Mulch, Topsoil & Gravel Calculator
Figure out how many cubic yards of bulk material you need, how much it weighs, and whether bags or bulk delivery is cheaper.
Screen the volume of mulch, topsoil, compost, sand, gravel, or decorative stone for common bed shapes and depths. The app uses local fixture rows for density, bag size, settling or compaction adders, price, and delivery placeholders, then keeps supplier, moisture, compaction, hauling, site, product-label, and qualified-review gaps visible.
Need concrete for edging or a retaining wall base?
Concrete Calculator →Planning a fence around the landscaped area?
Fence Material Calculator →Laying brick pavers for a patio or walkway border
Brick & Paver Calculator →Estimate aggregate compaction for a gravel base layer
Aggregate Compaction →How It Works
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Define the Area
Enter rectangular dimensions, circle diameter, or direct square feet. For irregular beds, split the area into measured pieces and keep waste and edge conditions visible.
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Set Planning Depth
Enter the intended depth in inches and compare it against the local depth screen. Product label, plant clearance, drainage, subgrade, and project specification still control.
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Select Material Type
Pick from local mulch, topsoil, compost, gravel, sand, pea gravel, or decorative stone rows. Treat density, bag size, price, and settling rows as source-gap placeholders.
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Review Local Adders
The app applies local compaction or settling adders to the raw volume. Supplier data, moisture, gradation, placement method, and field compaction testing can change the order quantity.
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Compare Bulk vs Bags
Use the bulk-vs-bag output as a pricing prompt only. Current supplier quote, delivery fee, minimum order, taxes, stock, labor, and handling access still decide the purchase.
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Review Weight and Hauling
Use the weight and truck-load outputs as review flags. Vehicle payload, axle ratings, trailer/hitch limits, road rules, tarp requirements, and supplier delivery access still control hauling.
Built For
- Homeowners preparing source-aware questions before refreshing landscape beds or ordering bagged mulch
- Landscape crews screening takeoff quantities before supplier quotes and site measurements are reconciled
- DIYers planning gravel paths or drainage areas before checking base section, fabric, edging, and delivery access
- Property managers estimating topsoil or compost quantities before soil tests, grading, and supplier data are available
- Garden centers helping customers understand bag-count, sale-unit, payload, and source-warning limits
Assumptions
- Volume uses measured square feet times depth in inches divided by 324.
- Compaction and settling adders are local planning placeholders.
- Bag sizes, bag prices, bulk prices, and delivery fees are local placeholders until supplier data is entered.
Limitations
- Does not certify supplier density, bag coverage, delivered volume, tonnage, or price.
- Does not design driveway, path, patio, drainage, playground, septic, retaining, erosion-control, or structural-fill sections.
- Does not approve vehicle payload, trailer, axle, road, or legal hauling limits.
References
- USDA Forest Service and USDA Wood Handbook source pointers for wood-density and moisture context.
- CMHA hardscape source pointers for base/bedding context where applicable.
- ASTM C33 and ASTM D698 source pointers for aggregate and compaction review boundaries.
- NIST SP 811 unit-conversion source pointer.