Working out how much bark mulch you need for a project is one of the most commonly asked questions by gardeners and landscapers looking to buy bark mulch. If you mismeasure the area you need the wood chippings for, it can lead to a great amount of waste of both mulch and money!
Below, we’ve created a bark mulch calculator so that you can be sure you know exactly how much chippings you need whether that be for raising garden borders or pathways.
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Once you’ve worked out how much bark mulch you need in cubic metres, there are also some things you need to consider before placing an order.
How much bark mulch do I need for my garden?
Bark mulch and wood chippings are primarily used to improve the soil structure, control moisture, add nutrients, help suppress weeds and general improvement on the appearance of borders and flower beds – each of its different uses means a different amount of bark mulch is required.
Garden borders
Bark mulch and wood chippings provide a natural barrier against weeds and unwanted plants, therefore if you’re looking to improve the appearance and health of your garden borders, adding bark mulch or wood chippings will get you the results you desire.
As a rule of thumb, you should use between 4cm – 6cm of bark mulch when placing in garden borders.
Pathways
A popular choice for pathways and playgrounds, wood chippings and bark have all the properties you need to create a safe and visually pleasing path or area in your garden.
When using bark mulch for pathways, generally, you should keep the depth between 5cm – 7cm.
Flower beds and pots
Another way to use bark mulch in the garden is to put it in flower beds and pots. They prevent weeds from emerging and moisture levels up – meaning less watering during the warmer months.
Put a 3cm – 5cm layer of bark mulch for flower beds and pots.
How much will 1 tonne of bark mulch cover?
Some bark mulch and wood chippings can vary in screening sizes, therefore some bags may be denser than others. Generally speaking, 1 tonne of bark mulch will cover 0.63 cubic metres or 22 cubic feet or 0.81 cubic yards.
Our bags of bark mulch come in sizes of 0.75m³, meaning you’ll get just over a tonne of mulch per bag!
Bark mulch volume formula
If you’re struggling to measure the size of your plot in order to find out how much bark mulch you need, breaking each section down into manageable chunks will help you get accurate measurements ensuring you don’t under/over order the amount you need.
For those who want a calculation or formula to follow rather than using our calculator, you can follow the steps below to find out how many cubic metres of bark mulch you need.
- Measure the width of your plot (in metres)
- Measure the length of your plot (in metres)
- Measure the depth of your plot (in metres)
- Multiply the width by the length by the depth then divide by 100
- E.g. 10m x 20m x 2cm / 100 = 4m³
