu ft bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 13.5 | 6.75 | 4.5 | 9 |
| 1 | 27 | 13.5 | 9 | 18 |
| 2 | 54 | 27 | 18 | 36 |
| 3 | 81 | 40.5 | 27 | 54 |
| 5 | 135 | 67.5 | 45 | 90 |
| 10 | 270 | 135 | 90 | 180 |
| 20 | 540 | 270 | 180 | 360 |
When you buy bags, round up to the next whole bag.
Cubic feet to yards
| Cubic feet | Cubic yards |
|---|---|
| 10 | 0.37 |
| 20 | 0.74 |
| 25 | 0.93 |
| 50 | 1.85 |
| 75 | 2.78 |
| 100 | 3.70 |
| 150 | 5.56 |
| 200 | 7.41 |
How to measure cubic feet for mulch
You don’t measure cubic feet directly; you calculate them from the bed:
- Measure length and width in feet and multiply for square feet.
- Multiply by the depth in feet. Three inches is 0.25 ft, two inches is 0.167 ft, four inches is 0.333 ft.
- The result is cubic feet. Divide by 27 for yards.
Example: a 15 × 6 ft bed at 3 inches is 90 sq ft × 0.25 ft = 22.5 cu ft, which is 0.83 cubic yards or 12 bags of 2 cu ft. The mulch calculator does this for several beds at once.
What 10 or 20 yards of mulch looks like
Big orders are easier to picture as area:
- 10 cubic yards = 270 cu ft. At 3 inches it covers about 1,080 sq ft, roughly a 4 ft wide bed running 270 ft. At 2 inches, about 1,620 sq ft.
- 20 cubic yards = 540 cu ft. At 3 inches, about 2,160 sq ft.
Orders this size usually come by truck. Ask the supplier what their truck holds, and whether a large order arrives in one load or two, so you know how much driveway or tarp space to clear. Pricing for large orders is covered on the mulch cost calculator page.
A yard of mulch vs a yard of anything else
The volume is the same for every loose material: a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet whether it’s mulch, soil or stone. What changes is the weight. Mulch is light compared with soil or stone, which is why it’s sold by volume rather than by the ton. See how much mulch weighs if you’re hauling it yourself.
Bulk mulch is measured loose, in the loader bucket. It can settle on the ride over, so a delivered yard may look a little smaller than 27 cubic feet of fluffy mulch. That's normal.
Questions people ask
- How many cubic feet are in a yard of mulch?
- 27. When people say a yard of mulch they mean a cubic yard: 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high, which is 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
- How many bags of mulch are in a yard?
- 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, 9 bags of 3 cubic feet, or 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet.
- How do I convert cubic feet of mulch to yards?
- Divide cubic feet by 27. For example, 50 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 1.85 cubic yards.
- How big is 10 cubic yards of mulch?
- 10 cubic yards is 270 cubic feet, or 135 bags of 2 cubic feet. Spread 3 inches deep it covers about 1,080 square feet.
- Is a yard of mulch the same as a square yard?
- No. A square yard is 9 square feet of area. A cubic yard is a volume of 27 cubic feet. Mulch is sold by the cubic yard.