Compost Calculator — Calculate Your Compost Needs & Volume

Compost Calculator

Calculate the compost needed for your garden. Understand how garden area, compost depth, and compost type affect your project requirements and soil health.

Step 1: Garden Details

3 inches

Understanding Garden Area

Calculate your garden area by measuring length and width. For irregular shapes, break into rectangles and add areas together. For lawn top dressing, measure the total lawn area.

Step 2: Compost Details

About Compost Depth

For top dressing lawns, ¼-½ inch is typical. For soil amendment in gardens, 1-3 inches is recommended. For new garden beds, 3-6 inches may be needed. For mulching, 2-4 inches is standard.

Compost Calculation Results

Summary
Compost Comparison
Soil Benefits

Total Compost Needed

4.6 cu yd
Estimated Cost: $210
Compost Volume
4.6 cubic yards
Compost Cost
$160
Delivery/Spreading
$50
Cost per cubic yard
$45.65

Compost Type Comparison

Compost Type Cost per cubic yard Nutrient Level Best For Decomposition Time

Compost Benefits Analysis

Compost Volume Formula

Compost Volume (cubic yards) = (Area (sq ft) × Depth (inches)) ÷ 324

The compost volume is calculated by multiplying garden area by desired depth and converting to cubic yards. One cubic yard covers approximately 324 square feet at 1 inch depth.

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