How much mulch for a 30 x 30 bed?
Short answer
- A 30 x 30 ft bed is 900 square feet. At 3 inches deep it needs 8.33 cubic yards (225 cubic feet) of mulch.
- With 5% extra: 119 bags of 2 cu ft or 79 bags of 3 cu ft (8.75 cubic yards).
- It's typically a big play area or a whole side yard.
- If you edge all four sides, that's 120 feet of edging.
Mulch for a 30 x 30 bed at 2, 3, 4 inches
Cubic yards are shown without extra so you can compare quotes. The other columns include 5% extra.
Open this bed in the mulch calculator to change the size, depth, extra or material.
How the math works
30 ft × 30 ft = 900 sq ft. At 3 inches deep that's 900 × 3 ÷ 12 = 225 cubic feet, and ÷ 27 = 8.33 cubic yards. Adding 5% gives 236.3 cubic feet to buy.
How deep should it be?
Penn State Extension recommends a 2 to 4 inch layer of mulch. Use the low end for fine shredded mulch or to top up an old layer, and keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks and stems.