If you’re planning to receive a truckload of mulch, topsoil, or fill dirt, the delivery may be dumped on or near your driveway rather than where you actually need the material. This means you’ll be making many trips back and forth with a wheelbarrow to carry the substance to where it’s needed. Knowing the wheelbarrow’s volume will help you figure out how many trips you may need to make or how many full wheelbarrows it will take to cover a specific area of your yard or garden.

Standard Size

Wheelbarrows are available in a variety of volumes, typically from 2 cubic feet on up to much larger sizes such as 6 cubic feet for a contractor-grade wheelbarrow. A typical garden variety wheelbarrow with a deep basin holds approximately 3 cubic feet; the shallower ones typically hold 2 cubic feet.

Calculations

While the wheelbarrow volume is in cubic feet, soil, mulch, and the like are measured by the cubic yard. One cubic yard of mulch or soil, the equivalent of 27 cubic feet, would require nine trips with a wheelbarrow that holds 3 cubic feet.