Mulch costs $15 to $65 per cubic yard for a mass truckload distribution, and also $35 to $110 per yard for distribution and installation. One yard of mulch covers around 108 square feet at 3” deep. For smaller sized tasks, mulch costs $2 to $7 per bag which covers 8 sqft. each. Get free approximates from mulching services close to you or watch our price guide listed below.

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Mulch Cost

Economy mulch prices $15 to $30 per cubic yard or $2 to $6 per bag, while hardlumber or colored mulch is $30 to $40 per yard or $3 to $8 per bag. Dyed mulch for a 160-square-foot flowerbed expenses $75, and hardwood chips for a 500 sqft. landscape area runs $120 to $250 delivered.

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Make your mulching task easier by having the mulch delivered for a flat fee of $40 to $100, and have actually the mulch set up by a landscaper for a second $20 to $45 per yard. Here are typical projects and also their price installed:

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Mulch Costs InstalledProjectSquare FeetTypical Cost Installed
Vegetable Garden with Hardhardwood Mulch100 SF$70 – $120
Play Area via Playground Mulch250 SF$175 – $300
Flowerbed with Colored Mulch300 SF$150 – $250
Landscaping location through Wood Chips1,000 SF$350 – $600

The average homeowner spends $141 to $291 for mulch delivery and also installation. The amount of mulch you must order relies on the project—flowerbeds, yard borders, island beds about trees, bordering courses, including traction to a big muddy area of the yard or around an above-ground pool, or under play devices. You might additionally have actually a large vegetable garden you’d prefer to keep weed and also mud-free.

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Average Mulch Costs
National Median Cost$175
Minimum Cost$50
Maximum Cost$500
Mean Range$141to$291

Table of Contents

Bulk Mulch Prices

Bulk mulch delivery costs $15 to $65 per cubic yard with many homeowners spending $350 to $700 for 10 yards yielded which includes professional installation. For distribution alone, prices array from $45 to $100, while installation typically adds $20 to $45 per yard to your last expense.

While many type of jobs only call for a couple of bags of mulch, larger tasks like spanalysis mulch in a wooded area of the yard can expense much less per yard and also come to be an simpler project as soon as the mulch is bought in large amounts and also ceded to the house. The more mulch you buy, the cheaper per yard you"ll have to pay.

Bulk Mulch PricesNumber of YardsPrice Per Yard
1 Cubic Yard$60
1.5 Cubic Yards$50
2 – 5 Cubic Yards$40
6 – 11 Cubic Yards$25
11+ Cubic Yards$15

Mulch Prices Per Yard

On average, mulch prices array from $15 to $65 per yard, via the majority of spending $18 per yard for mass distribution. Economy mulch prices $15 to $30 per yard, and colored or hardhardwood mulch runs $30 to $40 per yard. A yard of mulch covers 110 to 160 square feet based on a depth of 2-3”.

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Mulch Prices Per YardNumber of YardsPrice Per Yard
Economy Mulch$15 – $30
Colored or Hardhardwood Mulch$30 – $40
High-end Mulch$40 – $60

Mulch Prices By Type

Mulch expenses vary based upon the types and also delivery fees. Most providers market mulch based on cubic yards, however buying per bag is also an alternative.

Mulch PricesTypePer FootPer BagPer Yard
Wood Chips$0.89$1.78$24
Colored Mulch$1.30$2.60$35
Rubber Mulch$4$7$150
Cedar Mulch$3.70$7.40$100
Cypush Mulch$4.07$8.14$110
Hemlock Mulch$1.67$3.34$45
Shredded Hardhardwood Mulch$1.50$3$40
Double Shredded$1.60$3.20$43
Triple Shredded$0.96$1.92$26
Redwood or Gorilla Hair Mulch$2.22$4.44$60
Bark Mulch$3.44$6.88$93
Pine Bark$0.96$1.92$26
Pine Straw$1.50$3$40
Playground Mulch$3.26$6.52$88
Tea Tree Mulch$1.58$3.16$42

Cost to Deliver a Truck Load of Mulch

Delivering a truckload of mulch costs $15 to $65 per yard plus a level fee $45 to $100. Truckpack deliveries start at 2 cubic yards (13.5 bags), via 10 to 30 cubic yards being the conventional delivery size for a single axle truck. Some mulch companies offer complimentary shipment if you live cshed.

Mulch deserve to be yielded in bags, palallows of bags, or loose and trucks will certainly normally dump it onto your drivemeans, pavers, or gravel. Otherwise, lay down a tarp so the distribution crew knows wbelow to unload it, and also to store it off the grass. The size of the delivery, wbelow you live, and if you scheduled distribution on a weekend will identify your last price.

