Mulch calculator / Using leaves you already have
Shredded Leaf Mulch Calculator
How far will your leaves go? Use measured shredded stock, or a trial batch from your own loose leaves. Compare coverage with the bed you want to mulch.
Your stock can cover
—Enter your stock, bed area, depth and both trial-batch volumes.
Measure what you have
Compare with your bed
Changing a unit converts entered values. No depth is recommended or prefilled. For bed dimensions, start with the multiple-bed worksheet. For an irregular stockpile, use the measured pile-volume tool.
From a trial batch to a stock plan
Measure both batch volumes in the same units. Yield = shredded output ÷ loose input. Available shredded volume = remaining loose stock × yield. Bed volume = area × depth, in matching units. Coverage = available shredded volume ÷ depth. A shortfall is the required volume minus the available volume; divide it by a positive yield to plan additional loose stock.
The clickable example uses invented test measurements: 10 cu ft becomes 2 cu ft, so its measured yield is 20%. A separate 40-cu-ft loose stock would make 8 cu ft under those same conditions. At a user-chosen 2-inch depth, that covers 48 sq ft. A 60-sq-ft bed needs 10 cu ft, leaving a 2-cu-ft shortfall, equivalent to 10 more cu ft of loose leaves at that yield. This is an arithmetic example, not a typical shredding ratio or a depth recommendation.
If your leaves are already shredded, skip the batch entirely. The tool uses that measured stock directly. For a nonzero trial whose output exceeds its input, it keeps your measurements and flags the unusual relationship instead of silently replacing it with a preset.
Shredded leaves are not finished leaf mold
Texas A&M Extension's leaf-management guide describes using shredded leaves as landscape mulch and treats composting as a separate process. This worksheet stops at your measured shredded volume. It does not calculate future decomposition or assume that the layer will keep the same depth after weather and settling.
Unit conversions use 1 foot = 0.3048 metre, 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet and 1 litre = 0.001 cubic metre; see NIST's unit tables. Source facts were checked on October 3, 2026. No fixed volume-reduction factor is supplied.
Leaf-stock questions
How much mulch will my unshredded leaves make?
Measure a trial batch before and after shredding in the same volume units. Divide the output by the input, then multiply that measured yield by your loose-leaf stock. This assumes the remaining leaves are processed and measured under the same conditions; it is not a universal reduction ratio.
Can I calculate coverage if my leaves are already shredded?
Yes. Choose Already shredded, enter the available shredded volume and your planned bed area and depth. Coverage is available volume divided by depth, after converting to matching units. No shredding factor is applied.
What if I do not have enough shredded leaves?
The worksheet shows the missing shredded volume. In loose-leaf mode, it also divides that shortfall by your positive measured yield to estimate additional loose stock under the same conditions. A zero-output trial cannot provide that additional-stock estimate.
Does this predict leaf mold or settling?
No. This is a volume and coverage worksheet for shredded leaves at the condition you measure. It does not forecast decomposition, leaf-mold production, later settling or a shredder's performance.