Landscape Material Calculator
Work out exactly how much gravel, mulch, topsoil, sand or concrete you need — in cubic yards, tons and bags. Enter your area and depth; pick a material; get an instant estimate with a little extra for settling.
Cubic yards
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Weight (tons)
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Bags
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How to use the landscape material calculator
Buying gravel, mulch, topsoil, sand or concrete by guesswork is how you end up with a half-empty truck or a second delivery fee. This landscape material calculator turns the dimensions of your project into the three numbers suppliers actually use: cubic yards for bulk delivery, tons for weighed loads, and bags for a trip to the hardware store. Pick your material, choose a rectangle or circle, enter the length, width (or diameter) and depth, and the estimate updates instantly. Add a waste percentage so you order a little extra for settling and uneven ground.
Why volume, tons and bags differ by material
Every material starts from the same volume — area times depth — but weight and bag counts depend on how dense and how heavy the material is. A cubic yard of pea gravel or crushed stone weighs roughly 1.3–1.5 tons, sand about 1.35 tons, topsoil around a ton, and bark mulch only about 0.4 tons because it is light and airy. That is why the calculator keeps a separate bulk-density figure for each material instead of using one number for everything. The tonnage is an estimate: damp or compacted material weighs more than the loose, dry figures used here, so treat the result as a close planning number, not a billing weight.
Depth matters as much as area
Depth is the input people most often get wrong. Spreading a material too thin wastes the job; too thick wastes money. As a rule of thumb, use 2–3 inches of mulch in garden beds, 2 inches of decorative gravel over landscape fabric, 4 inches of crushed stone for a driveway or compacted base, about 1 inch of sand under pavers, 4–6 inches of fresh topsoil for new planting beds, and a 4-inch concrete slab for most residential pours. Each material page on this site pre-fills a sensible depth so you can start from a known-good number and adjust.
Bulk versus bags
For anything bigger than a small bed, bulk delivery by the cubic yard is almost always cheaper than bags. Mulch comes in 2 cubic foot bags — about 13.5 to a cubic yard — while gravel, sand and stone bags are smaller, so it can take 50 or more to match a single yard of bulk. The calculator shows both so you can compare the convenience of bags against the price of a delivered load. Enter a price per cubic yard to get a rough material cost for the bulk option.
The tool runs entirely in your browser, needs no sign-up, and works on your phone at the supply yard. It is built for planning — always confirm depth requirements and material weights with your supplier before a large order.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much material I need?
Multiply the area (length × width) by the depth to get the volume, then divide by 27 to convert cubic feet to cubic yards. This calculator does it for you and also estimates tons and bags. For example, a 10 ft × 10 ft bed at 3 in deep is 100 × 0.25 = 25 cubic feet, or about 0.93 cubic yards.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard (3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft). Bulk landscaping materials like gravel, mulch and topsoil are usually sold by the cubic yard, while bagged products are sold by the cubic foot.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply the cubic yards by the material’s bulk density and divide by 2,000. Densities vary: gravel and crushed stone run about 1.3–1.5 tons per cubic yard, sand about 1.35, topsoil about 1 ton, and bark mulch only about 0.4 tons. The tonnage shown here is an estimate — actual weight changes with moisture and compaction.
How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
Mulch is usually sold in 2 cubic foot bags, so one cubic yard (27 cubic feet) equals about 13.5 bags. Gravel, sand and stone bags are smaller (around 0.5 cubic foot), so it takes roughly 54 of those to make a cubic yard — bulk delivery is cheaper for large jobs.
What depth should I use?
It depends on the material and use: mulch 2–3 in, decorative gravel 2 in, a gravel driveway or base 4 in, paver sand about 1 in, new topsoil 4–6 in, and a residential concrete slab 4 in. Each material page here pre-fills a recommended depth.
Should I order a little extra?
Yes. Order about 5–10% extra to allow for settling, compaction, uneven ground and spillage. It is cheaper to have a little left over than to pay a second delivery fee for the last few square feet.