How Much Rubber Mulch Do You Actually Need

This is the question we get more than any other, and most people underestimate it by half. Not because the math is hard, but because they measure the wrong area and guess at the depth.

Start with the area, not the equipment

The surfaced area is not the footprint of the playstructure. Safety surfacing has to extend through the entire use zone, which runs six feet clear on every side of most equipment, and further out in front of a slide exit and under a swing arc.

So a structure that measures 20 feet by 30 feet does not need 600 square feet of surfacing. Add six feet on all four sides and you are at 32 by 42, which is 1,344 square feet. That is more than double, and it is the number that actually drives your order.

Measure the whole prepared area, corner to corner, including the space around the equipment. If you have a border already, measure inside the border.

Then the depth

Depth is set by the fall height of your equipment, meaning the highest surface a child can stand on. Higher deck, deeper surfacing. This is not a preference, it is what the safety standards are built around, and it is the part people cut when they are trying to save money.

The other thing to know about loose fill is that it compresses. A bed installed at the correct depth settles under use, so the depth you install is not the depth you have in a year. Plan to check it and top it up, usually once a year on a busy playground.

The math

Square feet times depth in feet gives you cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards. So 1,344 square feet at 6 inches deep is 1,344 times 0.5, which is 672 cubic feet, or about 25 cubic yards.

Rubber mulch is usually sold by weight rather than volume, and coverage per bag or per ton varies with the product. Our surfacing calculator does the conversion for you. Put in your dimensions and your fall height and it comes back with a quantity.

Rubber mulch or wood fiber

Both are loose fill and both work. The short version:

• Rubber mulch costs more up front, does not decompose, does not attract insects and holds its depth far longer. It is the one to pick if nobody is going to be maintaining this every season.
• Engineered wood fiber is cheaper per square foot and is the more accessible surface for a wheelchair when it is installed and maintained properly. It breaks down over time and needs topping up more often.

Whichever you choose, buy the amount the math says, not the amount that looks like enough in the parking lot. Loose fill always looks like more before it goes down than after.

Not sure

Send us the dimensions and the height of the tallest deck and we will work it out and quote it. There is no charge for that. Call (256) 734-5117 or read more on safety surfacing.