Bags or bulk: when a cubic yard delivery is cheaper

Mississippi State University Extension advises comparing the cost of bulk mulch, sold by the cubic yard, with the cost of smaller units before you buy. The same goes for soil and compost.

Source: MSU Extension P2301, mulches, checked October 9, 2026.

The two are priced differently. Every bag costs the same, so ten bags cost ten times one. Bulk is priced per yard plus delivery, and Oregon State University Extension notes that the delivery charge is often a flat fee, not tied to how much you order. That fee makes a small bulk order expensive per cubic foot and a large one cheap.

Source: OSU Extension EM 9308, using compost, checked October 6, 2026.

• 27 cu ftin one cubic yardMSU Extension P2301, mulches, October 9, 2026
• 18 bagsof 1.5 cu ft make a cubic yardArithmetic
• 324 sq ftcovered by a cubic yard of compost 1 inch deepNC State Extension, compost coverage, October 6, 2026
• 108 sq ftcovered by that same yard at 3 inchesNC State Extension, compost coverage, October 6, 2026

1. 1

   Work out how much you need

   Get the cubic feet from the calculator for your job: soil, mulch, compost or gravel. The bag count and the cubic yards appear side by side.

2. 2

   Price a bag per cubic foot

   Divide the shelf price by the cubic feet printed on the bag. With a made-up $10 for a 1.5 cu ft bag, that's $6.67 per cubic foot.

3. 3

   Price bulk per cubic foot, delivery in

   Ask the landscape yard for the price per yard and the delivery fee. Add them, then divide by the yards × 27. With made-up figures of $40 a yard and $60 delivery, one yard costs $100, or $3.70 per cubic foot.

4. 4

   Ask about part yards and minimums

   Some yards sell half yards and some have a minimum order. If you need 1.2 yards and they only sell whole yards, price 2 yards, or 1 yard plus a few bags.

5. 5

   Add the costs that aren't on the receipt

   Bags mean store trips and carrying, but they keep. Bulk needs a spot for the pile, a tarp and a wheelbarrow, and someone to move it. Write both totals on the soil record before you order.

27 ÷ the bag's cubic feet. Bag sizes are cited from the makers' pages and an extension example, not product picks.

Source: Scotts Premium Topsoil product page, checked October 6, 2026; MSU Extension P2301, mulches, checked October 9, 2026; Miracle-Gro raised bed soil product page, checked October 6, 2026; Kellogg Garden raised bed mix product page, checked October 6, 2026.

NC State Extension gives the coverage for compost: one cubic yard covers about 324 square feet at 1 inch, 216 at 2 inches and 108 at 3 inches. Mulch and soil work the same way, since it's only arithmetic: 27 × 12 ÷ the depth in inches gives the square feet one yard covers.

Source: NC State Extension, compost coverage, checked October 6, 2026.

A 10 x 20 ft border mulched 3 inches deep takes 50 cubic feet. That's 1.85 cubic yards or 25 bags of 2 cu ft, well past the break-even in the example prices above. A single 4 x 4 ft bed topped with 1 inch of compost takes 1.33 cubic feet, which is one bag.