Professionally installed mulch runs about $78 to $95 per cubic yard in Chicago, a figure that already includes the material, the delivery and the labor to spread it, per LawnStarter's city-by-city table. Priced as a whole job instead of by the yard, Angi puts a standard yard at $75 to $325 with an average of $120, and HomeAdvisor puts it at $100 to $350 with an average of $180. Where your project lands depends on three things: how many cubic yards your beds need, which mulch you pick, and how much bed prep comes first.
Those are published cost-guide ranges, not a quote. Their value is letting you sanity-check an estimate and see which line items a mulching company is pricing. R & G Almanza Landscape delivers and installs mulch across Chicago and the nearby suburbs, and our mulching services page covers how the work is done. This article is about what it costs, by cubic yard, by bag, by delivery and by labor, using 2025 and 2026 figures from Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, Fixr and LawnStarter.
Mulch Price Per Cubic Yard by Type
Material is the biggest variable in a mulch bill. HomeGuide puts mulch at $25 to $100 per cubic yard for materials alone and $50 to $150 with delivery and installation. By category, organic runs $25 to $100 and inorganic $30 to $180 (HomeGuide); Fixr's equivalent split is $50 to $150 organic and $25 to $300 inorganic.
The table below takes each common type's per-cubic-yard figure from the source that publishes it. Read the basis column: guides differ on whether labor is inside the number.
| Mulch type | Cost per cubic yard | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shredded hardwood | $40 to $60 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Shredded hardwood | $40 to $70 | Including installation | LawnStarter |
| Pine bark | $30 to $40 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Bark and wood chips | $30 to $110 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Cedar | $100 to $110 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Cypress | $115 (average) | Materials only | HomeAdvisor |
| Rubber | $80 to $160 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Rubber | $80 to $140 | Including installation | LawnStarter |
| Garden compost | $75 to $100 | Materials only | Fixr |
| Stone and gravel | $25 to $180 | Materials only | Fixr |
Organic mulch: hardwood, bark, cedar and cypress
Shredded hardwood is the mid-priced workhorse and the most common choice on Chicago-area beds. Fixr prices it at $40 to $60 per cubic yard for material and describes it as a dense, double-shredded product that holds up on a slope without migrating. Pine bark is the value option at $30 to $40, though Fixr notes it "can be washed away quite easily in areas with water runoff." Cedar and cypress sit at the top: Fixr puts cedar bark at $100 to $110, and HomeAdvisor lists cedar at an average of $110 and cypress at $115. For which material suits your beds rather than which costs least, our guide to the best mulch for Chicago beds compares them on longevity, color and weed control.
Inorganic mulch: rubber, stone and gravel
Rubber and stone cost more up front and do not decompose, so they skip the annual replacement cycle. Fixr prices rubber at $80 to $160 per cubic yard, stone at $50 to $180 and gravel at $25 to $55; LawnStarter's installed figure for rubber is $80 to $140. The spend is front-loaded rather than repeated.
Dyed and colored mulch
Color carries a small premium. Fixr's materials-only table runs brown and red at $30 to $40 per cubic yard, tan at $30 to $45, black and green at $40 to $60 and blue at $45 to $65; HomeAdvisor's ranges are wider, from $25 to $140 for brown up to $100 to $140 for red. Angi lists specialty mulch, including dyed and rubber blends, as a $10 to $30 per cubic yard add-on. HomeGuide adds a caveat: darker colors absorb more heat and may break down faster.
Bagged Mulch vs Bulk Mulch by the Cubic Yard
Bag versus bulk is a question about project size. HomeGuide prices bagged mulch at $2 to $8 per bag, LawnStarter at $3.25 to $6.50 and HomeAdvisor at $2 to $15. Bag volume varies: HomeGuide says most bags hold 1 to 3 cubic feet, HomeAdvisor says 1.5 to 2, and Fixr and LawnStarter both work from a 2-cubic-foot bag. That gives 9 to 27 bags per cubic yard (HomeGuide), or 13 to 13.5 (Fixr, LawnStarter). LawnStarter's conclusion is the useful one: a cubic yard bought in bags can cost about 35% more than the same yard in bulk, and bulk orders earn a 15% to 30% discount as quantity rises.
Fixr's per-yard material price falls on the same curve: $40 to $60 on a 1-to-3-yard order, $30 to $40 at 4 to 6 yards, $20 to $30 at 7 to 10 yards and $10 to $20 at 10 to 20 yards. Bags still win under a cubic yard, where HomeGuide notes you can buy by the bag and skip the delivery fee. A standard bag weighs 30 to 50 pounds (HomeGuide), worth knowing before planning to fit 13 in a car.
