Rubber Mulch Calculator

Rubber mulch does not break down or compress much, so it goes on thinner than wood: about 1.5 to 2 inches in landscape beds. Under play equipment, the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook lists 6 inches of shredded or recycled rubber, less than wood because it does not compress the same way.

It is usually sold by the bag or pallet, by weight, and the cubic feet per bag varies by brand. Check the label and adjust the bag size in the calculator if yours is different.

Measure the length and width in feet, multiply for square feet, then decide the depth in inches. For odd shapes, split the area into rectangles, circles, and triangles and add them up; the calculator lets you add as many areas as you need and subtract cut-outs like a tree ring or an air-conditioner pad.

No tape measure? Open the Draw on satellite map tab, find your address, and trace the outline. Or use Pace it off: count steps along each side. Measure depth in a few spots, because ground is rarely flat.

Want the area on its own first? The lawn size calculator measures any part of your yard and carries it into the other calculators.

Because it is used thinner, one cubic yard covers about 216 sq ft at 1.5 in deep.

A cubic yard of rubber mulch weighs 450 to 800 lb (about 0.28 tons typical). Moisture is the big swing: the same pile weighs more after rain.

See every material side by side on the material weights chart.

It takes 33.8 bags of 0.8 cu ft to make one cubic yard, and each bag weighs about 20 lb. Bags cost more per yard but skip the delivery fee and the minimum order. Bulk is cheaper per yard once the delivery fee is spread over enough material.

With example prices of $10 a bag, $300 a yard in bulk, and $100 delivery, bulk starts winning at about 2.7 cubic yards. These are examples, not your local prices: type your own into the Order Ticket above and it recalculates the break-even.

Do not forget the labor. One cubic yard in bags means lifting 34 bags, about 550 lb in total, twice: into the cart and out of the car.

One cubic yard of rubber mulch weighs about 550 lb. A full-size half-ton pickup typically carries 1,500 to 2,300 lb, and a midsize pickup 1,100 to 1,700 lb. Your exact number is on the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the driver's door jamb.

That means bed space runs out first. A 6.5 ft bed holds about 2.1 cubic yards level full, which weighs about 1,160 lb, within most half-ton payloads. Heaping it higher is how loads end up on the highway, so tarp it.

The Haul Check in the calculator does this math for your truck and your load, and tells you how many trips it takes.

• For playgrounds, CPSC lists 6 inches of shredded rubber, less than wood because it does not compress the same way. (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
• Rubber is sold by weight and bag yield varies. Check the cubic feet printed on the bag before you count bags. (Rubberific rubber mulch)

• Spreading it as deep as wood mulch in a bed.
• Assuming every bag holds the same volume.
• Measuring only under the swing set, not the whole use zone around it.