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c/backyard-projects•the_leethe_lee•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about how much mulch volume shrinks?

I ordered 3 cubic yards for my beds in Austin last spring and it looked like barely 2 by the time it settled after a month. The supplier told me it compacts 15-20% but I thought he was just fishing for a bigger order. Has anyone else measured the difference or am I just buying crappy mulch?
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2 Comments
skyler_jackson27
Lol, mulch shrinking is just physics, quit blaming the supplier.
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mark436
mark4361mo ago
The moisture content is what nobody talks about. Bags of mulch sit in the sun at the store for weeks, then they get weighed out by the yard. You're paying for water weight, not wood. By the time it sits in your beds for a month, that water evaporates and you lose a good 10-15% of volume right there. Supplier can't control the rain or the humidity in their yard.
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