It is that time of year! Digging and planting and mulching oh my! What better way to spruce things up than with mulch and/or top soil! But how do you determine how much to order for delivery? How can you determine if the correct amount was delivered? The Bucks County Department of Weights & Measures offers you the following information so that consumers get what they pay for.
The rule for determining how much mulch or topsoil you will need is this:
• One cubic yard will cover 162 square feet at a thickness of two inches.
• The first step is to estimate the size of the coverage area by calculating the area’s square footage. Measure each bed by its length and width, and then multiply those numbers to get the square feet.
• After accounting for each bed, add up the square footage. That will give you an accurate idea of how much mulch or topsoil you will need
The following are some important things to know if you are considering hiring a company to deliver mulch or topsoil to your home or business:
• When the delivery truck arrives you should inspect the load before it is dumped. Make sure it is free from trash and other debris.
• While the mulch or soil is still in the truck or once it is dumped, check to be certain that the amount that you ordered is the amount that was delivered.
• Mulch and topsoil are sold by volume and should be sold in terms of a cubic yard which is 27 cubic feet. You can measure the load in cubic feet before it is dumped or unloaded by simply multiplying the length, width, and height of the load. Keep in mind the load will have settled some while in transit. Use decimals for inches. For example, 3 ½ feet would be 3.50. Then divide the number by 27 to get the number of cubic yards.
• Please remember, if the mulch appears to be of sub-standard quality, you may refuse the delivery.
• Be sure to obtain a receipt with the name and address of the mulch delivery business on it. The receipt should also state the amount of mulch that was delivered.