When you’re a homeowner, keeping your landscaping in excellent shape matters. By laying out fresh mulch, you’re not just boosting your home’s curb appeal but also creating conditions that help your plants thrive. But if you need a lot of mulch to complete your project and are trying to figure out how to safely transport it, you may wonder, “How much does a yard of mulch weigh?”
A yard of mulch usually weighs between 400 and 1,000 pounds or 0.2 to 0.5 tons. The weight varies so much because not all mulch is made of the same material, and each material may have a different weight. Additionally, moisture levels play a role.
Ultimately, mulch can be a weighty product, so transporting it safely requires little planning. If you need a yard of mulch for your landscaping project, here’s everything you should know.
Quick Navigation
- What Is a Yard of Mulch?
- How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Weigh?
- How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Weigh?
- What Impacts How Much a Yard of Mulch Weighs?
- What Does a Yard of Mulch Look Like?
- Mulch Weight Per Cubic Foot
- How Many Yards Are in a Ton of Mulch?
- How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Cover?
- How Many Bags of Mulch Are in a Yard?
- How Many Yards of Mulch Fit in a Pickup Truck?
- How Many Wheelbarrows Are in a Yard of Mulch?
- How to Calculate How Much Mulch You Need
- Conclusion
What Is a Yard of Mulch?
When buying materials like mulch, the term “yard” refers to a volume measurement. “Yard” is another way to reference a cubic yard. Essentially, it’s a volume represented by a cube that’s 1 yard wide, 1 yard high and 1 yard deep.
Since a yard is three feet, you can also describe a yard as a cube that’s 3 feet wide, 3 feet high, and 3 feet deep. That creates a total volume of 27 cubic feet, the same as a cubic yard.
However, when purchasing mulch, you aren’t buying a cube of material. Instead, the yard simply represents the total volume of material you’ll receive. For example, a rectangle 4 feet wide, 1 foot high, and 6.75 feet deep also gives you 27 cubic feet, making it the same as a cubic yard.
How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Weigh?
How much a yard of mulch weighs can vary. However, the total weight typically falls between 400 and 1,000 pounds or 0.2 to 0.5 tons.
The lighter end of those ranges usually includes dry mulch made of lighter-weight materials, such as dry pine mulch. The heavier end can represent heavier materials, such as hardwood mulch. Wet mulch is also on the heavier side, as the presence of water increases the weight.
How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Weigh?
How much a yard of mulch weighs can vary. However, the total weight typically falls between 400 and 1,000 pounds or 0.2 to 0.5 tons.
The lighter end of those ranges usually includes dry mulch made of lighter weight materials, such as dry pine mulch. The heavier end can represent heavier materials, such as hardwood mulch. Wet mulch is also on the heavier side, as the presence of water increases the weight.
How Much Does 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 Yards of Mulch Weigh?
| Yards | Pounds | Tons |
| 2 | 800 to 2,000 | 0.4 to 1.0 |
| 3 | 1,200 to 3,000 | 0.6 to 1.5 |
| 4 | 1,600 to 4,000 | 0.8 to 2.0 |
| 5 | 2,000 to 5,000 | 1.0 to 2.5 |
| 9 | 3,600 to 9,000 | 1.8 to 4.5 |
| 10 | 4,000 to 10,000 | 2.0 to 5.0 |
| 12 | 4,800 to 12,000 | 2.4 to 6.0 |
| 15 | 6,000 to 15,000 | 3.0 to 7.5 |
What Impacts How Much a Yard of Mulch Weighs?
In many cases, people want to know how much a yard of mulch weighs to make sure they can transport and handle the total weight safely. As a result, it’s beneficial to understand what impacts the weight of mulch. That way, you can determine if the mulch you want is more likely on the higher or lower end of the weight range.
Typically, two factors play the biggest role in how much mulch weighs: the mulch type and the moisture level. Here’s a look at how those play a part in the weight of mulch.
Mulch Type
Mulch can consist of several different types of materials. In most cases, when people think of mulch, wood mulch is what comes to mind. However, there are multiple kinds of wood mulch, each with different weights.
Typically, hardwood mulch weighs more than softer wood. For example, oak mulch is heavier than cedar or pine mulch. Wood chip mulch is typically heavier than bark mulch made from the same type of wood.
Straw mulch is another option on the market. It’s usually lighter than wood mulches but also breaks down faster, so you may need to replace it more often.
Finally, there are inorganic mulches, such as rubber mulch. Rubber mulch is typically on the heavier side of the spectrum, and it’s often weightier than most wood mulches.
Moisture Levels
Many people wonder, “Is mulch heavier when wet?” and the answer is “Yes.” When water is added to mulch, it clings to the material. Additionally, it may fill gaps between or in the pieces, effectively replacing air with water.
Since water weighs more than air, wet mulch is heavier than dry mulch. Precisely how much heavier it is depends on how much moisture is present. More water leads to increased weight, so the wetter the mulch, the more it weighs.
What Does a Yard of Mulch Look Like?
As mentioned previously, a yard is a measure of volume. It’s represented by a cube that’s 1 yard wide, 1 yard high, and 1 yard deep or 3 feet wide, 3 feet high, and 3 feet deep. However, when you buy a yard of mulch, you aren’t getting a prepackaged cube.
