How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Cost? What to Know Before Your Next Landscaping Project

If you want to landscape large areas of your property, you need to know how much a yard of mulch costs. It is best to buy overlays for large projects.

Mulch slows evaporation, adds nutrients to the soil, and controls soil temperature. A yard of mulch costs between $50 and $100, with an average cost of $75.
Volumetric coverage. Mulch Point.

Find out how much it costs to mulch your yard for your next gardening or landscaping project.

mulching yard cost
Yards of mulch can be purchased in bulk (loose) or in bags. The cost is the same in both formats.

Coverage costs are high
A yard of mulch costs about $75 when purchased in bulk. Loose mulch is loose mulch that is trucked and piled in your yard.

Cost of packaged coverage
A yard of bagged mulch costs between $50 and $100. Mulch comes in 2 cubic foot or 1.5 cubic foot bags. 13 to 14 larger bags equal one yard and 18 smaller bags equal one yard.

How to calculate the cost of coverage
Calculate the cost of mulch by first measuring the area to be covered (length times width). Then multiply that number by the depth of the cover, usually 2 or 3 inches.

One yard of mulch covers an area 10 by 10 feet (100 square feet) and 3 inches thick. At 2 inches thick, one yard of mulch covers a space of approximately 12 by 13 feet, or 160 square feet.

Cost by type
Wooden covering
Wood mulch costs $40 per yard for natural, undyed softwood mulch. Costs range up to about $100 per yard for cedar mulch, which is naturally red in color and insect resistant.8

pine leaves
Pine needles or pine straw mulch cost about $150 per yard. Sometimes the price is per square foot: a box costs $85 to $95, is 160 square feet in area, and is 2 to 3 inches deep6.
Straw
A yard of wheat straw mulch costs $140 to $160, with bales purchased at a home center or hardware store for $35 to $40 per bale. Four bales of straw equal one yard of mulch.

Straw bales from a farm store or farm supply store cost $5 to $6 per bale or $20 to $24 per cubic yard.910

Rubber cover
The rubber coating is recycled from old tires. Being an inorganic mulch, it lasts a long time without fading or deteriorating.

Rubber mulch costs about $250 per yard and usually comes in 0.8 cubic foot bags6.
Cover delivery cost
Because your mulch warehouse is so large, you will have to factor in shipping or handling costs.

Delivery of bulk coating
The average shipping cost for wholesale mulch is approximately $100.1647.

If there is a large amount of mulch, it will need to be professionally delivered or you will need to have an open truck (like a pickup truck) to pick it up yourself.

Deliver mulching film in bags
Shipping cost for bagged mulch is approximately $50 per palletized yard6.

Packaged mulch can be delivered to your door or you can pick it up yourself. A midsize SUV or truck can hold a yard of mulch. Depending on the material, a yard of organic mulch can weigh between 900 and 1,200 pounds.4

Other Cost Factors
Work
Gardeners cost between $14 and $25 per hour per person. If you need help collecting, delivering, or distributing mulch, you can hire a landscaper at the prevailing local wage.11

Yards
Shipyard reclassification costs an average of $2,600. Reconstruction of the yard may be required to level the slopes. Light mulch, such as wood chips or straw, on slopes can be washed away with water.

view
Whether adding mulch is part of a larger landscaping project or must be done before applying mulch, landscaping costs typically range from $4 to $17 per square foot. On average, landscaping costs $11 per square foot.

How to choose the right coating
The most important choice when choosing mulch is whether you want an organic mulch to nourish your plant bed or a decorative inorganic mulch to retain soil moisture. You can then select the texture and color of the overlay.

Organic and inorganic coatings
Organic mulch is made from living matter. It breaks down and nourishes the soil. It also kills weeds and beautifies the garden. Wood chips, pine straw, wheat straw and leaves make up organic mulch.

Inorganic coatings are made from non-living substances such as rubber, stone and plastic. It is decorative and durable because its decomposition rate is much slower than that of organic mulch. It suppresses weeds and keeps the soil moist, but does not make the soil fertile.

coating texture
Hardwood mulch comes in two textures: rough and smooth, says Kelsey Ross, owner of Austin-based Garden Party Landscape Design.

“When choosing hardwood trim, consider milling once for a more rugged, durable, and rustic look,” says Ross. “To release nutrients faster, look for mulch that is double-shredded or pre-mixed with compost.”

Ross explains that finer mulch breaks down faster, which is beneficial for plants, but it needs to be replaced more often.

Coating color
Choose natural or colored finishes. Natural coating has the color of the material. Natural coatings do not contain dyes, so they lose color quite quickly. Colored mulch comes in brown, black and red to complement your landscape.

Benefits of coverage
Mulch is a protective layer of soil around plants and has many benefits:

Cost of DIY vs. Professional Coating

DIY mulch costs about $175 per 100 square feet. Professionally delivered mulch costs approximately $215 to $235 per 100 square feet.

DIY coating
Covering, whether bulk or packaged, costs about $75 per yard plus $100 for shipping. Because most mulch is lightweight and easy to handle, homeowners can easily spread it throughout the yard.

Professional coverage
Hiring a professional to deliver the mulch costs about $175 for the mulch and shipping costs. Although landscaping can cost between $4 and $17 per square foot, spreading is relatively easy and will cost between $4 and $6 per square foot.

Best time of year to buy mulch
The best time of year to buy sawdust is spring and autumn.

Commercially produced mulch is sold at nurseries, garden centers and home centers in early spring.

Free mulch will be available from municipal recycling agencies in late fall. During this time, fallen leaves and branches were collected and processed into mulch.

Sources of low-cost or free coatings
Some sources of mulch are inexpensive or even free.

wood chips for planting trees
“You can often get wood chips at a nominal price or for free,” says Allen Tate, an ISA-certified arborist with Blooma Tree Experts, a Seattle-based tree care company.

“We encourage our customers not to use store-bought mulch,” says Tate. “If they don’t like the look of a uniform color, they can get wood chips from an arborist for free.”

Landscaping and landscaping companies produce wood chips from tree trimming, stump grinding, and yard clearing. After all, they need a place to dump their chips. Arrange a free or nominal discount with a local company.

City Overlay
If your local municipal waste department collects household organic materials, they may provide free mulch recycled from these materials. You will have to go to the recycling plant to pick up the mulch yourself.

Frame
Fallen leaves are a good source of inexpensive mulch, but they need to be shredded. Run the lawnmower over the leaves or run them through a leaf mulcher.

The best mulchers for making yard mulch are self-contained machines because they have the most productivity. Using these devices, you first need to rake the leaves into piles.

Paper
Shredded newspapers and grocery bags make inexpensive mulch. In addition, they come in handy when regular mulch cannot be found.

You can even lay out entire sheets of newspaper or cut up grocery bags and wet them. Just make sure the paper is uncoated.

DIY wood sliver
Consider purchasing a wood chipper to shred thin branches and brush into homemade mulch.

The best wood chipper combines a minimum shredding ratio of 10:1 and a feed diameter of up to 3 inches at a price you can afford.

Cut the grass
Bag and stack the grass clippings for later distribution in your garden beds. Distribute the sliced ​​pieces thinly. Avoid weeds when mowing as they can create new weeds in the mulched bed.

Straw
Break up bales of straw or hay and use them as mulch in your yard. Businesses that use decorative straws in the fall need to get rid of straws as winter approaches, and you can help.