Material coverage: cubic yards by area & depth
Bulk landscape materials are sold by the cubic yard, but you buy them to cover an area at a depth. The identity is cu yd = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324, and a cubic yard fills about 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft. Coverage varies by product — buy about 5–10% extra and confirm on the bag. Use these with the mulch, gravel and topsoil tools.
| Depth | cu yd per 100 sq ft | cu yd per 500 sq ft | sq ft covered by 1 cu yd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 0.309 cu yd | 1.54 cu yd | 324 sq ft |
| 2 in | 0.617 cu yd | 3.09 cu yd | 162 sq ft |
| 3 in | 0.926 cu yd | 4.63 cu yd | 108 sq ft |
| 4 in | 1.235 cu yd | 6.17 cu yd | 81 sq ft |
| 6 in | 1.852 cu yd | 9.26 cu yd | 54 sq ft |
cu yd = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324. Labeled planning conventions — coverage varies by product; buy about 5–10% extra and confirm on the bag.
Bags per cubic yard
| Bag size | Bags per cu yd | 2 cu yd | 3 cu yd | 5 cu yd | 10 cu yd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 cu ft | 13.5 | 27 bags | 41 bags | 68 bags | 135 bags |
| 1.5 cu ft | 18.0 | 36 bags | 54 bags | 90 bags | 180 bags |
| 3.0 cu ft | 9.0 | 18 bags | 27 bags | 45 bags | 90 bags |
bags = cu yd × 27 ÷ bag size in cu ft. The “bags per cu yd” column is the exact ratio; the load columns are rounded up, because you buy whole bags. Read the other way, 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft make one cubic yard, so 20 bags is about 1.5 cu yd. Above a few cubic yards a bulk load is usually cheaper than bags — the mulch calculator gives both, and the how much mulch do I need guide works through the choice.