Instead, the supplier gives you one yard of mulch by ensuring the right total volume is present. It could be a rectangle of material in the back of a dump truck or look like a tall mound if it’s dumped on your property. But a yard of mulch is always the equivalent of 27 cubic feet.
Mulch Weight Per Cubic Foot
As with the weight of a yard of mulch, how much a cubic foot of mulch weighs can vary. Generally, a cubic foot of mulch weighs between 14.81 and 37.04 pounds.
Precisely how much it weighs depends on several factors. The mulch type is one of the most significant, and moisture levels also play a role. For example, wet mulch weighs more than dry, and hardwood mulch weighs more than softwood, even if the volume is the same.
Still, the range above gives you a general idea of what to expect when it comes to weight.
How Many Yards Are in a Ton of Mulch?
Generally, a ton of mulch is anywhere from 2 to 5 tons of material. If the material is lighter, you get more volume before reaching the one-ton mark than heavier material. As a result, the material type plays a significant role in how many yards are in a ton of mulch.
However, moisture levels are another factor in the equation. The drier the mulch, the more mulch material you need to reach a weight of one ton. When there’s more water, the moisture adds weight, so you’ll end up with less mulch material in a ton.
How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Cover?
How much a yard of mulch covers depends on the desired depth. Fortunately, it’s easy to calculate how far the mulch will go since a yard is a measurement of volume.
For example, if you have a target depth of 2 inches, are amount of area the mulch can cover is typically around 162 square feet. If your ideal depth is 4 inches, you could cover about 81 square feet.
Generally, since the target depths are usually measured in inches, you can figure out how much the mulch will cover relatively easily. Divide 12 by the desired depth in inches. Next, multiply that figure by 27. The result is the number of square feet the mulch will cover at your wanted depth.
How Many Bags of Mulch Are in a Yard?
The number of bags of mulch in a yard depends on the bags you’re looking at, as each manufacturer may use different sizes. Fortunately, most bagged mulches state the number of cubic feet they contain on the packaging.
If you’re looking at a bag of mulch that holds 2 cubic feet, it will take 13.5 bags of mulch to get a cubic yard. If the bag contains 1.5 cubic feet, you’ll want 18 bags if you need a yard of material.
For mulch bags in different sizes, you can find out how many you need to equal a yard with a simple calculation. Just divide 27 (the number of cubic feet in a yard) by the number of cubic feet listed on the bag. The result tells you how many bags are required to get a full yard of material.
How Many Yards of Mulch Fit in a Pickup Truck?
The number of yards a pickup truck bed can hold varies, as pickup truck beds come in different sizes. However, you can easily calculate a specific truck bed’s capacity.
Measure the interior length and width of the bed in feet, then multiply those two numbers together. Next, measure the depth of the interior of the pickup truck bed, and multiply it by the result of the last calculation. Finally, divide that by 27, and you get an approximate volume in yards.
Just be aware that anything in the truck bed – such as the part of the wheel wells that push into the bed – can reduce the total capacity. As a result, you may need to do additional calculations to get a more accurate volume. Alternatively, you can check the manufacturer’s vehicle information, as the manufacturer often publishes that information.
How Many Wheelbarrows Are in a Yard of Mulch?
The number of wheelbarrow loads in a yard of mulch typically depends on the wheelbarrow size. Full-size wheelbarrows typically carry 3 cubic feet of material. Since there are 27 cubic feet in a yard, that breaks down to 9 wheelbarrow loads.
A small wheelbarrow may only carry 2 cubic yards of material. In that case, moving all of the mulch would take 14 trips with a wheelbarrow.
However, those figures are based on filling the wheelbarrow to its stated capacity. If you don’t carry that amount in every load, you’ll have to make more trips to handle the mulch you’re moving.
How to Calculate How Much Mulch You Need
Calculating the amount of mulch you’ll need is reasonably straightforward. First, you need to know the answer to the question, “How thick should mulch be?”
If you’re using fine mulch, your target depth should be around 2 inches. For coarse mulch, 3 to 4 inches is better.
Once you have your target depth, convert it to feet by dividing 12 by the desired depth. Next, measure the length and width of the space you want to cover, multiply those together, and multiply that resulting figure by the depth calculation.
After that, you have the total volume of material you need for your project in cubic feet. If you want to know how many yards that is, divide the number by 27.
Mulch Weight Calculator
In some cases, it’s easier to use a mulch weight calculator to determine the weight of the mulch required for your project. All you need to do is input the length and width of the space you want to cover and the required mulch depth and click calculate to get a figure.
Remember that most mulch weight calculators will only provide a reasonable estimate. They don’t always factor in the different weights of various types of mulch or adjust for moisture levels. Still, these calculators are an appropriate way to get a quick baseline, making them useful.
Conclusion
Typically, a yard of mulch weighs between 400 and 1,000 pounds or 0.2 to 0.5 tons. The precise weight can vary based on the mulch type and moisture levels. If you measure the area in feet you want to cover and multiply the area by the desired depth in feet before dividing that by 27, you can figure out exactly how many yards of mulch your project takes.
Did you learn everything you wanted to about how much a yard of mulch weighs? If so, please let us know in the comments section below. Also, if someone in your life has been wondering, “How much does a yard of mulch weigh?” make sure to share the article.
Eugene has been a DIY enthusiast for most of his life and loves being creative while inspiring creativity in others. He is passionately interested in home improvement, renovation and woodworking.