About this site

Gravel and Mulch Calculator is a single purpose tool built to answer one recurring landscaping question: how much material does a specific bed, path, or yard actually need. Instead of a generic volume calculator that treats every material the same, this site's calculator uses a separate density figure for each of nine common landscaping materials, wood mulch, cedar mulch, 3/4 inch gravel, pea gravel, topsoil, garden soil, compost, sand, and river rock, so the weight and bag estimates reflect the material actually being ordered.

What the free calculator does

Enter the shape of the area, rectangle, circle, or several zones added together for an L-shaped bed or a multi-section yard, along with the desired depth, and the calculator returns cubic yards, cubic feet, an estimated number of 2 cubic foot and 3 cubic foot bags, an approximate wheelbarrow load count, and an estimated weight in tons, all updated instantly without reloading the page.

The free Depth Cheat Sheet

Alongside the calculator, a one page printable cheat sheet covers recommended depths by project type and typical coverage figures, available after providing an email address, meant to sit next to a garden plan or shopping list while planning a project.

The Landscape Material Planner

For anyone planning a larger or multi zone project, The Landscape Material Planner is a paid reference document covering pre-calculated coverage tables for all nine materials, a density and weight reference, a method for measuring irregular beds, a budget grid organized by zone, a delivery day checklist, and a comparison of bagged versus bulk material with the approximate point where bulk becomes the cheaper option.

Independence and accuracy

This site is not affiliated with any mulch, gravel, or soil supplier. Density figures used throughout the site and its calculator are standard landscaping industry averages; actual weight can vary with moisture content and the specific product a supplier sells, which is why the site consistently describes its weight figures as estimates rather than exact measurements.

Questions

Anything unclear about the calculator, the cheat sheet, or the planner can be sent through the contact page.