Mulch Delivery Fees, Minimums and Truckloads
Delivery is usually a separate line. HomeGuide puts the fee at $50 to $150 depending on distance and order size. Angi and HomeAdvisor both use $50 to $100 as a flat fee on top of bulk material priced at $20 to $80 per cubic yard. LawnStarter's band is higher at $70 to $140, and it notes you can skip that entirely by picking the mulch up yourself.
Fixr breaks delivery out by how the mulch arrives:
| Delivery type | Average cost, labor included | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| By the scoop (about half a cubic yard) | $50 to $80 per scoop | For projects under a full yard | Fixr |
| By the cubic yard, bulk | $80 to $175 per yard | Includes the mulch itself | Fixr |
| Bagged, delivered | $100 to $200 per delivery | Bags stacked at one drop point | Fixr |
| Truckload | $150 to $300 | Starts at 2 cubic yards; a full load is 10 to 30 | Fixr |
Three details move the number. Fixr says weekend delivery can raise the price 10% to 20%, and charges at least $50 extra to scatter bags rather than leave one pile. HomeAdvisor notes bulk deliveries often run 10 to 30 cubic yards per single-axle truck, while a standard pickup carries about 2 to 3 cubic yards (LawnStarter) — the ceiling on a self-haul.
What Installation Labor Adds Per Yard or Per Hour
Once mulch is on site, spreading is priced one of two ways. By the cubic yard, HomeGuide puts installation at $25 to $50, Angi at $20 to $50 and HomeAdvisor at $20 to $60 — the last split into $20 to $50 for hand-spreading and $40 to $60 for mulch blowing, which uses pressurized air and suits large or hard-to-reach beds. Fixr's blowing figure is $35 to $60 per cubic yard.
By the hour, Angi puts landscaper labor at $35 to $65. Fixr is more specific: $55 to $75 per hour for a two-person crew, with 3 cubic yards taking about two hours, or roughly $110 to $150 of labor. Fixr lists the same $55 to $75 hourly rate to spread mulch after a delivery-only order.
The DIY delta is smaller than most people expect: Angi puts the saving at $20 to $50 per cubic yard, estimates about one hour per cubic yard for spreading and cleanup, and warns that a poor installation can lead to weed growth, uneven coverage or mulch washing away in rain.
Bed Prep: Edging, Weeding and Removing Old Mulch
Prep is where two estimates for the same yard diverge. Angi is blunt about the scale: edging, weed barrier fabric or old mulch removal can add $150 to $300 to a project total, at $1 to $5 per linear foot for edging, $0.40 to $0.80 per square foot for fabric and $20 to $50 per cubic yard for removal.
Other guides price the same items differently. HomeGuide puts landscape fabric at $0.05 to $0.25 per square foot for materials; LawnStarter's range is $0.05 to $0.85. For removal, Fixr and LawnStarter both quote $50 to $75 per hour plus $50 to $100 in disposal. HomeGuide puts leveling or regrading, if the bed needs it first, at $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot.
The decision behind all of it is top-off versus full replacement. Angi prices a top-off at $30 to $60 per cubic yard and a full replacement with removal at $50 to $110, because of the added labor. Angi's rule of thumb: if replenishing approaches half the price of a complete replacement, replace it. That is usually the call when mulch is heavily decomposed, moldy, pest-infested, or when you are switching types.
How Much Mulch Do You Need? Depth and Coverage Math
Every quote starts from cubic yards, and you can work that out in a minute. HomeAdvisor's formula: measure total square footage, multiply by the depth you want in inches, then divide by 324.
Coverage at a given depth is the quick check. LawnStarter states that a cubic yard covers 162 square feet at 2 inches and 108 square feet at 3 inches; HomeGuide's price table uses the same basis, listing 648 square feet for 6 cubic yards. Fixr rounds to about 100 square feet at 3 inches. A single bag covers 4 to 12 square feet at that depth (HomeGuide), or about 8 (HomeAdvisor).
Depth is a range, not a fixed number. HomeGuide puts most beds at 2 to 4 inches — 2 to 3 for previously mulched areas, 3 to 4 for new ones — and 1 to 2 inches for fine material such as pine needles. Angi works from two to three inches. Fixr recommends 2 to 3 inches for organic mulch, about 1 inch for inorganic, never more than 4.
