Pine straw calculator: how many bales of pine straw do I need?
4 bales
of 25 lb · 100 lb of pine straw at 3 in · each bale covers 50 sq ft · for a 20 × 10 ft bed
Run your own numbers
Enter it the way you measured it: 4.5, 4 1/2,
3/8 or 10' 6".
4 bales
of 25 lb · 100 lb of pine straw at 3 in · each bale covers 50 sq ft
Source: LSU AgCenter, «Pine straw makes excellent mulch» (March 30, 2009), read October 23, 2026. Read the source
A 200 square foot bed takes 4 bales of 25 lb pine straw for a 3 inch layer: half a pound per square foot gives that depth, by LSU AgCenter, so each 25 lb bale covers 50 square feet.
A worked example
A yearly 1 inch top-up on 37 by 9 ft of beds, with 40 lb bales needs 2 bales. 333 square feet at 1 inch is 55.5 pounds, a third of the 3 inch rate; one 40 lb bale covers 240 square feet at that depth.
How much does a bale of pine straw cover?
A 25 lb, 3 cubic foot bale covers 50 square feet 3 inches deep, by LSU AgCenter, and three times that, 150 square feet, as a 1 inch top-up. Alabama Extension gives 50 square feet at 5 inches for a bale of its own size.
How deep should pine straw be?
3 inches as a first layer under shrubs and trees, a little less around bedding plants, and 1 inch each year after, by LSU AgCenter. Alabama Extension puts settling mulches such as pine straw at 6 inches, because they settle after a rain.
What else it is called
Pine straw is also sold as pine needle mulch, longleaf or slash pine straw, by the bale. Searched as a pine straw calculator, pine straw coverage calculator or how many bales of pine straw do I need.
Bales by bed size
| Bed area | 3 in, 25 lb bales | 3 in, 40 lb bales | 1 in top-up, 25 lb bales | Pounds at 3 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 100 sq ft | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| 200 sq ft | 4 | 3 | 2 | 100 |
| 300 sq ft | 6 | 4 | 2 | 150 |
| 500 sq ft | 10 | 7 | 4 | 250 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 20 | 13 | 7 | 500 |
Half a pound of pine straw per square foot gives the 3 inch first layer, by LSU AgCenter, and a yearly top-up at 1 inch takes a third of that. Bales in Louisiana run 25 to 51 pounds, so count by the weight on your bale.
Where the numbers come from
- Rate and bales: LSU AgCenter, «Pine straw makes excellent mulch» (Allen D. Owings, March 30, 2009): an initial 3 inch layer for shrubs and trees; «One-half pound per square foot will give this desired depth»; «Most bales sold in Louisiana weigh 25-51 pounds and contain 3-6 cubic feet of mulch. A 25-pound, 3-cubic-foot bale will cover 50 square feet 3 inches deep»; a top-up at 1 inch, where one bale goes three times as far. Read October 23, 2026. LSU AgCenter article
- Why the bale weight matters: Alabama Cooperative Extension System ANR-1336 (revised June 2023): «One bale of pine straw generally covers 50 square feet when applied to a 5-inch depth; however, pine straw bales are not always a consistent size in the marketplace», and pine straw settles after a rain. Read October 23, 2026. Alabama Extension ANR-1336
- The rest is arithmetic: pounds = area × 0.5 × layer in ÷ 3; bales = pounds ÷ bale weight, rounded up.
Bale size is the variable: Louisiana bales run 25 to 51 pounds, and the Alabama figure of 50 square feet at 5 inches is for a bale of unstated size. Weigh one bale, or read the label, and enter that.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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