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Wood Fiber Mulch Calculator
Engineered wood fiber is the standard accessible playground surface. Enter the area and depth for cubic yards, bags and truckloads.
Your project
Beds 2-3". Playground EWF 9-12" installed to compact to 6-9".
Crews typically order 5-10% extra to cover compaction, spillage and uneven subgrade.
Delivered wood fiber mulch typically runs $120-$260 per ton.
Wood fiber mulch needed
1.58
US tons · includes 5% waste
- Area
- 480 sq ft
- Volume
- 4.67 cubic yards
- Volume (cubic feet)
- 126 cu ft
- Total weight
- 3,150 lb
- 40 lb bags
- 79 bags
- Density used
- 25 lb per cu ft (0.34 tons/yd³)
- Truckloads (15-ton)
- 1
- Estimated delivered cost
- $299
Quarry densities vary by source and moisture. Confirm tons per cubic yard with your supplier before placing a bulk order — a 10% density difference is a whole extra load on a big job.
The shareable link reopens this calculator with your exact inputs.
What wood fiber mulch is
Engineered wood fiber (EWF) is milled, sized wood chip with the fines and bark removed so the fibres knit together underfoot. That knitting is what makes it the only common loose-fill surface that meets accessibility requirements for wheelchair travel while still absorbing falls.
At 25 lb per cubic foot, one cubic yard weighs about 0.34 US tons, and one ton spread 2" deep covers roughly 480 square feet.
How to install it
Install 9-12 inches loose over a drainage layer; it compacts about 25% in the first season to the 6-9 inch depth the fall-height tables assume. Landscape bark mulch, by contrast, goes 2-3 inches deep and never more.
The mistake that costs the most
Piling bark mulch against trunks and stems. Volcano mulching holds moisture against bark, invites rot and girdling roots, and kills more landscape trees than drought does. Keep a 3 inch gap at the base of everything.
The math behind the calculator
Square feet × (depth in inches ÷ 12) = cubic feet. Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Cubic feet × 25 ÷ 2,000 = US tons. The waste allowance is applied to the volume before the weight conversion, which is how suppliers quote it.
Wood fiber mulch needed per 100 square feet
At 25 lb per cubic foot, before waste.
| Depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Tons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | 8.3 | 0.31 | 0.1 |
| 2" | 16.7 | 0.62 | 0.21 |
| 3" | 25 | 0.93 | 0.31 |
| 4" | 33.3 | 1.23 | 0.42 |
| 6" | 50 | 1.85 | 0.63 |
| 12" | 100 | 3.7 | 1.25 |
Recommended depth by application
| Application | Depth |
|---|---|
| Landscape beds | 2-3" |
| Around trees (never on the trunk) | 3" |
| Playground EWF, installed loose | 9-12" |
| Playground EWF, compacted | 6-9" |
Frequently asked questions
+How many tons of wood fiber mulch do I need?
Multiply square feet by depth in feet to get cubic feet, then multiply by 25 and divide by 2,000. A 500 sq ft area at 3" needs about 1.56 tons before waste.
+How many tons of wood fiber mulch are in a cubic yard?
Roughly 0.34 tons at 25 lb per cubic foot. Wet material weighs 5-10% more, which matters when you are buying by the ton and measuring by the yard.
+How deep should wood fiber mulch be?
Landscape beds: 2-3". Around trees (never on the trunk): 3". Playground EWF, installed loose: 9-12". Playground EWF, compacted: 6-9".
+What does wood fiber mulch cost?
$120 – $260 per ton delivered in most US markets, before the haul fee. Short loads carry a minimum charge, so half a load often costs nearly as much as a full one.