Published size bands for a whole project look like this:
| Bed area | Mulch needed | Installed cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 1 cubic yard | $90 to $200 | Angi |
| 500 sq ft | 5 cubic yards | $350 to $700 | Angi |
| 1,000 sq ft | 10 cubic yards | $700 to $1,200 | Angi |
| 2,000 sq ft | 20 cubic yards | $1,200 to $2,200 | Angi |
| 108 sq ft (at 3 in) | 1 cubic yard | $50 to $150 | HomeGuide |
| 540 sq ft (at 3 in) | 5 cubic yards | $250 to $750 | HomeGuide |
Spring vs Fall Pricing Around Chicago
Timing moves the price, and two guides point the same way. HomeGuide states that prices for yard work are often lower during winter months when demand is low and higher during spring and summer. Fixr agrees: landscaping is seasonal, so you may find lower quoted mulching service costs in fall and winter.
Spring is the busiest and priciest window, because every bed in the neighborhood gets refreshed at once. The limit on a late-season job here is weather, not the calendar: once the ground freezes and beds are under snow, spreading is done for the year. A fall installation still works over winter, since mulch moderates soil temperature, keeping soil warmer in winter and cooler in summer, according to University of Illinois Extension. Two smaller levers: Fixr's 10% to 20% weekend delivery premium, and the bulk discount curve, which rewards combining beds into one order.
Mulch Cost in Chicago: FAQ
How much does mulch installation cost in Chicago?
LawnStarter's Chicago row puts professionally installed mulch at $78 to $95 per cubic yard, including materials, delivery and labor. Priced as a whole job, Angi's normal range for the Chicago suburbs is $75 to $325 with a $120 average, and HomeAdvisor's national range is $100 to $350 with a $180 average. Bed size, mulch type and prep work decide where a specific project lands.
How much does a cubic yard of mulch cost?
Materials alone run $25 to $100 per cubic yard, and $50 to $150 per cubic yard with delivery and installation, per HomeGuide. HomeAdvisor prices bulk material at $20 to $80 per cubic yard plus a $50 to $100 delivery fee, and lists material by type from $35 to $170. Fixr's per-yard price falls as the order grows, from $40 to $60 on small orders down to $10 to $20 at 10 to 20 yards.
How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
It depends on bag size. HomeGuide puts most bags at 1 to 3 cubic feet, which works out to 9 to 27 bags per cubic yard. Fixr and LawnStarter both use a 2-cubic-foot bag, giving 13 to 13.5 bags per yard. LawnStarter notes that buying a yard's worth in bags can cost about 35% more than buying in bulk, and a bag weighs 30 to 50 pounds (HomeGuide).
How much does mulch delivery cost?
HomeGuide puts the delivery fee at $50 to $150 depending on distance and order size. Angi and HomeAdvisor both use $50 to $100 as a flat fee on top of the material, and LawnStarter's range is $70 to $140. Fixr breaks it out by method: about $50 to $80 per half-yard scoop, $80 to $175 per bulk cubic yard delivered, and $150 to $300 for a truckload, which starts at 2 cubic yards.
How much area does a yard of mulch cover?
A cubic yard covers 162 square feet at 2 inches deep and 108 square feet at 3 inches, according to LawnStarter; HomeGuide's cost table uses the same 108 square feet at 3 inches. Fixr rounds to about 100 square feet at 3 inches. To size your own job, HomeAdvisor's formula is square footage multiplied by depth in inches, divided by 324.
Is it cheaper to top off mulch or replace it?
Topping off is less expensive. Angi puts a top-off at $30 to $60 per cubic yard against $50 to $110 per cubic yard for a full replacement with removal, because of the extra labor. Angi suggests replacing outright once the cost to replenish approaches half the price of a complete replacement, or when the old mulch is heavily decomposed, moldy or infested.
When is mulch least expensive to buy?
HomeGuide says prices for yard work are often lower during winter months when demand is low and higher in spring and summer, and Fixr says the same, noting lower quoted mulching costs in fall and winter. Buying in bulk rather than by the bag and scheduling a weekday delivery are two other levers, since Fixr notes weekend delivery can add 10% to 20%.
Get a Mulch Estimate for Your Chicago-Area Beds
Published ranges tell you whether a quote is reasonable; only a look at the beds tells you how many cubic yards they take, how much old mulch has to come out, and whether the edges need cutting first. R & G Almanza Landscape Inc is a family-owned, insured crew that has worked on Chicago-area landscapes since 1999, from Skokie and Evanston through the North Shore and the greater Chicago area. Contact us to request an estimate for your property.
Call R & G Almanza Landscape at (847) 869-8584 to talk through mulch delivery and installation for your beds.
