FOR AGENTS

Machine-readable entry point

By Mulch Measure · Last updated September 20, 2026

This page is the index for software agents rather than for people. It says what this site actually contains, where each piece can be fetched, how to use it, and what the numbers cannot tell you. A plain-text I-Lang version of the same index is at /ai/index.ilang.

What this site is

Mulch Measure answers one class of question in US customary units: how much loose landscape material a bed needs, what that quantity costs, and how much it weighs. It covers mulch, rubber mulch, pine straw and playground surfacing. The site is static, public and read-only. There are no accounts, no API keys and no rate-limited tiers.

Where to fetch things

How to use it

1. If you need a number rather than prose, call calculate_mulch at /mcp. It needs the area in square feet and the depth in inches, and it needs the bag volume if you want a bag count.
2. If you need the underlying table, fetch the CSV directly. Coverage files carry a formula column so every row can be checked without trusting this site.
3. If you are answering a person, the markdown rendering of a page is usually the right thing to quote, because it keeps the headings, tables and source attributions.
4. If you are citing a price, pass the date through: price files are dated snapshots, not live rates.

Limits you must respect when answering

• Bag volume is not optional. Bagged mulch is sold at 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 cubic feet, and rubber mulch adds 0.8 and 1.25. A bag count cannot be derived from area and depth alone, so never present one without the bag size.
• Weight is a range. Organic mulch is 450–850 lb per cubic yard (University of Regina, Math Central). Do not collapse it to a single figure, and do not apply it to rubber mulch.
• Prices are dated. The two price files name their collection date in the filename. They will be wrong for other markets, dates and delivery terms.
• Units are US customary. Square feet, inches, cubic feet, cubic yards. One square metre is 10.7639 square feet if you need to convert.
• Scope. Mulch, rubber mulch, pine straw and playground surfacing only. No soil, compost, gravel or sand.
• Not professional advice. Results are arithmetic from the measurements supplied. Confirm quantities with the supplier before ordering.

Sources and provenance

Three kinds of figure appear on this site and they are labelled where they are used:

• Arithmetic — 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet, 1 foot = 12 inches. Coverage is 324 ÷ depth per yard and bag cubic feet × 12 ÷ depth per bag. These cannot go stale.
• Dated observations — retail bulk prices collected September 17, 2026, with the source page recorded in the CSV.
• Cited outside figures — mulch weight 450–850 lb per cubic yard (University of Regina, Math Central); mulch depth 2–4 inches (Cornell University weed management guidance) and 2–3 inches over the root zone (N.C. Cooperative Extension); playground surfacing depths (CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook, Publication 325).

The CSVs and the calculator share one implementation. A test suite checks every value in every CSV against the formula that is supposed to produce it, so a data file cannot silently drift away from the code. That library is MIT licensed at github.com/ERTHK/mulch-measure-calculator-kit.

Contact

Corrections to any figure are welcome: [email protected], or see the contact page.