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Truck Load of Mulch CostProject SizeCubic YardsDeliexceptionally TypeMedian Costs
250 Sqft.2.31Bags$75 – $150
500 Sqft.4.63Bags or Pallet$120 – $250
1,000 Sqft.9.26Palallows or loose load$150 – $350
2,000 Sqft.18.52Pallets or loose load$350 – $600
3,000 Sqft.27.77Palallows or loose load$420 – $750

Bag of Mulch Costs

A typical brown or black bag of mulch prices $2 to $6 from your local hardware store. Red mulch, cedar, or exotic purple-dyed mulch expenses in between $3 and $10 per bag. Each bag of mulch has 2 cubic feet, and also 13.5 bags make a cubic yard.

You have the right to additionally buy bags of mulch in mass per truckload or per pallet. At neighborhood house improvement stores, 55 bags of mulch come on a pallet, which covers 440 to 660 square feet at 2-3” deep.

Bag of Mulch CostsTypeCost Per Bag
Red Mulch$3 – $10 per bag
Babsence Mulch$3 – $6 per bag
Dark Brown Mulch$2 – $10 per bag
Cedar Mulch$3 – $10 per bag
Pine Mulch$2 – $5 per bag
Rubber Mulch$7 – $15 per bag
Purple Mulch$4 – $10 per bag

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How Much Mulch Do I Need?

One yard of mulch is enough to cover around 108 square feet at 3” deep, while each 2 cubic foot bag covers around 8 square feet. Bulk mulch distribution starts at 2 cubic yards or around 13.5 bags. First, you’ll need to meacertain the area and recognize how many kind of inches of depth you desire to lay down.

A layer of mulch will certainly assist keep your garden beds moist and also weed-cost-free, but also much will certainly encourage root development into the mulch layer and also kill the plants quite than the weeds. The recommfinished depth for most flowerbeds is 3”.

A fine mulch can be 1” – 2” in depthA coarsely shredded mulch have the right to be 3” – 4” in depth.Enough mulch to kill grass and weeds is about 6” deep.

Mulch Cost Calculator

Put in the dimensions of your project in our mulch calculator listed below to uncover the variety of cubic yards, bags compelled, and also the estimated full price.

Mulch Cost Calculator
Length of area in feet
Width of location in feet
Mulch depth in inches(2" to 4" is most common)

Bag Mulch vs. Bulk

Bulk mulch is cheaper to buy than bags if your task needs even more than 2 cubic yards or 27 bags of mulch. When buying by the bag, mulch expenses $50 to $60 per yard, whereas bulk deliveries deserve to be as cheap as $15 to $25 per yard depending on just how much you purchase.

Bag Mulch vs. BulkTypeMean Cost Per Yard
Bags$50 – $60
Bulk Load$15 – $25

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Mulch Installation Costs

Mulch installation expenses $20 to $45 per cubic yard with most homeowners spfinishing $38 per yard, not consisting of the expense of the mulch at $15 to $65 per yard. Mulch expenses $175 to $375 for 5 yards yielded through professional installation.

Many landscapers charge a flat fee for mulch installation, at $55 to $115 per hour. It normally takes one hour for 2 men to install 2 to 3 yards of mulch.

Mulch Installation Cost BreakdownItemCost Per Yard
Mulch & Delivery$15 – $65
Install Labor$20 – $45
Total Cost$35 – $110 per yard

For 600 square feet of flowerbeds, your complete bought, yielded, and installed cost would be $200 to $600 depending on the kind of mulch schosen and depth. This price does not encompass weeding before laying down the mulch; the beds should be prepared in advancement.

Mulch Installation Costs By SizeProject SizeTypical Cost
250 SF$120 – $260
400 SF$160 – $400
700 SF$220 – $700
1,000 SF$320 – $1,000
2,000 SF$640 – $2,000

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Mulch-Blowing Cost

A mulch-blowing organization prices $35 to $60 per cubic yard, compared to hand also mulching, which runs $50 to $100 per yard. For a typical 250-square-foot flowerbed that needs 2.31 cubic yards of mulch, mulch spraying prices around $100. Mulch blowing is cheaper and also quicker, specifically for larger tasks.

Mulching Sheet Prices

A mulching sheet expenses $20 per 100-foot roll of plastic. Mulching sheets are primarily offered on farms producing acres of vegetables. Sheets come in various widths and lengths and also is commonly a babsence or metallic plastic that covers the soil to retain moisture and inhibit weed development.

