Mulch and sod calculator: yards, pallets and landscaping cost
Cubic yards of mulch equal bed square feet times depth in inches, divided by 324, so 400 square feet of beds at 3 inches takes 3.7 yards and you order 4. Bulk mulch runs $30 to $47 a yard and sod $0.48 to $0.75 per square foot in 2026, counted here in 450 square foot pallets. This landscaping calculator adds edging and labor, and at the defaults those beds, 2,000 square feet of sod and 120 feet of edging come to $2,774 to $5,681.
Worked example: 400 sq ft bed area, 3 in mulch depth, 2,000 sq ft sod area, 120 ft bed edging
That takes 3.7 cubic yards (Mulch needed). National-average costs:
| Line | Quantity | Cost range |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk hardwood mulch | 4 cubic yards | $120 to $188 |
| Sod | 5 pallets | $1,080 to $1,690 |
| Bed edging | 120 ft | $240 to $372 |
| Bed prep and mulch spreading | 3.7 cubic yards | $148 to $296 |
| Sod install labor | 2,000 sq ft | $800 to $2,400 |
| Edging install labor | 120 ft | $300 to $600 |
| Starter fertilizer, pre-emergent and green waste disposal | 6% | $86 to $135 |
| Estimated total | $2,774 to $5,681 |
Enter bed area and mulch depth, then the lawn area getting sod and the feet of bed edging. Set any of them to 0 to leave it out. The interactive calculator on this page recomputes these numbers for your dimensions and adjusts for any US state.
How to measure for landscaping work
Break beds into simple shapes
Measure straight beds as rectangles and split odd ones into rectangles and triangles. An oval bed 20 feet long and 8 feet wide is about 126 square feet: half the length times half the width times 3.14.
Pick the depth for the bed
2 inches tops up a bed that still has last year's mulch, and 3 inches suits a new or bare bed. Past 4 inches you start smothering roots, and mulch should stay pulled back a few inches from trunks and siding.
Measure the lawn after the beds
Take the whole yard, subtract the beds, walks, driveway and house, and what is left gets sod. Tape the long runs instead of pacing them, because a short order means a second delivery and a visible seam where new sod meets yesterday's.
Wheel the edging line
Roll a measuring wheel along every bed edge that borders lawn. Edges against a walk, the foundation or a fence do not need edging, so leave them out of the footage.
What this calculator assumes
- Ranges are 2026 national averages for a residential refresh: mulch on existing beds, sod on prepared soil, and new bed edging.
- Mulch rounds up to whole cubic yards, and spreading labor is priced on the exact yardage.
- Sod is counted in 450 square foot pallets with 5 percent for cuts, rounded up to whole pallets.
- The 6 percent allowance covers starter fertilizer, pre-emergent and green waste disposal.
- Killing or stripping the old lawn, grading, topsoil, irrigation and plants are separate lines and are not in the total.
- Delivery fees for bulk mulch and sod depend on distance and are not included.
Cost factors in landscaping work
Prep under the sod
Laying rolls on raked soil goes fast. Killing the old lawn, tilling, bringing in topsoil at $34 to $52 a yard and grading for drainage can cost more than the sod itself.
Distance from the drop spot
A yard of mulch is four or five wheelbarrow loads. Dumped on the driveway 150 feet from the back beds, every one of those trips is paid time, so note where the truck can drop before pricing the spread.
Mulch type
Bulk hardwood is the baseline here. Dyed mulch and pine straw price differently, and river rock at $68 to $105 a yard uses the same depth math but weighs far more per yard to move.
Season
Spring is when every homeowner wants fresh mulch at once, and sod farms can run short in the busiest weeks. Cool-season sod laid in early fall roots in before summer heat and often gets a crew sooner.
Watering after install
New sod needs water every day for the first couple of weeks. If the yard has no irrigation, put a watering plan or a temporary sprinkler in the scope so a brown lawn is not blamed on the install.
Frequently asked questions
How much mulch do I need?
Square feet of bed times depth in inches, divided by 324, gives cubic yards. 400 square feet at 3 inches is 3.7 yards, so you order 4, and the same beds at 2 inches take 2.5. Bagged mulch usually comes in 2 cubic foot bags, and 13.5 of them make a yard, so 4 yards bought by the bag is 54 bags.
How many pallets of sod do I need?
Lawn area divided by the pallet size, plus about 5 percent for cuts along beds and walks. Most farms stack 400 to 500 square feet on a pallet and this calculator uses 450, so 2,000 square feet comes to 4.7 pallets with waste and you order 5. Ask the farm what its pallets cover before you place the order.
What does sod installation cost?
Sod runs $0.48 to $0.75 per square foot as material and $0.40 to $1.20 a square foot to lay on prepared soil. Set the beds and edging to 0 and this calculator puts 2,000 square feet of sod at $1,945 to $4,191. Killing and stripping the old lawn, tilling and regrading are what push a job toward the top of that range.
How do landscapers price mulch installation?
Most price by the installed yard. The mulch itself is the small part: 4 yards at $30 to $47 is $120 to $188. Weeding, raking out and spreading run $40 to $80 a yard, or $148 to $296 for the 3.7 yards here, and the distance from the drop spot to the beds moves that number more than the bed size does.
What does Staxen cost for landscapers?
For a landscaping crew, Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three, with the first 7 days free in the app. Walk the yard, say the bed sizes and lawn area out loud, and Eddie the Estimator returns a priced line-item estimate the homeowner signs from a texted link. Josie the Job Manager puts the install on the schedule and sends the SMS reminders.