Convert measured net landscaping area and a source-selected depth into auditable cubic feet, cubic yards, exact-package bags, and supplier bulk-sale increments.
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
Measured net covered area, source-selected installed depth, explicit order allowance, exact labeled bag volume, and current supplier bulk-sale increment
Base and allowance-adjusted volume, independently rounded exact-package bags and supplier bulk increments, delivered quantities and visible surplus
Convert the selected depth to feet, calculate volume from net area, apply only the entered allowance, then round bag and bulk purchase units independently
Choose your path
Turn measured net landscape coverage and a deliberately selected installed depth into auditable volume, exact-package bags and supplier bulk increments without inventing material, weight, depth, refresh or buying rules.
Combine real covered shapes without adding a hidden standard allowance or counting exclusions as mulch.
Measure each shape, total the net covered square footage, select depth for the actual material/site, and enter only the intended allowance.
Gets traceable cubic feet and yards with zero meaning no added allowance.
Convert the same order volume using the exact package label and current supplier increment.
Copy the bag cubic feet and bulk quote increment, then inspect each independently rounded purchase plan and surplus.
Sees 63 two-cu-ft bags for 125 cu ft—not three—and can skip either purchase route with zero.
Keep volume math from approving material placement at a trunk or buried root flare.
Inspect existing mulch, preserve required clear space in the measured net area, and obtain site-appropriate depth guidance before calculation.
Receives a quantity record that keeps tree health, material and placement decisions visibly outside arithmetic.
Outputs and checklists are planning aids. Review the linked current authorities and the records, terms, instructions, and requirements that apply to your exact situation before a consequential decision.
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Total measured shapes and subtract only real exclusions. Select depth from guidance appropriate to the exact material, planting, drainage, existing layer, and site.
Base cubic feet = net covered area sq ft × selected depth in ÷ 12Zero adds nothing. Existing material, field variation, handling, settling, and access differ, so the tool never inserts a universal extra percentage.
Order volume = base volume × (1 + entered allowance% ÷ 100)Bag and bulk rounding use the exact units entered for the current products and quote. Enter zero to skip either conversion; package surplus remains visible.
Bags = ceil(order cu ft ÷ exact bag cu ft); bulk units = ceil(order cu yd ÷ supplier increment)Updated: August 2026
A 500 sq ft net area at an independently selected 3 in depth is 125 cu ft or 4.63 cu yd. With zero allowance, exact 2 cu ft bags require 63 bags; a 0.5 cu yd supplier increment requires 10 increments or 5 cu yd.
A landscape planner measures rectangles, triangles, and other reviewed shapes separately, subtracts true uncovered areas, and enters the resulting net square footage without pooling an invented waste percentage.
A tree steward measures only the intended covered ring, protects the visible root flare and trunk clearance in the field plan, checks the existing layer, and uses extension guidance before entering depth.
Convert the order to cubic feet before dividing by the exact labeled bag volume.
Use responsible site-specific guidance for material, depth, existing mulch, drainage, plants, stems, trunks, and root flares.
Measure the area that will actually be covered, choose material and installed depth for the planting and site, then reconcile only the allowance and sale units you enter. The calculator does not prescribe a material, depth, bag size, weight, refresh cycle, or buying threshold.