Bulk material for beds, paths and driveways — worked out in the units the yard actually sells, which is cubic yards loose or bags by the cubic foot.
Beds are rarely neat rectangles, so these tools take round, triangular and L-shaped areas too.
Round, triangular and L-shaped beds as well as rectangles. Bags, yards and truck loads.
02Beds and raised beds, with a settling allowance and a soil-compost blend split.
03Driveways and paths. Density by stone type, plus a compaction allowance.
04Paver bedding, play areas and fill. Sets the right depth for the job.
05Paver joints. Works from real joint volume, not a one-size coverage chart.
06Convert volume to weight and back, by material density. Both directions.
Block courses plus the gravel backfill behind them.
| Depth | Covers |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 ft² |
| 2 in | 162 ft² |
| 3 in | 108 ft² |
| 4 in | 81 ft² |
| 6 in | 54 ft² |
A cubic yard is 27 ft³. Divide by the depth in feet to get the coverage.
| Material | lb/yd³ | Tons/yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil | 2000 | 1.00 |
| Masonry sand | 2700 | 1.35 |
| Crushed stone | 2700 | 1.35 |
| River rock | 2700 | 1.35 |
| Pea gravel | 2800 | 1.40 |
Dry-weight averages. Moisture and quarry both move these — confirm with your supplier.
| Bag size | Bags per yd³ |
|---|---|
| 2 ft³ mulch | 14 |
| 3 ft³ mulch | 9 |
| 50 lb sand | 54 |
Rounded up from 13.5 and 9.0. Bag sizes vary by brand and material — check before ordering.
Loose material comes by the cubic yard, and most suppliers deliver in half-yard steps. Bagged material is priced by the cubic foot, which makes the two hard to compare until you convert: 14 bags of the 2 ft³ size make one cubic yard.
Bulk is cheaper per yard, but the delivery charge is roughly the same whether you order one yard or five. Below two or three yards the fee often wipes out the saving, which is why small jobs usually end up in bags.
The commonest over-order comes from measuring the outside of a curved border as if it were a rectangle. Take an average width instead — pace it at a few points and use the middle figure. For a material order that is accurate enough.