Foresattempt Mulching Prices

Forestry mulching and land also clearing prices $150 to $250 per hour, or at a flat rate of $400 per acre. Final prices depfinish on the dimension and also number of trees on the land.

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Types of Mulch

Mulch prices vary based upon the type of timber (or other material) they are made from and also exactly how carefully shredded they are. Below we compare the advantages and also disadvantages of each form of mulch.

Mulch Types & PricesColorCost Per Cubic FootCost Per Cubic Yard
Brown Mulch (Walnut)$1.11$29.97
Red Mulch (Color Scape)$1.29$34.95
Babsence Mulch (Hardwood)$1.48$39.95
Black Mulch (Rubber)$4.81$129.80
Brvery own Mulch (Rubber)$4.81$129.80
Red Mulch (Rubber)$5.18$139.80

Colored Mulch Prices

Colored mulch costs $2 to $10 per bag depending upon the type. Dyed hardwood mulch helps save the soil moist and slow-moving the growth of weeds. Organic mulches can be dyed with vegetable dyes, and also the color commonly lasts a few years.

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Red Mulch Prices – Red mulch prices selection from $3 to $10 per bag or about $30 to $40 per cubic yard. The red in the mulch deserve to come from the iron-oxide dye (entirely safe vegetable-based dye) on waste lumber chips or from rubber mulch.Black Mulch Prices – Black mulch costs $3 – $6 per bag, or about $40 to $60 per yard. Babsence mulch is made up of hardwood or rubber. Wood chips are dyed via carbon, comparable to charcoal.Brvery own Mulch – Brvery own mulch prices from $2 – $10 per bag. Many mulch is normally brvery own, since it originates from trees and bark.

Cost of Wood Chips

The expense of wood chips is $0.89 per cubic foot, $1.78 per bag, or $24 per cubic yard. Wood chips are an excellent mulch for routes, trees, or shrubs but not so much for flowers and also vegetables, as they tfinish to tie up the nitrogen required by annuals and their shallow root device.

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Bark Mulch Prices

The average cost of bark mulch is $3.44 per cubic foot, $6.88 per bag, or $93 per cubic yard. Bark mulch is a popular option for flowerbeds, with cedar bark being the optimal alternative for its scent and also appearance. Bark dust prices $27 to $41 per cubic yard and is the grinding up the bark mulch, fir, and hemlock.

Shredded Hardtimber Mulch Costs

Shredded hardwood mulch expenses $1.50 per cubic foot or around $40 per cubic yard. Double or triple-shredded ground mulch has actually a finer cut, is even more efficient at weed regulate, and also prices slightly more. Coarsely shredded hardhardwood mulch is much better to use around shrubs and trees, and the carefully shredded mulch works better about flowers.

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Cedar Mulch Prices

Grade A cedar mulch costs $99 per yard, while various other cedar mulching runs $3.70 per cubic foot, and also $7.49 per bag. Cedar brings vivid shade and scent to your garden locations, is useful to earthworms, and also prevents bacteria, fungus, and pests. Some people are sensitive to the cedar scent, as it can exacerbate allergies. Cedar takes a a lot longer time to decreate, so you may desire to add fertilizer.

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Cypush Mulch Prices

Cypush mulch costs $109 per cubic yard, $4 per cubic foot, and also $8 per bag. Cypush is incredibly absorbent, so it might not permit a lot water to pass through the soil. Pine straw is simply as an excellent a mulch as cypush, and it is cheaper and also doesn’t damage the environment.

Pine Straw & Pine Bark Mulch Costs

Pine bark mulch price $0.96 per cubic foot, $1.92 per bag, or $26 per cubic yard. Pine bark nuggets are a wonderful organic mulch that lasts much longer than the majority of mulches, however will certainly wash amethod in heavy rain.

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Laying pine straw expenses $1.50 per cubic foot, $3 per bag, or $40 per cubic yard. The labor price to have pine straw installed is $38 per cubic yard or $1.41 per cubic foot. Pine straw is an excellent organic mulch and also is simply the fallen needles from a pine tree. Its acidity renders it a fantastic mulch for acid-loving plants such as azarental fees, rhododendrons, and camellias.

Rubber Mulch Prices

Rubber mulch expenses $80 to $160 per cubic yard or $7 per 40-pound bag. When buying in mass, rubber mulch prices $300 to $800 per ton. Rubber mulch prevents insects and fungus from infecting your plants, comes in different colors, and is often provided in children’s playground areas or landscaping areas.

