Wood Chip Calculator
Soil & OrganicMeasurements in, purchasing amount out
How the Wood Chip Calculator works
The calculator finds volume first, then applies the selected material’s estimated bulk-density range to show weight. Your suggested order adds 10% for settling, uneven ground, and small measurement errors.
Using your measurements
12 ft × 8 ft × (3 in ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 0.89 cu yd
Density assumption: Arborist chips · 450–600 lb/yd³
The full breakdown
How many wood chips your landscaping, playground, or garden bed actually takes
The wood chip calculator above turns a length, width, and depth into cubic yards, weight, and bags as you type. Use it for arborist chips on a rustic path or driveway, chip mulch on a garden bed, or the deep cushion under a play set; the playground chips option carries that material’s own weight range.
Wood chips and bark mulch behave differently over time. Chips are branch wood and bark chipped together, coarser and more mixed than shredded bark mulch — the FAQ below compares them, and the mulch calculator covers shredded products. For garden paths and beds, 3 to 4 inches gives good weed suppression and soil insulation. Under play equipment, safety guidance calls for a much deeper cushion of 9 to 12 inches.
For irregular or circular areas, our calculator lets you choose shapes directly or estimate by bounding rectangles. Fresh wood chips settle roughly 10% to 15% in their first few months as the loose pieces knit together. Our suggested order figure automatically includes a practical allowance so your finished project maintains full intended depth.
Wood chip variety changes weight, not volume
A cubic yard remains 27 cubic feet regardless of wood species or moisture, but weight swings dramatically. Dry cedar wood chips and playground chips sit on the lighter end (400–550 lb/yd³), while fresh green arborist chips and wet hardwoods can exceed 700 lb/yd³ due to sap and moisture content.
| Wood Chips | Weight |
|---|---|
| Fresh green chips | 550–750 lb/yd³ |
| Aged / seasoned chips | 450–650 lb/yd³ |
| Playground wood chips | 400–550 lb/yd³ |
Recommended wood chip depths by project
Depth determines performance. Use shallow layers for flower beds, medium depth for walkways and driveways, and maximum depth for certified playground fall zones.
| Flower beds & shrub borders | 2–3 in (5–7.5 cm) |
|---|---|
| Weed-suppression garden paths | 3–4 in (7.5–10 cm) |
| Wood chip driveway / high-traffic trail | 4–6 in (10–15 cm) |
| Playground safety surfacing (CPSC / ASTM standards) | 9–12 in (23–30 cm) to absorb impacts |
Bagged vs. bulk delivery & chip drops
Bagged wood chips (typically 2 or 3 cubic feet per bag) are ideal for small garden beds and seasonal touch-ups. For larger landscaping or playground jobs requiring more than 2 or 3 cubic yards, ordering bulk delivery from a local nursery or requesting an arborist chip drop is substantially more economical.
- 13.5 × 2 cu ft bags ≈ 1 cubic yard
- 9 × 3 cu ft bags ≈ 1 cubic yard
A standard pallet holds roughly 65–70 bags of 2-cubic-foot wood chips.
Two common mistakes with wood chips
Skimping on playground safety depth
Spreading only 2 to 3 inches of wood chips beneath play equipment provides almost zero shock absorption during a fall. Playground safety guidelines require 9 to 12 inches of certified engineered wood chips to meet critical fall-height impact ratings.
Using fresh green chips right against plant stems
Fresh green wood chips consume surface nitrogen as microbes begin breaking down raw wood fibers. Keep raw wood chips on top of the soil as a surface mulch rather than tilling them in, and leave a 2-to-3-inch collar around tender plant stems.
Wood chips, specifically
Wood chip questions people actually ask
Why add 10% to the calculated amount?
Extra material covers small dips, settling, spillage, and measurements that are not perfectly square. The calculated amount remains visible so you can compare both figures.
Are bag counts based on the same amount?
Both are shown. “Calculated” bags cover the measured volume; “Order” bags include the 10% allowance and round partial bags up to whole bags.
How accurate is the weight estimate?
Volume comes directly from your dimensions. Weight is a range because moisture, particle size, composition, and compaction change bulk density.
What are wood chips?
Wood chips are small-to-medium pieces of chipped tree wood and bark produced by commercial wood chippers from felled trees, arborist pruning, or clean lumber mill byproducts.
What to do with wood chips after tree removal?
Fresh chips from tree removal make fantastic landscape mulch for garden beds and tree rings, natural weed-barrier paths, wood chip driveway toppers, compost pile carbon layers, or erosion control on sloped ground.
What is the difference between wood chips and mulch?
“Mulch” is any layer spread over soil, and wood chips are one kind of it. Arborist chips mix wood, bark, and leaves in coarse, uneven pieces, and tree crews often give them away. Bagged mulch is usually shredded bark or wood, screened to a uniform size and sometimes dyed, so it looks tidier and costs more. Chips suit paths, tree rings, and informal beds; shredded mulch suits front beds and slopes. The mulch calculator and the bark calculator carry those products’ own weights.
What are wood chips used for?
Wood chips are used for landscape mulch, playground safety surfacing, weed control, garden paths, composting, erosion control on slopes, and biomass fuel.
How much is 20 cubic yards of wood chips?
A 20-cubic-yard bulk delivery of landscape wood chips typically costs between $400 and $900 ($20 to $45 per cubic yard plus delivery). However, free wood chips are often available through municipal mulch programs or local arborist drop services.
Do wood chips attract termites?
Wood chips do not attract termites to your yard from afar, but any moist organic mulch layer against an exterior wall creates damp conditions termites seek. Keep wood chip mulch 6 to 12 inches away from home foundations and siding.
Why do playgrounds have wood chips?
Playgrounds use engineered wood fiber (EWF) chips because their fibrous, interlocking shape compresses into a springy, impact-absorbing cushion that meets ASTM and CPSC fall-safety standards while draining rainwater effectively.
How much does a yard of wood chips weigh?
A cubic yard of dry or seasoned wood chips weighs approximately 400 to 550 pounds. Fresh green arborist chips containing moisture and sap weigh between 600 and 750 pounds per cubic yard.