How to use the mulch cost calculator
- Measure a rectangular bed and pick a depth — 2 or 3 in is common. A 10% waste or fluffing allowance is the default; you can change it.
- Choose overall bulk or hardwood bark. Switch on professional installation if you want a delivered-and-installed typical instead of material only.
- For circles, tree rings and mixed beds, count yards on the mulch calculator, then multiply those yards by the per-yard typical shown here. This calculator sizes a rectangle only and applies its own waste allowance, so do not re-enter a quantity-page total as length and width. Gravel, which is a different product, is on the gravel cost calculator.
Price per cubic yard, delivered material versus installed
HomeAdvisor (June 19, 2026) lists bulk mulch at $20–$80 per cubic yard (center $50). HomeGuide (April 30, 2025) lists $25–$100 for materials only (center $62.50). LawnStarter (October 5, 2026) lists $30–$135 (center $82.50). The overall typical is the median, $62.50 per cubic yard, with a spread of $50–$82.50. Hardwood bark uses HomeAdvisor’s $45 shredded-hardwood listing and GoodGravel’s $40 brown-shredded median (n=16, a small sample), so the $42.50 typical is a two-source figure.
Installed typical $90 per cubic yard is the median of HomeGuide’s delivered-and-installed $50–$150 (center $100), LawnStarter’s $77–$94 (center $85.50), and HomeAdvisor’s implied mid of $90 (material mid $50 plus labor mid $40, from its $20–$60 labor band). That third figure is constructed from HomeAdvisor’s published parts and is labeled that way in the table.
A worked example: 500 sq ft at 3 in
A 50 × 10 ft bed 3 in deep is 500 × 0.25 ÷ 27 = 4.63 cubic yards. With a 10% allowance you order 5.09 cubic yards. At $62.50 per yard the material typically costs $318.29. Professionally installed at $90 per yard, the same load typically costs $458.33. That volume is also about 69 of the 2 cu ft bags used on the quantity page — useful as a bag-versus-bulk check, not as a replacement for a bed-by-bed takeoff.
Sources & assumptions
How this calculator gets its numbers. Full method: our methodology.
- Overall bulk typical $62.50 per cubic yard is the median of HomeAdvisor $20–$80, HomeGuide $25–$100 and LawnStarter $30–$135, materials.
- Hardwood typical $42.50 uses two sources: HomeAdvisor’s $45 shredded-hardwood listing and GoodGravel’s $40 brown-shredded median (n=16, supporting).
- Installed typical $90 is the median of HomeGuide $50–$150, LawnStarter $77–$94, and HomeAdvisor’s implied mid of $90 (material mid $50 plus labor mid $40), disclosed as constructed from published parts.
- Volume is length × width × (depth in inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27, times a waste allowance. Bag counts use the 2 cu ft bag (2/27 yd) from the quantity page as a comparison only.
Sources
- HomeAdvisor, Mulch Delivery and Installation Cost. Jun 19, 2026: bulk $20–$80 per cu yd; shredded hardwood $45; labor $20–$60 per cu yd; bags $2–$15.
- HomeGuide, Mulch Prices. Apr 30, 2025: $25–$100 per cu yd materials only; $50–$150 delivered and installed; bags $2–$8.
- LawnStarter, Mulch Price Guide. Oct 5, 2026: installed $77–$94 per cu yd; bulk $30–$135; 2 cu ft bags $3.25–$6.50.
- GoodGravel, GoodGravel Price Index. Oct 31, 2026: brown shredded mulch median $40 per cu yd ($36–$48, n=16) — supporting, small sample.
Last reviewed . Product figures vary by brand; the label on what you buy wins.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a yard of mulch?
Overall bulk material typically costs $62.50 per cubic yard, the median of HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide and LawnStarter. The spread of those central values is $50–$82.50. Professionally installed, the typical is $90 per cubic yard.
How much mulch do I need for 500 sq ft at 3 inches?
About 4.63 cubic yards before waste, or 5.09 cubic yards with a 10% allowance. At the $62.50 typical that is about $318 of material.
Why is hardwood a two-source rate?
Only HomeAdvisor’s $45 shredded-hardwood listing and GoodGravel’s $40 brown-shredded median — a small sample (n=16) — line up as type-specific prices. The $42.50 typical is labeled as two sources.
Should I use bags or bulk?
Bulk usually wins above a couple of yards. This page shows an equivalent 2 cu ft bag count as a check; for irregular beds and mixed bag sizes, use the mulch quantity calculator.