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Redlumber or Gorilla Hair Mulch Prices

Redwood or gorilla hair mulch expenses $2.22 per cubic foot, $4.44 per bag, or $60 per cubic yard. It is fibrous, fuzzy, and rich in shade, and also it functions well on slopes because of its light, fluffy texture. When wet, it"s hefty enough to discourage weeds and stay put. Redtimber and also cedarwood are naturally rot and also pest resistant, making it an excellent alternative for your garden.


Further Types

Tea Tree Mulch – Tea tree mulch costs $1.58 per cubic foot, $3.16 per bag, or $42.66 per cubic yard. It releases a pleasant scent that goes well through your garden, repels pests, and releases nutrients into the soil progressively.Hay Mulch – Hay mulch costs $82.50 per ton. Hay is nutrient-wealthy and also a good mulch to usage if you have substantial vegetable gardens, due to its low expense. Seeds that might be in the hay, causing weeds to grow, however a lot of gardeners agree the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.Plastic Mulch – Plastic mulch costs $20 for a 4 x 100-foot sheet and also is often supplied in melon, strawberry, and also cucumber gardens to store the vines clean and rot complimentary. Plastic mulch does not allow air or water to obtain with, so it"s used around plants to safeguard the root mechanism.

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Wright here is Mulch Normally Used?

There are many type of types of garden mulch available, from organic to synthetic. Each kind of mulch has a details purpose. Some plants require specific kinds of mulch and also will carry out poorly if the wrong type of mulch is laid dvery own.

Mulch falls into two categories—organic and not natural.

Organic: Wood mulches, leaf, pine straw, grass clippings, straw or hay, newspaper. Organic mulch contributes to the soil quality, yet as it breaks down, it must be replaced.Inorganic: Rubber, plastic, landscape fabric, rock. Inorganic mulch lasts much longer but contributes nothing to the soil.

It’s finest to stop laying organic mulch in low, wet locations. Sometimes this have the right to store the plants too damp, and also it motivates unwelcome pests such as slugs to feast on your plants.

Bark chips – Bark chips cost $3.44 per cubic foot or $93 per cubic yard. Chips are not the finest mulch for your garden plants, as the small timber pwrite-ups tfinish to tie up nitrogen. Use bark and also lumber chips for paths or the locations between flower/vegetable beds.Comshort article or manure – You have the right to usage comwrite-up and also manure almost everywhere. Compost is the result of kitchen waste left to dewrite in a pile that turns into nutrient-wealthy fertilizer great for plants. Manure gives nitrogen, phosphorus, and also potassium and also micronutrients—all necessary for plant development.Grass clippings – Clippings have the right to be provided as mulch if you’re in search of a quick, cheap, and also nutrient-rich mulch to put in your garden. Clippings don"t look great and often smell, however they include nutrients to your soil for totally free.Shredded and whole leaves – Leaves are a terrific mulch for annual and also perennial beds. A tree’s leaves contain 50 – 80% of the nutrients extracted from the soil and also air. However before, it may contain insects, so don"t usage near flowers.Straw or hay – Straw and hay are excellent mulches to use in a vegetable garden which avoids soil-borne conditions and also lasts for a lengthy time.

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Mulching Tips & Tricks

How To Lay Mulch

For flowerbeds, lay down the mulch by hand via a tiny shovel or spade. For larger areas, empty a wheelbarrow complete at a time in an open up room and also then spread it approximately.Fine-textured mulch (shredded leaves and also compost) have to be kept to 2” – 3” thick. Coarser textured mulch (hardwood chips, pine needles, or straw) deserve to be layered 4” – 5”.Mulch 1” – 2” amethod from the base of plants, and also 3” – 4” away from the base of shrubs.When making use of mulch roughly trees, leave 6” – 12” approximately the base of the tree complimentary of mulch to prevent moisture and also condition. The mulch layer deserve to be 2” – 4” deep, tapering out to 0 at the edge of the drip line.Keeping mulch amethod from the base of plants or trees to allow sunlight and also oxygen to reach the plant, and also additionally keeps amethod any kind of pests who might take up residence in the mulch.Before you include new mulch to your beds, remove the old mulch so it doesn’t rot. However before, including a tiny little bit of new mulch to the optimal layer without going over the 3” depth keeps your yard looking fresh.

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DIY Mulching Tips

Mulching not only benefits your garden, but it also adds some curb appeal to your residence. To get the a lot of from the mulch you put down, take into consideration its visual effect.

