Short answer
Bagged wins under roughly 8–10 bags, or when you have no truck and no place to dump. Bulk is cheaper per cubic foot beyond that and far faster to spread.
Where bulk wins
Bulk is less expensive per cubic foot, arrives in one drop, and leaves no bags to break down and haul away. For anything over about a yard of material it is the obvious call.
- Any project over ~1 cubic yard
- Driveway, bed refresh and grading work
- Contractor and repeat volume
- Seasonal salt staged ahead of storms
Where bagged wins
Bags travel in a car trunk, store neatly in a garage, and can be spread over several weekends. For a small refresh or an apartment-scale patio, that convenience is worth the premium.
Delivery vs. pickup
A full-size pickup holds about 2 cubic yards of mulch but only about 1 cubic yard of stone, which is heavier — overloading is both illegal and hard on the truck.
Delivery makes sense above your truck's safe capacity, or when you'd rather have the material placed close to the work.
Frequently asked
- How much material can my pickup carry?
- Roughly 2 cubic yards of mulch, 1 cubic yard of topsoil, or 1/2 to 1 cubic yard of stone in a full-size truck.