How much playground mulch do you need?
Measure the play area under and around the equipment. You get cubic yards, tons and truck loads of playground mulch.
You need about
0 cubic yards
0tons
Add your truck size to see loads
for this job
How this was worked out
Assumes playground mulch at 0.35 tons per cubic yard. Mulch weighs more when it is fresh or wet, so ask your supplier for their number.
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About playground mulch
Playground mulch is engineered wood fiber: clean ground wood with no bark, leaves or dye, cut to a set size. The fibers knit into a springy mat that cushions a fall and, once packed, lets a wheelchair roll across it. The federal playground safety handbook calls for at least 9 inches after it packs down, so most crews fill about 12.
More about playground mulch
Engineered wood fiber is made from new wood, not pallets or yard waste, ground and screened so the pieces are a similar size and free of bark and twigs. Look for a product tested to ASTM F1292 for fall height and ASTM F2075 for wood fiber. Ordinary landscape mulch does not carry those tests and does not belong under a swing set.
Dig or frame the area so it holds 12 inches, put down a drainage layer or fabric if the ground stays wet, and fill it to the top loose. Wood fiber settles by about a quarter as it is walked on, ending near 9 inches, the least the federal handbook recommends for loose wood fill. Enter 12 inches as the depth here to order enough.
Check the depth under slides and swings each season, since children kick it out of the busiest spots first. Rake the high spots back into the low ones every few weeks, and add more when the packed depth drops below 9 inches. Fiber that stays wet weighs more than 0.35 tons a yard and breaks down sooner, so the area needs to drain. A play area 30 by 30 feet filled 12 inches deep takes about 33 cubic yards.