After laying dvery own mulch, add landscape edging to the garden bed to proccasion the mulch from blowing amethod.Smooth the mulch after you lay it dvery own to eliminate hills and also valleys.Lay dvery own mulch once the soil is still warm, and make certain the soil is moist.Choose a mulch that looks great through your present house and garden colors; it must blend in.Use a weed killer to kill any kind of weeds prior to laying dvery own mulch.Sometimes wood-based mulch have the right to diminish the soil of nitrogen. Before you lay down mulch, add some bloodmeal or a high-nitrogen fertilizer to the soil.Newly laid mulch demands to be well-watered. Good mulch consists of microorganisms that are useful to your soil and also plants. If the mulch dries out, those microorganisms deserve to die and also then fungi deserve to come in, creating a water-repellent surconfront.Newly ceded hardwood or bark mulches have to be watered thoapproximately prior to application. Mulch is stored in piles, and it tends to acquire incredibly hot in the summer months. The microorganisms that live in the mulch tolerate the high warmth yet die as the mulch cools.

Mulch Safety Issues

Some hardwood mulch comes from wood treated via chromium, copper, and arsenic. The arsenic have the right to leach into your soil and also get on your hands. Look for the Mulch and Soil Council’s certification logo design, which guarantees it CCA totally free.

Some mulch have the right to be a safety danger for pets.

Mulch made from cocoa bean hulls have the right to cause a dog’s heart to race and also might likewise reason vomiting.Mulch made from rubber periodically contains benzene, which causes cancer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Tip For Mulch Delivery?

If the landscaper is beneficial and dumps the mulch wright here you require it, or in multiple spots, tipping is a nice touch. If the mulch delivery company simply drops it everywhere and leaves, think twice before tipping.

How Many kind of Bags of Mulch Are in a Yard?

There are 13.5 bags of mulch in a cubic yard given that each bag of mulch includes 2 cubic feet on average. For the 3 cubic feet bags, it takes 9 bags of mulch to make a yard.

How Much Does a Bag of Mulch Weigh?

A bag of straw mulch weighs about 20 pounds, while a bag of cedar mulch weighs 40 pounds if completely dry. If the mulch becomes wet, the weights can double.

How Many type of Cubic Feet Are in a Yard of Mulch?

Tbelow are 27 cubic feet in a yard of mulch. When mulch carriers talk around a yard of mulch, they are talking around a cubic yard.

Should I Rerelocate Old Mulch?

You must remove old mulch bereason it have the right to contain bacteria or fungi, which can prove harmful to plant life. Applying brand-new mulch over it can reason rotting and nutrient starvation.

How Do You Get Rid of Old Mulch?

If you suspect or understand the old mulch has actually fungi, bacteria, or condition pathogens, throw it in the trash. Otherwise, you have the right to area organic mulch such as leaves or straw in a comshort article pile. Don’t remove mulch also beforehand in the spring, as a late frost may damage new shoots.

Does Wood Mulch Attract Termites?

Termites are not attracted to the timber in mulch; it’s the cool, moist environment. Although, fresh timber chips are a food resource to termites, so don"t lay mulch best up against your residence. Keeping a clear, mulch-complimentary course around the perimeter of your residence is the best method to save the pests out.

Can You Mulch After Rain?

An fantastic time to lay dvery own mulch is after it rains. The layer of mulch will certainly store the soil moist and help it not to dry out. Laying mulch over dry soil is not a good idea—the water from rain or sprinklers doesn’t pass through the layer of mulch to reach the soil, which is detrimental to your plants.

Can You Placed Mulch Down in Fall or Winter?

It’s much better to put down mulch in the autumn rather than the winter. Fall mulching creates an insulating layer that protects the plants from fast temperature fluctuations, which can disrupt the plant roots and also reason damage. A fall mulch additionally keeps the soil warmer for earthworms that administer soil aeration, enhancing the high quality of your soil.

Can I Use Sawdust as Mulch or a Soil Amendment?

Sawdust is considered raw lumber and will diminish your flowerbeds of nitrogen as it decomposes. No raw, unaged hardwood commodities must be provided in or roughly garden plants.

Can I Use Newspaper as Mulch?

Newspaper is great short-term cover to use when reseeding or to protect wintering plants, but it should be removed when warmth weather arrives.

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Where to Buy Mulch?

You can buy many kind of kinds of mulch from your local nursery, house innovation stores such as Home Depot or Lowe"s, or garden centers prefer Walmart. Many areas sell mulch in mass or in bags. Shop about to get the best price for your task.

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Where to Buy Mulch?StoresLowest Price Per Bag
Walmart$1.97
Menards$1.99
Lowe’s$1.99
Home Depot$2.50
Tractor Supply$3.99

For bigger jobs or convenience, order straight from a mulching distribution business to save on expenses and have it dropped off straight at your residence or building site. Many landscapers will certainly additionally install the mulch for you.