Quantity Needed for Landscaping Projects

Correct calculations prevent you from buying too much or not enough

When planning a landscaping project, the first step is determining the quantity of landscape materials you need.

How much mulch do I need?
How many teaspoons in a tablespoon?
How many plants are required to cover an area?

This page provides some helpful calculations for the number of plants it takes to plant a certain area, as well as the amount of landscaping mulch or decorative stone required to cover an area.

Bob also provides conversion charts on other weights and measures you may require in various landscape maintenance projects, such as calibrations for mixing concentrates and pesticides.

SHREDDED MULCH
Coverage area for Shredded Mulch

Quantities can vary greatly due to the moisture content and type of mulch used. Bob’s “experience” quantities relate to past projects using dry, double-shredded hardwood mulch, where 1 cubic yard covers 150 square feet at Bob’s recommended depth of 1-1/2 inches.

Depth (inches) / Quantity (cubic yards)
per 100 square feet
1/2 inch / .22 yard
1 inch / .44 yard
1-1/2 inches / .66 yard
2 inches / .88 yard
2-1/2 inches / 1.10 yards
3 inches / 1.32 yards
3-1/2 inches / 1.54 yards
4 inches / 1.76 yards

TOPSOIL
Coverage area for Topsoil

Quantities can vary due to the moisture content and type of topsoil. Quantities below assume that one cubic yard of topsoil weighs 2,250 pounds (lbs.) and one cubic foot of topsoil weighs 83 pounds.

Depth is shown in inches (in.)
Quantity is shown in cubic yards (cu. yds.) and pounds (lbs.)

Depth / Volume / Weight
per 100 square feet

1 in. / .33 cu. yds. / 750 lbs.
2 in. / .66 cu. yds. / 1,500 lbs.
3 in. / 1 cu. yd. / 2,250 lbs.

TOPSOIL
Quantity needed for topdressing lawns

Experience tells us that the average amount of screened topsoil needed for lawn renovation projects is 2 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet.

Quantity is shown in cubic yards (cu. yds.) and pounds (lbs.) per 1,000 square feet (sq. ft.)

Lawn project / Cubic yards / Pounds
per 1,000 sq. ft.

Skim coat / 1.5 cu. yds. / 3,375 lbs.
Filling low spots / 2 cu. yds. / 4,500 lbs.
Filling holes / 3 cu. yds. / 6,750 lbs.

STONE
Coverage area for Gravel & Decorative Stone

Quantity shown in pounds (lbs.) and square feet (sq. ft.) indicating the approximate minimum amount of stone required to provide coverage.
One ton = 2,000 pounds (lbs.)

Diameter of stone / Coverage per 1-ton
(minimum amount required for coverage)

2″ (2b gravel) / 100 sq. ft.
2″ to 6″ (river rock mix) / 60 sq. ft.
3″ river rock / 80 sq. ft.

MASS LANDSCAPE PLANTINGS COVERAGE
Required Plant Quantity per 100 square feet

Plant spacing / Number of plants
per 100 square feet

6-inch centers / 400 plants
1-foot centers / 100 plants
2-foot centers / 25 plants
3-foot centers / 11 plants
4-foot centers / 6 plants

LIQUID MEASURE

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
8 ounces = 1 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon
42 gallons = 1 barrel
2 barrels = 1 hogshead

METRIC LIQUID CONVERSIONS

1 milliliter = .0338 ounce
1 liter = 33.817 ounces
1 quart = .94625 liter
1 gallon = 3.785 liters

CUBIC MEASURE

1,728 cubic inches = 1 cubic foot
46,656 cubic inches = 1 cubic yard
27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard
1 cubic yard = 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft
1 cord of wood = 128 cubic feet
1 board foot = 144 cubic inches