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Mulch coverage planning keeps soil moisture steady, shields roots from temperature swings, and suppresses weed growth by matching material volume to the bed you maintain.
The planner supports rectangular beds, circular rings, and direct area entries while letting crews switch between imperial and metric units without retyping measurements.
It converts area, depth, allowance, and density selections into volume, bag count, weight, and cost figures so buyers can compare bagged pallets against bulk deliveries with confidence.
Treat the numbers as a staging baseline and confirm slopes, edging heights, and species specific settling once the mulch is spread on site.
The calculator models mulch as a uniform layer across a flat footprint. All geometries convert to square feet, depth converts to feet, and the resulting rectangular prism defines base volume before allowances.
Rectangular beds multiply converted length and width. Circles convert diameter to radius for the πr² area. Custom area entries translate from square yards, square metres, hectares, or other supported units so the tool can handle plan takeoffs as well as field measurements.
A settling allowance produces a scalar that inflates volume when you expect fluff, wind loss, or traffic compaction. Bag size conversions cover cubic feet, cubic yards, litres, or cubic metres, and density conversions align kilograms per cubic metre with pounds per cubic foot to estimate handling weight.
Cost projections combine rounded bag counts with bag pricing and pair bulk volume with a per cubic yard rate. Outputs present both imperial and metric figures so procurement teams can negotiate in whichever unit schedule the supplier prefers.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit / Datatype | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Length of rectangular bed | ft / m | Input |
| W | Width of rectangular bed | ft / m | Input |
| D | Mulch depth | in / cm | Input |
| s | Settling allowance percent | 0 to 100 % | Input |
| A | Coverage area | sq ft | Derived |
| S | Allowance factor | unitless | Derived |
| V | Total mulch volume | cu ft | Derived |
| Vy | Total mulch volume | cu yd | Derived |
| Bs | Bag size | cu ft / cu yd / L / cu m | Input |
| B | Bag count | whole bags | Derived |
| ρ | Mulch density | lb / cu ft or kg / cu m | Input |
| Wt | Total weight | lb / kg | Derived |
A 20 ft by 10 ft bed at a 3 in depth with a 10 percent allowance converts to an area of 200 sq ft. Depth converts to 0.25 ft and the allowance factor becomes 1.10. The resulting volume is 200 × 0.25 × 1.10 = 55 cu ft, which equals 1.11 cu yd.
With 2 cu ft bags the exact count is 55 ÷ 2 = 27.5, so the tool rounds up to 28 bags. A density of 22 lb per cu ft produces a total weight near 1,210 lb (55 × 22), or roughly 549 kg.
Interpretation shows that ordering 28 bags covers the footprint with allowance, or you can book about 2.04 cu yd of bulk mulch while planning labour for a 1,200 lb delivery.
| Field | Rule | Handling |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Greater than zero before and after converting to feet | Length must be a positive number.Length cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Width | Greater than zero before and after converting to feet | Width must be a positive number.Width cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Diameter | Greater than zero before and after converting to feet | Diameter must be a positive number.Diameter cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Custom area | Greater than zero before and after converting to square feet | Coverage area must be a positive number.Coverage area cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Mulch depth | Greater than zero before and after converting to feet | Mulch depth must be a positive number.Mulch depth cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Bag size | Greater than zero before and after converting to cubic feet | Bag size must be greater than zero.Bag size cannot be zero after conversion. |
| Settling allowance | Clamped to the 0 to 100 range | Values outside the range snap to the nearest bound |
| Area multiplier | Minimum value of 1 | Area multiplier must be at least 1. |
| Bag price / Bulk price | Non-negative currency | Negative values coerce to zero before calculations |
| Mulch density | Non-negative input | Negative values coerce to zero before calculations |
All calculations, clipboard actions, CSV, DOCX, and JSON exports run entirely in the browser, and no inputs leave the device.
Plan mulch coverage for beds, rings, or custom areas.
Once the metrics look right, share the exports with your crew or vendor and schedule delivery while soil moisture is favourable.
No. The tool runs locally in the browser, and clipboard, CSV, DOCX, and JSON actions generate files on your device only.
The model assumes a flat surface and uniform depth. Weight accuracy depends on the density you enter, so adjust it to match species, moisture, and whether you buy bulk or bagged material.
Dimensions support feet, inches, yards, metres, and centimetres. Custom areas accept square feet, square yards, acres, square metres, square centimetres, and hectares. Bag sizes allow cubic feet, cubic yards, litres, or cubic metres, and density accepts pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic metre.
Yes. After the page loads it keeps working without a network connection, and previously calculated results stay visible.
Use the bag and bulk price fields for material estimates, then add delivery fees or labour separately in your budgeting tool. The planner focuses on volume, count, and weight.
Switch to metric, pick the custom area shape, enter 500 sq m with a 5 cm depth, set allowance, and the Volume and Cost Breakdown tab will show cubic metres, litres, bag counts, and weight immediately.
Allowance inflates the calculated volume to offset settling or blow off. Zero keeps the raw volume, while higher values add a buffer so the finished depth still matches your target.
Bags are sold as whole units. The tool shows the exact decimal but rounds to the next integer so you never come up short during installation.